Heated slippers will turn up the fire on your product line this holiday season
Explanation:
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In this week’s trending eCommerce product, we’re stepping into another saturated market with lots of growth potential. Sometimes seasonal products can turn into a cash crop guaranteeing annual returns. On that note, let’s inspect heated slippers.
Product
Even with inflation causing shoppers to rethink spending habits, Sharper Image-like products are flying out of fulfillment centers. Trendy massage devices, Star Wars-themed gadgets, and other highly niche items are making a comeback as shoppers are looking for memorable gifts.
It seems quality over quantity is the buyer vibe this holiday season.
But even as winter isn’t here yet, we’re letting sellers know about one luxury item that’s trending high: heated slippers. They’re slippers with a small heating device either zipped in the slipper’s front or with heating coils throughout — microwaved heated, USB-rechargeable or battery operated.
Popular Science even did a write up on the best heated slippers of 2022.
The market is a little saturated, but with a solid supplier, it could be an excellent item to sell through Winter. We found listings on a range of platforms, but here are a few that caught our eye.
- Amazon – This heated slipper has a USB-rechargeable heating device zipped into the front of the slipper that heats to 122 degrees Fahrenheit. The outer shell is made of carbon fiber and cotton and has a fleece feel to it. Price: $21.95.
- Walmart – These slippers are also USB-rechargeable, but offer a different heating system with coils sewn into the slipper. And they lose the fleece from the Amazon model. Price: $21.57.
- The Warming Store – This niche store offers heated devices for an extraordinary range of clothing items. Their lowest priced slipper runs off AA batteries and has no back. But they also offer high-end USB-rechargeable slippers. Price: Low – $49.99 High – $149.99.
What about sizing?
Most of the listings offer heated slippers that “fit Men or Women sizes 8-9.” That’s a broad range of foot sizes. But don’t let that put you off of the product as people most likely won’t walk around in them. Even if their feet are a little smaller or larger, it’s still a valid gift.
Success Factors
This week we won’t focus heavily on the listing content except to say they offer solid infographics and copy. Instead, as a clothing item, we’ll focus on their return policy. We spoke about this in this week’s Webretailer Newsletter Tuesday tips — subscribe for more online retail news and tips on how to generate more revenue.
With an item like a heated slipper, you have the potential for more returns with sizing and function issues with the heating device. Be sure to protect yourself and your brand with a clear return policy, quick communication, and alternatives options to a direct return if possible.
Seller Focus
This niche market requires a solid supply chain and fulfillment line. If you’re looking to streamline your fulfillment and supply chain, it helps to work with top-tier platforms and management companies in these spaces. Here are a few options:
The sellers in this category hail from all over the world, and mainly offer items imported from China. Regardless, they have clear return policies mapped out along with standard high-quality images and SEO-forward copy.
Retailers can source heated slippers directly from Alibaba and many other top suppliers.
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