10 Sizzling Summer Products To Sell

The great thing about this summer item is that it’s needed by every age and gender, which means there is a huge variety to pick from. Thinking practically, a customer can choose from two or four wheels, hard or soft shell, as well as the size. Thinking aesthetically, there’s a huge range of colors and patterns to play with. So put yourself in the mind of your target customer; factors like age, gender, and travel purpose will narrow down your options considerably.

For instance, if you cater to children, smaller luggage with bright colors and fun patterns would be popular. If you cater to adults who travel for business, you could look into luggage with inbuilt USB ports. If you want inspiration, Calpak has a great selection of carry-on luggage catering to many different styles and needs.

Canopies are an important addition to every type of summer gathering – be it a barbecue, sporting event, farmers market, or outdoor camping. They protect people and equipment from sun and rain, and come in all shapes and sizes.

Its versatility makes this summer product suitable for lots of different stores. It would be a welcome addition to any online camping and sporting shops, but if you offer personalization options, a canopy can become a perfect item for community events – think small businesses and schools. It’s important to be clear about the sizes, materials, and durability of your stock so that your buyers can make the right choice. Impact Canopy sets a good example for the level of detail necessary in product descriptions.

These shoes will never go out of style, and modern flip-flops offer so much more versatility and comfort than they once did. There are fashionable platforms that can be worn with more dressy outfits, and pool-side flip-flops with excellent traction. Sporty flip-flops offer a more comfortable fit and are good for walks. Rocket Dog has an inspiring selection to look through, but consider branching out to foam slides and clogs too!

This category of summer items to sell has really soared in the last 10 years. There are novelty inflatables like flamingos and pineapples, and inflatable tanks that squirt water, but there are also more practical options, including inflatables that protect and charge your devices and keep your drinks safe and secure while you relax.

Big Joe is one of the best in the inflatable game, providing a huge range that’s both eye-catching and memorable. Check out their website for inspiration!

It’s no surprise that portable fans are a top selling summer product! Whether they’re pedestal fans, spray fans, USB-powered, attached to a hat, or handheld old-school paper fans, you’ve got a lot of options! So to narrow down what will work best for your customers, think about who they are as people – where and for what will they need fans?

For instance, there are fans that look like headphones for bike riders, flexible tripod fans for strollers, fans that mist the face, even fans meant for bridesmaids during hot weddings. Check out Jisu if you want an idea of just how many forms this product can come in!

Sunglasses are one of the best cross-selling summer items, pairing well with lots of other product lines due to their many purposes. For instance, travel, clothing, and sports stores offer very different products, but sunglasses are a complimentary addition to each.

With this in mind, you should adapt the type you sell to suit your customers’ needs. Will they want cycling glasses that repel the wind? Neon heart-shaped glasses for summer festivals? Or maybe a classic aviator or wayfarer style? Polarized or prescription lenses are also options to consider to accommodate wider customer needs. Spyoptic is a great example of a website selling successfully within all of these categories.

Insulated water bottles have always been one of the best summer items to sell due to their practicality, but the likes of Stanley, Yeti, and Owala have skyrocketed in popularity over the past year thanks to their unique designs and color options. They’re no longer solely for function but, for some, are fashion statements in themselves!

With this in mind, it’s best to decide whether your customers would favor function or style (or a bit of both) when choosing a water bottle. Stanley’s Quencher, for example, is very popular for its look, but wouldn’t be suitable for commuters because it’s bulky and isn’t leak proof.

These water bottles are extremely popular, so there is a lot of competition online. Being leak proof, environmentally friendly, BPA free, dishwasher safe, and able to hold temperature are all factors that people look for in an insulated water bottle, so make sure you include these plus-points when writing product descriptions to ensure your site visitors are confident enough to make a purchase.

A sure-fire way to claim the perfect sunbathing spot, beach towels are a must-have for every summer holiday. Like luggage, people don’t want to waste their time hunting for their towels among a sea of duplicates. This is your opportunity to make your product stand out – the stranger the better!

Society6 is currently on top of the beach towel game, and is full of inspiration for you to take away for your site. From relatable quotes and screengrabs of iconic movie scenes to fun summer patterns and paintings, the possibilities are endless and can be related to a lot of niches.

We’ve saved the best for last, because the next two best summer products to sell provide the opportunity to potentially double your sales because their popularity isn’t limited to one season.

Once you’ve identified a trend, select your products tactically by thinking about whether their sales spike at any other time of the year, such as Christmas. You can also increase your opportunity for profit by brainstorming related products that can be sold alongside it. Technology and accessories or/ protective cases are the best examples of this.

An e-reader is both a great tool for traveling during the summer months and a fantastic Christmas gift. They have become even more popular recently thanks to social media, and TikTok is saturated with videos of people decorating their shiny new tech with colorful cases and accessories. Monitor and take advantage of social media trends like these on your ecommerce platform. 

An example of a site that puts this into practice is Etsy seller BendlinLaly, who sells hundreds of protective cases with plenty of options, from personalization to hyper-realistic cases that mimic a book. People love to protect their tech, so branching out into phone and laptop cases is a wise idea – you could even stock waterproof cases for pool lovers.

These would be great cross-sell summer products for ecommerce stores specializing in travel, tech, or even stationery – Moleskine, the notebook OG, has creatively jumped on the trend, selling a flip case with an inbuilt notebook!

Again, bluetooth speakers show a similar trend to protective cases, being searched for mostly in November to January and June to August. There are speakers that provide deep bass, “boost” mode for outdoor listening, or LED and strobe light shows (it’s worth adding a warning to such product listings for any customers with epilepsy). Waterproof speakers can be used without worrying about water damage.

JBL’s Go 3 and Sony’s SRS-XB13 speakers are so tiny your customers can attach them to a belt. JBL is a manufacturer-direct website that shows a good range of what’s on offer.

This list is designed for inspiration – it’s not exhaustive and won’t fit the needs of every type of ecommerce store. To make the most out of the summer demand, it’s vital to know your niche and understand the products your customers want. Once you know this, you’re well on your way to finding your own trending products online.

The best products solve a problem that your customers have, so conduct market research for your online business and have a think about the customers that you want to reach. What is it that they need for the summertime? How can your products make their lives easier?

• For added stability, it’s a good idea to sell products that are in high demand all year round alongside your summer products. Just make sure these are also relevant to your niche – you might not be selling beach towels next to kitchen utensils because they’re unrelated, but summer travel mugs alongside coffee beans would work perfectly.
• You can’t always know how successful your product sales will be, and you may get stuck with leftover stock, which can lead to some hefty holding fees if your inventory is stored in a warehouse. To combat this, think carefully about what products complement your niche, thoroughly plan for your peak season, and consider items that are popular in multiple seasons. If your permanent and seasonal items are complementary, creating discounted bundles can be another effective way to shift out-of-season stock.
• If your items are in high demand you will have competition. Be sure to keep an eye on competitors’ listings and keep up to date with the trends so that you’re always at the top of the game.
• If you’re selling items outside of your expertise, ensure you have properly researched the product and list all the necessary information. This is especially relevant for electronics and outdoor equipment.

Selling seasonal items in the summer is an excellent opportunity for you to attract customers to your online store, order and sell items fast, and enjoy an inspiring rate of conversion.

When choosing which top selling summer products to add to your store, always remember to put your customer at the forefront of your decision – which items do your customers need, want, or enjoy the most?

Whether you decide to go for tech-based items like bluetooth speakers; accessories like swimwear, bags, bottles, flip-flops; or something completely different, you’ll be part of your customers’ fun memories and experiences.

And that’s the most an online business owner could ask for!