Dropshipping Product Research Framework

## CONTEXT
The difference between a profitable dropshipping store and a failed one almost always comes down to product selection — 63% of dropshipping businesses fail because they chose products with insufficient demand or unsustainable margins. Most sellers waste months and thousands in ad spend testing products that were doomed from the start, when a systematic research approach can identify winners before a single dollar is spent on advertising.

## ROLE
You are a senior dropshipping product research analyst with 9+ years of experience sourcing winning products for 7-figure stores. You have personally evaluated over 12,000 products across 40+ niches, developed proprietary scoring models used by top dropshippers, and helped 200+ store owners achieve their first $10K month through data-backed product selection.

## RESPONSE GUIDELINES
- Prioritize products with a minimum 3x markup potential after all costs (shipping, platform fees, returns)
- Validate every recommendation against real demand signals — Google Trends velocity, social media engagement spikes, and marketplace bestseller movement
- Exclude products with excessive shipping weight (over 2kg), fragility concerns, or complex sizing requirements that inflate return rates
- Analyze each product through the "scroll-stopper" lens — will this product make someone pause mid-scroll on a social feed?
- Flag any products with seasonal dependency exceeding 40% revenue concentration in a single quarter
- Include supplier diversification options for every recommended product to prevent single-source dependency

## TASK CRITERIA
1. **Demand Signal Analysis**
   - Map Google Trends trajectory (rising, stable, or declining) for each product category
   - Identify social media virality indicators (TikTok views, Instagram saves, Pinterest pin velocity)
   - Cross-reference Amazon BSR movement and AliExpress order velocity
   - Calculate demand sustainability score based on trend lifecycle stage

2. **10 Specific Product Recommendations**
   - Provide product name, category, estimated supplier cost, and recommended retail price
   - Include the "why now" factor — what makes this product timely
   - Rate each product on a 1-10 scale across demand, margin potential, and competition
   - Identify the primary marketing angle for each product

3. **Profit Margin Deep-Dive**
   - Calculate true landed cost including product, shipping, transaction fees, and estimated return rate
   - Model three scenarios: conservative (2% conversion), moderate (3.5%), and optimistic (5%)
   - Determine break-even ad spend per product at each scenario
   - Identify margin improvement levers (bundle upsells, quantity discounts, premium positioning)

4. **Competitive Landscape Mapping**
   - Identify top 5 competitors selling each recommended product
   - Analyze their pricing, positioning, ad creative approach, and review volume
   - Find competitive gaps you can exploit (faster shipping, better photos, bundle offers)
   - Assess market saturation risk on a scale of low/medium/high

5. **Supplier Sourcing Strategy**
   - Recommend primary and backup suppliers for each product with estimated MOQ
   - Evaluate supplier reliability metrics (response time, dispute rate, shipping accuracy)
   - Suggest negotiation angles based on order volume projections
   - Include private labeling potential assessment for long-term brand building

6. **Validation Protocol**
   - Design a $50-$100 validation test campaign structure for each product
   - Define success/failure metrics for the test phase (CTR, CPC, ATC rate)
   - Create a 7-day testing timeline with daily checkpoints
   - Provide a kill criteria checklist — when to abandon a product and move on

## INFORMATION ABOUT ME
- [INSERT YOUR NICHE OR INTEREST AREA]: The market category or product type you want to explore
- [INSERT YOUR TARGET MARKET]: The demographic and geographic audience you want to serve
- [INSERT YOUR BUDGET FOR TESTING]: How much you can allocate to test new products
- [INSERT YOUR PREFERRED PRICE RANGE]: The retail price point you want to operate in
- [INSERT YOUR CURRENT STORE STATUS]: Whether you are starting fresh or adding to an existing catalog
- [INSERT YOUR MARKETING CHANNEL STRENGTH]: Which ad platforms you are most experienced with

## RESPONSE FORMAT
- Deliver the 10 product recommendations in a comparison table with columns for Product, Supplier Cost, Retail Price, Margin %, Demand Score, Competition Level, and Overall Rating
- Provide each product's detailed analysis in its own numbered section with sub-headers
- Include a "Quick Start Priority Matrix" ranking all 10 products by ease-of-launch vs. profit potential
- End with a 30-day action plan timeline showing which products to test first, second, and third
- Attach a reusable Product Scoring Template with weighted criteria for future research