Skill: E-commerce New Product Research & Development#

Overview#

This skill provides an end-to-end workflow for new product research and development across e-commerce platforms (e.g., Amazon, Shopee, SHEIN). It covers:

• Category data analysis
• Target segment identification
• Competitive and feature analysis
• Market gap discovery
• Product definition
• Validation and launch strategy

This framework is category-agnostic and applicable to both private label and branded product development.

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Inputs Required#

InputDescriptionExampleCategory export fileProduct data export from research tools or platforms.xlsx / .csv exportTarget price rangeDesired selling price band$20 – $40Material / positioningTarget quality tier and audiencemid-tier / premium / budgetSKU count goalNumber of products to develop2–5 SKUsSample specs (optional)Prototype dimensions and featuressize, weight, components

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Supported Data Sources#

This workflow supports export files from:

• Amazon tools: Sorftime, Helium10, Jungle Scout, SIF
• Shopee tools: Shopdora, platform exports
• SHEIN tools: SHEIN selection assistant
• Any structured dataset containing product-level metrics

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Workflow Steps#

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Step 1 — Category Overview#

Parse the export file and produce:

• Total monthly and annual unit volume
• Seasonality trends (monthly demand peaks)
• Price distribution (bucketed by intervals)
• Top brands / sellers by SKU count and sales

Typical fields to extract:

text

Monthly Sales, Annual Sales, Price,
Gross Profit, Margin,
Category Rank, Subcategory,
Listing Age (days),
Review Count, Rating,
Brand / Seller,
Bullet Points / Description,
Dimensions, Weight

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Step 2 — Target Segment Deep Dive#

Filter products by:

• Target price range
• Positioning (quality tier / material / use case)

Analyze:

• SKU count per sub-price band
• Average monthly sales per SKU
• Average margin per band
• Brand concentration per band

Decision rule:

Select the segment where:

• High average sales per SKU
• Low brand dominance / fragmentation

→ This indicates a potential opportunity zone

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Step 3 — Competitor & Feature Analysis#

Brand Landscape

• Identify top brands by SKU count
• Analyze their pricing patterns
• Understand positioning (budget vs premium vs niche)

Feature / Attribute Analysis

Extract recurring attributes from titles, bullets, or descriptions:

Group into:

• Functional attributes (performance, utility)
• Design attributes (style, form factor)
• Usage attributes (scenarios, convenience)

For each attribute:

• Count number of SKUs
• Calculate average sales

Interpretation:

• High sales + low SKU count → opportunity
• High sales + high SKU count → competitive but validated
• Low sales → weak demand signal

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Step 4 — Market Gap Identification#

Identify 3–5 opportunities using:

Gap TypeCriteriaSignalAttribute gapHigh demand attribute with low SKU presenceUnderdeveloped nichePositioning gapMissing tier (e.g. mid-tier between budget & premium)Pricing imbalanceFormat gapInefficient or outdated product formatsOptimization opportunityTrend gapEmerging trend not yet saturatedEarly mover advantage

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Step 5 — Product Definition (per SKU)#

For each recommended SKU:

text

Product Name (working title)
Suggested Price: $XX.XX

Why this opportunity exists:
[Data-backed reasoning]

Positioning:
[Target audience + tier]

Core Specifications:
- Dimensions:
- Weight:
- Key components:
- Structure / format:

Variants:
[Color / style / version options]

Key Differentiation:
[Clear advantage vs competitors]

Estimated Margin:
~$XX (~XX%)

Launch Timing:
[Quarter / season]

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Step 6 — Sample / Prototype Validation#

If prototype or spec sheet is available:

Dimension Validation

• Confirm size aligns with intended use case
• Benchmark against top competitors
• Check compatibility with primary usage scenarios

Feature Feasibility

• Validate physical feasibility of components
• Ensure no over-complexity or cost inefficiency
• Confirm manufacturability

Scoring (1–5 scale)

• Use-case fit
• Competitive differentiation
• Feature completeness
• Cost vs value balance
• Margin viability

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Step 7 — Social Proof Validation#

Validate demand using external signals:

Platforms

• Reddit (category discussions, sentiment)
• Google Trends (search demand over time)
• Media / blogs (trend mentions)
• Social platforms (indirect trend signals)

Validation Criteria

• At least one product with strong sales performance in niche
• Evidence of growing or stable search demand
• Community or media discussion indicating awareness

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Step 8 — Keyword Advertising Framework#

Tier 1 — Awareness

• Broad category and attribute keywords
• Goal: traffic discovery

Tier 2 — Conversion

• Specific long-tail keywords
• Use-case driven queries
• Goal: improve conversion rate

Tier 3 — Competitor Targeting

• Competitor brand + product type
• Goal: capture high-intent traffic

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Campaign Structure

CampaignTypeGoalAuto discoveryAutomated adsKeyword discoveryCore keywordsManual broadRankingLong-tailPhrase / exactConversionCompetitorExactTraffic captureRetargetingDisplayConversion recovery

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Step 9 — Launch Timeline#

text

Phase 1: Initial launch (test demand)
Phase 2: Optimization (ads + listing improvements)
Phase 3: Expansion (variants / additional SKUs)

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Pre-launch Checklist#

• Supplier validation
• Sample approval (quality, usability)
• Listing assets (images, descriptions)
• Pricing and promotion strategy
• Advertising budget allocation
• Review acquisition process

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Output Format#

The workflow should produce:

1. Market Overview
2. Target Segment Analysis
3. Competitive Landscape
4. Market Gaps
5. Product Recommendations
6. Sample Validation (if applicable)
7. Social Proof Summary
8. Keyword Strategy
9. Launch Plan