The poorly solved problem
Picture someone in an apartment with 12 inches of counter next to the sink, looking for a dish rack. Amazon has hundreds. Some are too wide. Others fit, but leave doubts about whether they drain properly or stay stable.
It's a hypothetical example, but it shows the question worth asking before you add yet another product to a crowded category: what specific problem is still poorly solved? A competitor that sells a lot proves there's demand for its offer. It doesn't tell you what your version would do better.
Three steps that must not collapse into one
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| 01 · The signal | Find a specific search need with fewer purchases than you'd expect. Write down what the data says, and only that. |
| 02 · The explanation | Compare the offers, read the recurring complaints and return reasons, and list the plausible reasons for the gap. |
| 03 · The hypothesis | Describe an improvement and what would prove it isn't worth it. Keep the customer and the use case specific. |
Product Opportunity Explorer, step by step
Product Opportunity Explorer lives in Seller Central and is available to sellers on the Professional selling plan, with data from the marketplace you select. It organizes the market into niches: a set of searches and products that serve the same customer need.
- In Seller Central, open Growth › Product Opportunity Explorer and check that the marketplace selector is set to United States.
- Search a keyword or an ASIN, or browse by category, and open a niche.
- At the top, note search volume and its growth, average price, units sold range and return rate.
- On the Search terms tab, compare each term's search conversion rate and see the most clicked product for each one.
- On the Customer review insights and Returns tabs, note what keeps coming up. That's where the improvement comes from.
What the explorer doesn't do: tell you whether you can compete with who's already there, whether Amazon itself dominates the Buy Box, and whether the margin works after fees. That's the next step.
Real example: the spice rack niche
A niche read on Amazon Brazil's Product Opportunity Explorer on October 12, 2026 (data refreshed by Amazon on October 3, 2026). We use it because it's the real reading we did; the method is the same on amazon.com, where you'll see different numbers:
| Metric for the "spice rack" niche | Value |
|---|---|
| Search volume (360 days) | 1,344,088 |
| Search volume growth (180 days) | -4.51% |
| Average price (360 days) | R$ 51.20 (Brazilian reais) |
| Units sold (average range) | 500–750 |
| Return rate | 0.61% |
On the Search terms tab, most terms convert near 1%: "spice rack" (porta temperos) has 771,000 searches and 1.09% conversion; "rotating spice rack," 1.54%. But "condiment holder" (porta condimentos) has 64,000 searches and a conversion rate of 0.27%, and the most clicked product for that term is a set of airtight food storage containers, not a condiment holder. "Spice organizer" follows the same pattern: 27,000 searches and 0.42%.
That's the signal (step 01). It isn't a conclusion yet. Before any hypothesis, the explanation (step 02) needs answers: is the "condiment holder" shopper looking for something different (for the fridge? for a restaurant table?), not finding the right offer, or just walking away over price? Also note that this term's volume dropped 59.6% in 180 days. It may be a signal that's fading.
Do the math before the order
Set an economic limit before ordering a large batch. An illustrative example: if your planned net price is $24.99 and you want $5.00 of contribution per unit, all variable costs must fit within $19.99, including product, freight and import duties, Amazon's referral fee, fulfillment fees (FBA or FBM), ads and expected returns. These are illustrative numbers, before taxes and fixed overhead.
Then test a sample in real use. Watch the customer use and clean the product. Ask what they'd give up for the improvement and whether they'd pay the price that makes your numbers work. Praise alone is weak evidence of a purchase.
Write the hypothesis before talking to the factory, for example: "people with small counters need a spice rack that fits on the cabinet door and shows each jar's label." Then list what would make you drop the idea.
After the explorer: validation in EcomVision
Product Opportunity Explorer shows what shoppers are looking for. EcomVision shows whether you can get in and whether the numbers work:
| Question | Amazon's explorer | EcomVision |
|---|---|---|
| Is there search demand, and does it convert? | Yes: volume and conversion per term | Your brand's search funnel (Brand Analytics) |
| How many compete, and for how long? | Partial | Sellers, ratings and age of each listing in Product Research |
| Does Amazon dominate the Buy Box? | Not shown | Amazon in the Buy Box over 30, 90 and 180 days |
| Is the niche concentrated in a few brands? | Not shown | Brand concentration in Market by Category |
| Is there margin left after fees and ads? | Not shown | Pricing with real fees for FBA and FBM |
In practice: take the term the explorer pointed to into Product Research, under Specific filters › Term in title, and click Find products. The summary shows median price, sales and ratings, and how many products Amazon is present on. Each product gets an Opportunity Score.
If you get stuck, ask Vision, EcomVision's AI: "how do I use Product Opportunity Explorer with EcomVision?" It walks you through the steps and takes you to the right screen.
Name the need. Test the solution. Give the product a reason to exist.
