The state of Amazon Merch on Demand bestselling niches at the end of 2023: Newcomers and all-timers
As 2023 draws to a close, the landscape of Amazon Merch on Demand continues to evolve. Luckily, tools like Merch Informer provide a sneak peek into consumer preferences and market trends throughout the year.
In the following sections, we offer a 2023 overview. We unearth the emergence of new niches and expose the enduring favorites that continued dominating the market.
Let’s dive into the bestselling themes on Amazon Merch on Demand, focusing on newcomers and all-time jewels.
Newcomers – The emerging trends of 2023
First, let’s analyze the new niches that dominated the platform this year.
According to Merch Informer, the newcomer themes that attracted the most attention this year include:
- Barbie
- Celebrate diversity
- Mental health and wellness
Barbie
The fashion doll Barbie has been around since 1959. From that perspective, it’s not recent news.
However, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie was officially released in July this year, topping the 2023 box office. Naturally, this created a substantial demand for Barbie-inspired merch designs and Amazon Merch on Demand.
Based on Merch Informer data, there are currently around 200 bestsellers ranking for the keyword “Barbie”. Their average BSR is 370,060, proving the sales potential of the segment.
The design elements that prevail are the Barbie logo, Ken-inspired slogans and images, and pink colors.
For example, the number one product in this space is “Barbie – Classic Logo T-Shirt”. The design is minimalistic, featuring a black background with a pink Barbie logo. The t-shirt sells for $22.99 and has a BSR of 8,466, which translates into 1,362 sales.
A closer look into the historical performance of this product reveals its dramatic boost in popularity during the summer of 2023.
According to Merch Informer, on November 27, 2022, the listing’s BSR was 102,507. In contrast, on July 21, 2023, it was 198.
This proves the impact the release of the movie had on consumer purchase behavior.
Note: Remember, if you don’t have a license, you cannot create barbie merch!
Celebrate diversity
The second 2023 newcomer niche is diversity.
Throughout the year, there has been a global increase in awareness and advocacy for inclusivity and diversity.
Some of the core topics brought to the forefront by social movements, media, and public discourse include race, gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation.
Different societies are actively supporting the idea of embracing diversity, leading to a demand for merchandise that reflects these values.
This has opened new and exciting themes for Amazon Merch on Demand sellers to explore.
Currently, there are more than 500 listings rankings for “celebrate diversity”. Their average BSR is at an extremely low 64,556, indicating great sales potential.
Although a lot of the designs are focused on important topics like the ones mentioned above, others concentrate on humor.
For example, trending t-shirts include celebrating cocktail diversity, pet diversity, gun diversity, and more.
Mental health and wellness
Another niche that performed better than ever this year is mental health and wellness. This trend underscores a growing societal emphasis on mental well-being.
The bestsellers ranking for “wellness” on Amazon Merch on Demand exceed 500 and share an average BSR of 9,790.
Some of the themes that take center stage are positive affirmations, mindfulness quotes, and designs promoting self-care. Assessing the bestsellers in this space, we also identified that most designs are focused on injury recovery, yoga, meditation, Buddhism, inner peace, and spirituality.
Expectations are that the mental health and wellness domain will continue growing and evolving in 2024.
Enduring bestsellers – Classic niches
Now, it’s time to present the classic niches that remained at the top of the list in 2023.
Based on Merch Informer data, these are:
- Animals and pets
- Humor
- Sports
- Celebrations and special occasions
- Hobbies
Animals and pets
Given that 66% of U.S. households own a pet, it’s safe to say that the animal and pets theme is bound to dominate the merch scene for years to come.
There are more than 500 bestsellers that rank for “animal” and “pet”. Interestingly, the average BSR of animal listings is 275,451, while that of pet listings is nearly double – 440,528.
This discovery suggests that animal designs perform better than pet creations.
Some of the dominating sub-niches within the animal segments include squirrels, foxes, tigers, owls, and monkeys. On the other hand, dogs, cats, and snakes prevail in the pet domain.
The top-performing designs are usually humorous or cute. It’s also popular to create unique combinations of several niches, like pets, movies, and lifestyle.
Humor
Humor is another everlasting niche that dominated the merch industry in 2023.
With more than 500 chart-topping listings rankings for “funny” on Amazon Merch on Demand, the average BSR in this niche at the end of the year is 421,949.
The beauty of this theme is that it can be used across a myriad of different audiences, sub-niches, and other markets.
For example, while sarcasm dominates, it’s also popular to merge funny text and imagery from niches like lifestyle, hobbies, jobs, pets, and movies.
A great example of this is the most successful listing in the humor space – “Funny Definition Wrestling Wrestler T-Shirt” – Definition – Wrestling: The art of folding clothes with people still in them”. It sells for $19.98 and has a BSR of 18,157.
The seller strategically merges humor, wrestling, lifestyle, and chores all into one attention-grabbing design.
Sports
Another classic trend-setter in 2023 was the sports niche.
The market reveals more than 500 bestsellers with an average BSR of 342,700.
The themes and sub-niches that stood out the most throughout the year include:
- Vintage
- School
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Football
- Soccer
- Softball
- Hockey
Analyzing some of the bestsellers, it becomes clear that the majority of successful designs in this domain feature only text. They usually represent team or player names.
The designs that contain imagery are rather simple and often include the team’s logo.
Celebrations and special occasions
Celebrations and special occasions are an inevitable part of any year, 2023 included.
These are the seasonal niches that experienced sellers use for portfolio diversification and short but sweet returns. Although only popular at certain periods, they promise to help you bring home fruitful financial gains.
Of all of the holidays and special events throughout the year, Christmas, birthdays, and Thanksgiving consistently rank as the most popular.
These occasions not only recurrently trend year after year but also share common characteristics that make them attractive to both sellers and consumers. With in-depth research, sellers can easily master these niches, leveraging their consistent and predictable nature for successful sales.
Hobbies
Last but not least, the 2023 stage of Amazon Merch on Demand was dominated by hobby-inspired designs.
The average BSR of the top 500 listings ranking for “hobby” is 171,708. This low number signals that there is substantial interest in this domain.
Throughout the year, the wave-creating hobbies were sewing, fishing, golf, hunting, woodworking, and craft.
What’s peculiar in this market is the frequent use of combined styles and themes in designs.
For example, hobby-related messages are often merged with humoristic or sarcastic notes. Examining successful merch in this space, we uncovered a perfect balance between imagery and text, both being essential for high sales volumes.
Wrapping up
In review, 2023 was a year of growth and evolution for Amazon Merch on Demand. But while some newcomer niches grabbed attention, other classics maintained strong interest, as in previous years.
As we enter 2024, it will be interesting to observe the themes that will dominate the merch market.
We’re looking forward to sharing these insights with you and helping you become the sellers you’re dreaming of becoming.
