Role Overview
Clients hire Product Research Managers to make smart, data-backed calls on what products are worth betting on. Your value isn’t in finding ideas—it’s in filtering them, ranking them, and taking emotion out of the equation. They expect you to think like an investor, not a browser. Your job is to connect early-stage insight with long-term potential, anchoring decisions in market intelligence and competitive leverage. When done right, your research shortens the path to profit and gives the brand a reason to exist.
This role is not about dumping bestseller lists or copy-pasting what’s trending. Clients don’t need noise—they need focus. A smart-sounding product that fails in execution still costs time, capital, and opportunity. That’s the risk you manage. One wrong product call can stall growth for months. But one right pick, positioned well, can change the trajectory of the business. That’s the level of impact expected here.
Standards You Must Meet
• You deliver product picks backed by real numbers—search demand, pricing, margin, and competitive saturation all accounted for.
• A “good idea” without data to defend it doesn’t get presented—opinions aren’t a substitute for insight.
• Market maps and opportunity snapshots must be clear, organized, and easy for clients to act on, not buried in clutter.
• You catch red flags before they become risks—weak branding fit, low review leverage, or supplier gaps don’t slip through.
• Clients expect you to prioritize quality over quantity; dumping 50 so-so ideas is not your job.
• Every product short-list must show clear rationale: why it made the cut, and where it could win.
• If you recommend a dud that lacks product-market fit, clients will feel that loss in real dollars—you need to stand behind each call.
• You must consistently connect your research to the brand’s strategy—this isn’t just product sourcing, it’s growth planning.
What You’ll Be Doing
• Build and present product short-lists tied to market data, margin analysis, and brand fit—not assumptions.
• Disqualify ideas early by identifying weak differentiation, saturation risks, or supplier limitations.
• Structure opportunity maps that clearly show where the brand can win, not just where demand exists.
• Use top-tier tools (e.g., Helium 10, Jungle Scout, Keepa) to validate each product’s viability under scrutiny.
• Monitor consumer behavior shifts and competitor moves to adjust research direction in real time.
• Evaluate search trends and seasonality to recommend timing strategies that align with buyer intent.
• Flag early signs of misfit before the client invests—reputation, reviews, or compliance gaps included.
• Report findings in a format that enables quick, confident decision-making by brands and stakeholders.
What You’ll Hand Over
• A ranked short-list of 3–5 product picks, filtered for margin, market demand, and strategic brand fit.
• A market map showing competitive gaps, pricing bands, and review positioning across top rivals.
• A product validation summary with key metrics: search volume, estimated sales, and saturation score.
• A red flag report detailing concerns by product (e.g., supplier risk, poor differentiation, or seasonal volatility).
• A final decision brief with a clear recommendation path: move forward, watchlist, or reject.
Tools You’ll Need to Use
• Helium 10 – For identifying high-potential products and tracking keyword performance in Amazon marketplaces.
• Jungle Scout – To validate product opportunities using sales estimates, competition data, and niche scoring.
• Keepa – To analyze Amazon price history, sales rank trends, and seasonal patterns for informed decision-making.
• DS Amazon Quick View – For batch-scanning product data such as BSR, seller type, and FBA usage directly in search results.
• Walmart Seller Center – To navigate product listing performance, category trends, and competitive benchmarks on Walmart.
• Shopify Dashboard & Analytics – To track product-level performance and buyer behavior within private label Shopify stores.
• Google Trends – To gauge product seasonality and consumer interest shifts for market demand validation.
Why Work Smarter
While this isn’t a hard requirement today, it is fast becoming the unspoken baseline. Clients are no longer asking *if* a VA knows automation — they assume you do. The strongest VAs study the client’s workflow and ask: what parts of this can I eliminate, streamline, or hand off to automation?
OES sets this as a standard because the market already demands it — not in theory, but in actual operations. Stay on pace or be left behind.
Why Your Work Matters
Product calls are no longer just guesses with upside—they’re investment decisions with real financial consequences. A bad product recommendation doesn’t just waste money; it knocks the brand off-course for quarters. What you greenlight, the team builds around—inventory is ordered, listings are launched, ad budgets get locked. If your insight is weak, all of it burns. Clients can’t afford that kind of mistake, and neither can we.
That’s why this role sits at the center of the business case—not in the background. Great marketers, suppliers, and creatives all depend on one thing going right first: the product. When your research hits, everything down the line becomes easier, faster, and more profitable. When it doesn’t, every other operation gets dragged into recovery mode. This isn’t support work—it’s strategic control.
What We Expect From You
As a Product Research Manager at the Strategist tier, you are expected to operate with precision, commercial foresight, and strategic discipline. You don’t just find products—you position them for profitability, within acceptable risk, and backed by data, timing, and brand alignment. You are accountable for every research decision that moves a client forward or backward, and you carry that weight with clarity and control. This role demands judgment under pressure, alignment with compliance frameworks across marketplaces, and a deep understanding of what turns a viable product into a winning product under a private label model. You’re not chasing trends—you’re building portfolios.
We’re looking for someone who treats client strategy as their responsibility, not just their task. You know when to validate and when to veto. You can teach, escalate, and own outcomes—good or bad—without making excuses. And when margins are under threat, you don’t fold; you adjust. If you can lead research teams with quiet authority, protect the client’s brand like it’s your own, and guide direction with logic and restraint, this role exists for you.
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$700 – $2,100
OES salary standards reflect real market benchmarks, tier and experience level, ensuring fair pay for VAs and realistic expectations for clients.
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