Many may look at the title of this post and think… “What?  How can you possibly use the Recession that the United States is currently in to make money online?”  Well, what can we learn from this Recession?  By examining market trends (e-commerce and retail) we can get a better idea of what products to sell online.  Using current events, trends, holidays, etc to develop your online business will give you an advantage over your competitors.

There are so much information online about the economy right now.  If you keep up with current events and remain knowledgable about the trends of the economy, you will have a better sense of what products to sell online.  This will help you make money online because you will be able to adapt your business to your customer’s needs!

Here are some of the industries that have seen increases in profits within the past year:

1. Chocolate According to an article by U.S. News, some chocolate manufacturers saw a 30-50% increase in sales in 2008!  This is most likely due to the fact that “when Americans are cutting their spending elsewhere, they feel more entitled to small indulgences,” (see the article here).
   
2. Job and Career Development Sites Many job sites and other career related services saw great increases as well.  This includes other services like resume editing.  More people are looking for help in order to find a job.
3. Movies and Science Fiction or Fantasy Books Movie rentals and “escapist” literature has steadily increased in popularity.  Many Americans are cutting back on the movie theater by renting movies instead.  Books that take place in other worlds and rely on the imagination have also become more popular!

What can we learn from these trends?

Well, it seems like American’s can’t find jobs, so they need to rely on professional services in order to secure employment.  While they are in between jobs, they try to cut back on costs, which makes them feel deserving of a few sweet treats now and then.  With their increased leisure time and decreased available funds (both due to lack of employment), they decide to escape their stressful lives with a nice rented DVD or fantasy novel, which they read while gorging themselves on their well-earned chocolate candies.

Okay, I’ll admit that this is probably stretching the truth a bit.  However, by keeping up with the news and trends in the market place, you can connect the dots yourself in order to make money online.  Take the story above for example… what can you learn from this?  What type of products would you sell now?  What topics would you write about in your blog?

Be creative!  Think of ways to increase your profits by using this information.  Good luck!  And be sure to keep on top of all the new happenings in the economy from now on…

home based business, internet marketing, make money online, selling products online