Tool 03 · Chapter 3
Niche scoring matrix.
Chapter 3's verdict mechanism: eight criteria, weighted, each scored 1–5 from public evidence — not enthusiasm. The book's threshold: a niche needs 3.8 weighted to justify proceeding to product research.
Score each criterion 1–5
Demand trend Google Trends + volume: stable or gently rising over 5 years · weight 15%
Marketplace velocity Review/order accumulation rate on Amazon, AliExpress, Etsy · weight 15%
Creative pressure Profitable advertisers exist — but with visible mediocrity · weight 15%
Community temperature Identity-level communities that spend on the hobby · weight 10%
Repeat purchase potential Consumables, refills, supplies — or one-and-done? · weight 15%
Ecosystem shape Products that attach to each other, not just to the user · weight 10%
Price band fit Products plausibly retail $30–80 · weight 10%
Refusal-list distance Regulatory / liability / IP cleanliness · weight 10%
Weighted niche score—of 5.00 · threshold 3.8
Calibration from the book's worked examples: leopard-gecko husbandry scored 4.20 (proceed), cold-plunge accessories 3.85 (viable but late), phone accessories 2.30 (refuse — demand isn't the problem; structure is).
What the score means
Each niche is scored 1–5 on eight weighted criteria, read from public evidence rather than enthusiasm. The weighted total maps to one verdict:
- 3.8 and above — proceed to product research. The structure supports a real store.
- 3.0 to 3.8 — borderline. Viable only through a differentiated sub-segment. Check whether the low scores are structural — repeat purchase, ecosystem, price band — because those do not improve with effort.
- Below 3.0 — refuse, and pick a different room. What fails here is structure, not demand, and structure does not negotiate.
From the book: Chapter 3 shows where each score comes from — the hour of public-data reading behind criteria 1–3, the community-reading method behind 4, and the five niche categories to refuse regardless of score.
From the Book
Chapter 3 teaches you where the scores come from.
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