paper towels
Worth a lookShows low returns (0.1%), but a failed launch gate (market size, growth, or returns) keeps it on the watch list.
Returns
Incredible0.1%return rate — above 5% kills the launch gate
Conversion
Incredible18.5%search→purchase rate — share of searches ending in a sale
Market size
Great£1.4M£1.4M/yr · 626K searches
Brand share
Good65%top-5 brand share — brands hold most of the demand
Competition
Good49%top-5 click share — leaders hold, buyers still browse
Quality gap
Good4.4★avg incumbent rating — lower means beatable quality
Avg price
Good£12.44avg listing price — sweet spot $15–$100
Price range
Okay£1.15–£24.53cheapest to priciest tracked listing — scored on the share inside $15–$100
Review moat
Bad6,452.22avg incumbent reviews — the moat a new listing must climb
Growth
Bad-21.7%90-day search growth — must beat 0% to launch
According to Flapen's Amazon United Kingdom niche tracking, paper towels is a £1.4M/yr Amazon United Kingdom market (626K searches/yr). The top 5 brands hold 65% of demand. Verdict: Worth a look — 62/100.
Data updated Jul 21, 2026 · scored weekly · How we score niches
paper towels market data
- Units sold / yr
- 100K–125K
- avg 3,000–4,000/product
- Revenue / yr
- £1.2M–£1.6M
- units × avg price
- Conversion rate
- 18.5%
- Avg BSR
- #67
- Page quality
- 0%
- Prime
- 72%
- Sponsored
- 84%
- Out of stock
- 0.6%
- Avg brand age
- 60 months
- Avg seller age
- 169 days
Competition & brand share
The top 5 products take 49% of clicks — established leaders, but buyers still shop beyond them.Brands
19 falling
Sellers
141
Top-5 brand share
65%
Top 20: 100%
Top-5 click share
49%
Top 20: 88%
Open market
29%
- by Amazon21%
- AmazonCommercial15%
- Paper Hand Towels13%
- Scott10%
- PLENTY7%
- Regina6%
Demand & seasonality
Weekly Amazon search volume, last 104 weeks — -21.7% search growth over the last 90 days.No pronounced peak months · busiest ÷ quietest = 1.8×
Top paper towels search terms
- paper towels310K/yr
- paper towel65K/yr
- paper hand towels67K/yr
- z fold paper towels26K/yr
- paper towels for dispenser16K/yr
- disposable hand towels16K/yr
- hand paper towels33K/yr
- paper hand towels for dispenser14K/yr
- hand towels disposable27K/yr
- paper hand towels for bathroom9K/yr
Top paper towels products on Amazon
Each bubble is one product — market share against review moat; bubble size tracks estimated sales, color grades how beatable the incumbent looks.
All 24 tracked products in this niche — three views at once, no toggling.
Top sellers
by 90-day click share
by Amazon Super Absorbent Kitchen Towel 3-ply 3 Rolls (1 Pack of 3) 80 Sheets per Roll FSC Certified
by Amazon£2.434.5★11,038 rev
3000 x Z Fold WHITE Paper Hand Towels (23.5cm x 24cm) 2 Ply
Paper Hand Towels£13.884.3★903 rev
AmazonCommercial Singlefold (V-Fold / ZZ-Fold) Paper Hand Towels 2-ply Cellulose 3990 Sheets (15 packs of 266) Sheet Size: 22 x 21 cm H3 Dispenser Compatible
AmazonCommercial£23.514.4★1,503 rev
Plenty Kitchen Roll 6 Rolls 2-Ply Tissue
PLENTY£6.324.7★12,361 rev
Scott Essential Hand Towels Narrow Fold White Paper Towels for Bathroom Soft Strong Eco-Friendly Highly Absorbent 12 Clips x 220 N-Fold Paper Sheets (2 640 Sheets Total) model nr. 6636
Scott£23.494.1★1,021 rev
Newest
by launch date
Our Essentials by Amazon Kitchen Towel Jumbo Roll 1 Pack 2-Ply 240 Sheets
by Amazon£1.27809 rev
Pack of 400 (2 Packs 200 Per/Pack) 1Ply Z-Fold Hand Paper Towels Sheets White 210cm x 210cm. Dispenser Compatible | Ideal for Kitchen Catering Bathroom Restroom
RE-GEN£4.9429 rev
Plenty Kitchen Roll 6 Rolls 2-Ply Tissue
PLENTY£6.3212,361 rev
Pack of 1000 (5 Packs 200 Per/Pack) 1Ply Z-Fold Hand Paper Towels Sheets White 210mm x 210mm. Dispenser Compatible | Ideal for Kitchen Catering Bathroom Restroom
RE-GEN£8.31160 rev
Selpak Professional Z Fold Paper Towels 2ply Paper Hand Towels Disposable 12x200 (Total 2400) Absorbent White Paper Towel Ideal for Individuals/Businesses Paper Hand Towels for Dispenser
Selpak£18.25175 rev
Trending
90-day click momentum
3000 x ZFold Paper Hand Towels White 2Ply Paper Towels 23cm x 23cm High Absorbency Soft Hygienic Disposable Paper Towel for Washrooms Kitchens and Commercial and Home Use
carebymail£14.574.6★
Our Essentials by Amazon Kitchen Towel Jumbo Roll 1 Pack 2-Ply 240 Sheets
by Amazon£1.274.3★
Scott Essential Hand Towels Narrow-Fold 2-Ply White Paper Towels Soft Absorbent FSC Certified Compatible with Multifold Dispensers 12 Clips x 220 Sheets (2 640 Sheets Total) Model Nr. 6603
Scott£21.504.1★
Select Z Fold 2 Ply Paper Hand Towels - 14 Packs of 214 (3000 Sheets - 22x24 cm) Thick Quick Dry Quality Multifold Tissue Paper - Perfect Disposable Hand Towels for Kitchen Bathroom Restaurant
Farla Medical£20.574.3★
Plenty Kitchen Roll 6 Rolls 2-Ply Tissue
PLENTY£6.324.7★
What buyers say about paper towels
What buyers praise and complain about, mined from review topics.What buyers love
“Amazing value”
“Amazon affordable quality product”
“Absorbent enough”
“Does the job just fine”
“Lovely and thick”
“Very powerful”
“Super durable and great at cleaning spills”
“absorbing helps cleaning”
“Soft and absorbent”
“Nice and big”
What buyers complain about
“My toilet paper is thicker than this”
“Reduced quality”
“Large”
“Waste of money”
“aren't as absorbent”
“These are so flimsy”
“Too thin”
“so its deceiving”
“keeps falling apart”
“so it doesnt do its job at all”
Top return reasons
Common questions
- Is paper towels profitable to sell on Amazon United Kingdom?
- The niche generates £1.4M/yr across 32 tracked products. 1 of 3 products launched in the last 360 days are still selling. 90-day search growth is -21.7%. Flapen's verdict: Worth a look (62/100).
- How competitive is the paper towels niche?
- 19 brands and 141 sellers compete. The top 5 products take 49% of clicks and top 5 brands hold 65% of demand.
- What do buyers complain about in paper towels?
- Top complaints mined from reviews: Thickness, Quality-Overall, Size-Overall. The return rate is 0.1%.
- When does demand for paper towels peak?
- Demand is steady year-round — the busiest month runs 1.8× the quietest.
- What does it cost to enter the paper towels niche?
- Listings span £1.15–£24.53; the average listing price is £12.44 (sweet spot $15–$100). The average incumbent carries 6,452 reviews — the moat a new listing must climb.