---
title: "Employee of the Year — $21K/yr Amazon US Niche (2026) - Flapen"
canonical_url: "https://flapen.com/research/us/sports-outdoors/employee-of-the-year"
last_updated: "2026-08-05T23:39:57.689Z"
locale: en
meta:
description: "Niche score 44/100 · $21K/yr market · 23K searches/yr · $25.58 avg price. Doesn't clear our bar today. Data updated Jul 2026."
"og:description": "Niche score 44/100 · $21K/yr market · 23K searches/yr · $25.58 avg price. Doesn't clear our bar today. Data updated Jul 2026."
"og:title": "Employee of the Year — $21K/yr Amazon US Niche (2026) - Flapen"
---
# **employee of the year**
**Skip it**
A small market ($21K/yr) — this niche doesn't clear our bar today.
Market size 5Growth 6Conversion 44Competition 55Returns 90Price range 82Avg price 95Brand share 53Review moat 93Quality gap 19
**Avg price**
**Incredible****$25.58**
avg listing price — sweet spot $15–$100
**Review moat**
**Great****131.31**
avg incumbent reviews — the moat a new listing must climb
**Returns**
**Great****1.3%**
return rate — above 5% kills the launch gate
**Price range**
**Great****$9.05–$44.95**
cheapest to priciest tracked listing — scored on the share inside $15–$100
**Competition**
**Good****52%**
top-5 click share — leaders hold, buyers still browse
**Brand share**
**Good****73%**
top-5 brand share — brands hold most of the demand
**Conversion**
**Okay****3.5%**
search→purchase rate — share of searches ending in a sale
**Quality gap**
**Bad****4.7★**
avg incumbent rating — lower means beatable quality
**Growth**
**Bad****-38.5%**
90-day search growth — must beat 0% to launch
**Market size**
**Bad****$21K**
$21K/yr · 23K searches
**Signals**[** Low Review Barrier**](https://flapen.com/research/niches?market=us&signal=low_review_barrier "Top brand's reviews < 500")
According to Flapen's Amazon United States niche tracking, employee of the year is a $21K/yr Amazon United States market (23K searches/yr). The top 5 brands hold 73% of demand. Demand peaks in Jan–Nov–Dec. Verdict: Skip it — 44/100.
Data updated Jul 26, 2026 · scored weekly · [~~How we score niches ~~](https://flapen.com/research/methodology)
## **employee of the year market data**
- **Units sold / yr**
- **250–500**
- avg 0–100/product
- **Revenue / yr**
- **$6K–$13K**
- units × avg price
- **Conversion rate**
- **3.5%**
- **Avg BSR**
- **#2,566**
- **Page quality**
- **0%**
- **Prime**
- **50%**
- **Sponsored**
- **88%**
- **Out of stock**
- **0.4%**
- **Avg brand age**
- **26 months**
- **Avg seller age**
- **205 days**
## **Competition & brand share**
The top 5 products take 52% of clicks — established leaders, but buyers still shop beyond them.
**Brands**
**12 **▲rising
**Sellers**
**14**
**Top-5 brand share**
**73%**
Top 20: 100%
**Top-5 click share**
**52%**
Top 20: 100%
**Open market**
**27%**
- PlaqueMaker23% - Awards4U14% - Crown Awards13% - Gumball Poodle8% - Trophy Hut8% - Generic8%
## **Demand & seasonality**
Weekly Amazon search volume, last 77 weeks — -38.5% search growth over the last 90 days.
2K2KSpike '25Black Friday '25Holiday '25 seasonFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJun
Peak months: Jan, Nov, Dec · busiest ÷ quietest = 12.0×
[**Open Trend **](https://flapen.com/research/us/sports-outdoors/employee-of-the-year/trend)
## **Top employee of the year search terms**
- **employee of the year**12K/yr-50.6%0.5% conv. - **employee of the year award**6K/yr-36.0%1.2% conv. - **employee of the year plaque**5K/yr+1.9%1.7% conv. [**All search terms **](https://flapen.com/research/us/sports-outdoors/employee-of-the-year/search-terms)
## **Top employee of the year 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.
0%10%$2K20%$4K30%$6K40%$8K1101001K Reviews — right = deep review moatMarket share (90d) ≈ est. sales
Beatable (≤4.3★) Contested Strong incumbent (>4.7★)1 product missing review or click data not plotted
All 16 tracked products in this niche — three views at once, no toggling.
### **Top sellers**
by 90-day click share
[1**Pre-designed Employee of the Month Quarter or Year Award Plaque - 8 x 10 Photo Plaque holds a 6 x 4 Portrait Photo (Year)**PlaqueMaker**$31.71**4.7★270 rev](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B091J6LLG1) [2**Gumball Poodle Funny Novelty Crazy Gym Crew Socks Gift For Men Women and Teens (Made in the USA) (Employee Of The Year)**Gumball Poodle**$16.94**4.8★15 rev](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F76V5X95) [3**Crown Awards Personalized Acrylic Trophy 6.3 Engraved Employee of The Year Incline Slant Acrylic Award Prime**Crown Awards**$44.95**4.6★95 rev](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08CY8Q6QC) [4**Employee of The Year Frame Award Plaque Custom Photo 8X10 Gold Frame Plaque Holds A 4X6 Picture Employee Appreciation Award Wood Award Plaques Honor Photo Frames**Generic**$24.44**0.0★0 rev](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GWD7BGRD) [5**Maitys 1 Pcs Thank You Gift Employee Inspirational Acrylic Sign Prizes Employee of The Month Favor Work Appreciation Gifts Boss Day Keepsake for Nurse Teacher Assistant Women Team (Proud)**Maitys**$9.05**4.7★367 rev](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BYC5C1WY)
**~~View all top sellers →~~**
### **Newest**
by launch date
[**Employee of The Year Frame Award Plaque Custom Photo 8X10 Gold Frame Plaque Holds A 4X6 Picture Employee Appreciation Award Wood Award Plaques Honor Photo Frames**Generic**$24.44**0 rev3mo ago](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GWD7BGRD) [**Goat Trophy 6 Handmade Champion GOAT Winner Award Funny Gag Gift**Goutoports**$23.82**197 rev9mo ago](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FY5X9VC9) [**Personalized Trophy Award for Corporate Employee Recognition Custom Name Title Year Trophy for Outstanding Performance and Years of Service Professional Office Achievement Appreciation Display Award**Unilirace**$16.63**20 rev9mo ago](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FXX8VFYN) [**Gumball Poodle Funny Novelty Crazy Gym Crew Socks Gift For Men Women and Teens (Made in the USA) (Employee Of The Year)**Gumball Poodle**$16.94**15 rev1y ago](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F76V5X95) [**SonaGear Employee of the Year Sash White**SonaGear**$10.88**3 rev1y ago](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DJG81YB8)
**~~View all new products →~~**
### **Trending**
90-day click momentum
[**Employee of The Year Frame Award Plaque Custom Photo 8X10 Gold Frame Plaque Holds A 4X6 Picture Employee Appreciation Award Wood Award Plaques Honor Photo Frames**Generic**$24.44**0.0★**▲ 536%**](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GWD7BGRD) [**Goat Trophy 6 Handmade Champion GOAT Winner Award Funny Gag Gift**Goutoports**$23.82**4.7★**▲ 261%**](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FY5X9VC9) [**Personalized Trophy Award for Corporate Employee Recognition Custom Name Title Year Trophy for Outstanding Performance and Years of Service Professional Office Achievement Appreciation Display Award**Unilirace**$16.63**4.3★**▲ 216%**](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FXX8VFYN) [**Trophy Hut Employee of the Month Award Plaque and Bonus Magnet! 8x10 Picture Plaque Holds a 4x6 Photo. Employee Appreciation Award. Walnut Finish**Trophy Hut**$27.51**4.7★**▲ 120%**](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09RBB3L3J) [**Flexzion Goat Trophy Award - Greatest of All Time Funny Trophy for Adults with Engraved Plate MVP Award Goat Figurine Recognition Gift for Boss Coach Employee Fantasy Football Game Night Winner**Flexzion**$24.01**4.7★**▲ 120%**](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CFX94555)
**~~View all trending →~~**
## **What buyers say about employee of the year**
What buyers praise and complain about, mined from review topics.
### **What buyers love **
**Quality-Overall**44%
*“I loved this plate, I bought it to give a detail and it was great, good quality and it arrived on time”*
**Advertised Vs Actual Product**16%
*“Exactly as expected”*
**Gifting Purpose**11%
*“I purchased the Goat Trophy Winner Award as a fun gift”*
**Value For Money**10%
*“Its affordable”*
**Design-Overall**2%
*“Good construction”*
**Time Taken**2%
*“It takes time”*
**Ease Of Use**2%
*“Nice and easy”*
**Material Quality**2%
*“Adorable and good material”*
**Strength**2%
*“Sturdy, well crafted, presents well”*
**Shape/Style**2%
*“So beautiful and elegant”*
### **What buyers complain about **
**Durability**20%
*“not durable”*
**Size-Overall**13%
*“Small”*
**Quality-Overall**10%
*“Poor review”*
**Connectivity-Overall**10%
*“There is not easy contact to replace/exchange”*
**Value For Money**7%
*“Expensive paperweight”*
**Balance/Stability**7%
*“I was initially concerned about the stability of the figurine as this is often the part that can be cheaply made and/or maybe not be well attached to the base”*
**Weight Heavy**7%
*“Its heavy”*
### **Top return reasons **
**Size-Overall**51%
**Defective Material/Parts**14%
**Advertised Vs Actual Product**9%
**Quality-Overall**4%
**Add-Ons/Attachments**4%
**Material Quality**4%
**Wood Quality**2%
**Scratch Resistance**2%
**Durability**2%
**Frame Quality**2%
## **Common questions**
- **Is employee of the year profitable to sell on Amazon United States?**
- The niche generates $21K/yr across 16 tracked products. 2 of 3 products launched in the last 360 days are still selling. 90-day search growth is -38.5%. Flapen's verdict: Skip it (44/100).
- **How competitive is the employee of the year niche?**
- 12 brands and 14 sellers compete. The top 5 products take 52% of clicks and top 5 brands hold 73% of demand.
- **What do buyers complain about in employee of the year?**
- Top complaints mined from reviews: Durability, Size-Overall, Quality-Overall. The return rate is 1.3%.
- **When does demand for employee of the year peak?**
- Demand peaks in Jan–Nov–Dec; the busiest month runs 12.0× the quietest.
- **What does it cost to enter the employee of the year niche?**
- Listings span $9.05–$44.95; the average listing price is $25.58 (sweet spot $15–$100). The average incumbent carries 131 reviews — the moat a new listing must climb.
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