Final answer:
Cattle and gold were the key products that made Great Zimbabwe a powerful trading center, by connecting it to coastal trade networks and signifying wealth and status in society.
Step-by-step explanation:
The products that had the most influence in building Great Zimbabwe into a powerful trading center were cattle and gold. Great Zimbabwe became the center of a commercial network that connected inner Africa to trading communities around the Indian Ocean, thanks in large part to its rich goldfields and the importance of cattle, which was a key indicator of wealth and status within the society. Merchants from Swahili city-states such as Sofala would travel to the Zimbabwean plateau where they exchanged various goods for high-value luxury goods like gold and ivory.