Problem: New-Product StrategyEvery day, I wake up and do my usual “get ready” routine. It’s such a simple routine to most people. Wouldn’t you agree? I disagree. Every day I wake up and dread getting ready. Why? Because I have to dig through my clothes closet to find something to wear. I share a closet with two younger sisters. The closet is extremely packed and hard to go through because of this. It is also very disorganized. The only thing separating my sisters’ clothes and mine is a little handle holding the closets bar up. My closet is a nightmare. Therefore, having to get dressed in the morning and having trying to find something to wear is a pain for me.
Hence, I have thought of a new product for today’s market. Say hello to your new ‘Closet RO’ or ‘Closet Rotator and Organizer’! This new product will eliminate the painful, time-consuming process of looking for something to wear in a tightly packed and disorganized closet.
‘Closet RO’ is an electronic organizer that rotates your clothes by the simple push of a button. This will not only cut time, it will make your life so much easier. The frustration of having to shove and pull clothes will no longer exist, thanks to ‘Closet RO’. The ‘Closet RO’ will have an attached “ON/OFF” switch that will control the rotation of your closet. The rotator goes at an even, medium speed so you can look through your clothes faster and eliminate the frustration of moving them.
The ‘Closet RO’ also has a simple organizing system. Say you want to separate your clothes by type (i.e. by dresses, shirts, pants, etc.). ‘Closet RO’ comes with colored, attachable separators. All you have to do is hang your shirts, clip on your colored separator of choice and then start hanging your next set of clothes. You may want to organize your clothes by color or season. You can use Closet RO’s separators for this as well.
We will sell ‘Closet RO’ online. You may choose the size that you wish online. ‘Closet RO’ will range by square feet and you may choose how big or how small you want your new closet to be. If you ever fill up your new ‘Closet RO’ we will offer:
1.) an installment of more “clothes space”.
2.) Another ‘Clothes RO’ at a discounted price.
Once you have ordered this product, we will deliver it to you and install it for free.
Idea GenerationI have come up with such a product through my wants and needs. I am tired of having the frustrations of looking through my stuffed disorganized closet and I want a fast and efficient way of looking through it. I also need more room for my clothes, since I like to buy clothes throughout the year. I also noticed that there is no such thing as a “closet rotator” on the market as well, so I believe this a great product for us to invest in.
Today’s market is a strong influence on my idea as well. I know a lot of people who have the same problem as me, who also want a good solution to this problem. Through research on the internet I discovered that there are hundreds of thousands of people who have the same closet frustrations as well. They are constantly trying to find good products that help them organize their closets to make lives easier.
Idea Screening I will make this product come to life through a myriad of surveys for the consumer market and evaluation. I will have a concept test that evaluates this new-product idea before I even make a prototype of this product. This will help me receive consumer reactions of my proposed product. This will also help me avoid making a copycat item (a similar product that exists in today’s market).
Business Analysis:What is likely the demand for the product?: I believe that there would be a high demand for the ‘Closet RO’. I believe this because as stated earlier, me and the majority of today’s consumers are frustrated with their clothes closets and want to have both an efficiently organized and easy-to-look-through closet. There will also be a high demand because there are basically no products out in the market like the ‘Closet RO’.
How would the introduction of the product affect existing products? Would the new product cannibalize existing products?:The introduction of the ‘Closet RO’ would most likely threaten existing products, such as build-in closet organizers (shelves, wall attachments, etc.). I don’t think it would drastically cannibalize existing products because there are still many consumers in today’s market that prefer old fashioned closets and build-in closet organizers. However, it will definitely put a dent in the existing products’ sales.
Would current customers benefit from the product?: Customers will definitely benefit from this product because it will improve their closets, organize it, and make it easier to look through. Many people would love such a product and prefer it over their old fashioned closets.
What new facilities, if any, would be needed?:We would need a factory to be able to construct the new product and a main headquarters where the online sales take place and where orders will be made.
How might competitors respond?:Competitors, such as online closet organizing and shelving companies and hardware and furniture stores (Home Depot, Ace Hardware, Target, etc.), would obviously be unhappy with this advancement in home closets. They would most likely try to increase sales of their existing products to their customers and would start looking into a similar, but better and cheaper product than the ‘Closet RO’.
What is the risk of failure? Is the company willing to take the risk?: The risk of failure is high, as are most new proposed products. Consumers may not be interested or the company may not be able to make their product popular enough to make profit. Competitors may put them out of business or the proposed product will just flop. However the company is willing to take the risk, since it is an advancement in technology today and it would suit the many needs of today’s market.
DevelopmentFirst the company will need to make prototypes of the proposed ‘Closet RO’. We will need to come up with an excellent marketing strategy. We need to figure out the packaging, production, delivery, and service of this product. We also need to map out the promotion, price and distribution strategies. We will thoroughly examine the feasibility of manufacturing the product at an acceptable and affordable cost. Our development process will be processed through simultaneous product development, so it will shorten the process and reduce costs. We will do this through the Internet for easy access to analyze markets and demographics and reviewing of cost information. We could also solve any possible technical problems through testing and online brain trusts.
The product will be a custom made, electronic closet that rotates. It will come with 20 colored separators for organization. It will be made in the company’s factory, sold online, and delivered and assembled (for free) in the customer’s home. It will be sold at a profitable, yet affordable price to the market.
Test Marketing I would test market this product to the online public, in Home Depots and Wal-Mart’s. The cities I would choose to market this product would be in places such as California, New York, Chicago, and Texas. These areas have a large population with large wardrobes, fashion interests, and high interests in technological advances such as the ‘Closet RO’.
CommercializationI would like to join forces with a popular competitor, such as Home Depot. This would not only make it easier for us to get out the new product, but it will increase our profit due to the popularity of Home Depot. It will be sold to the online public in the United States, on our own website and Home Depot’s.