Call us at 1-888-9-INVENT
In this issue:
Q: Early in your career, you worked in merchandising at Target and Williams-Sonoma. At a high level, what did these experiences teach you about how retailers consider new products?
Bill: Retailers have clear merchandising objectives and specific plans around product selection. They work one category at a time – for example, hand tools or cookware – and within each category they deal with the most meaningful business first, which is the one most beneficial to them. The more you can learn about a retailer’s priorities, the more effectively you can make your case for them to sell your new and innovative product.
Q: Later at Sharper Image, you launched a bunch of inventive new products. What were the common attributes of the most successful items?
Bill: It was a combination of three attributes—they were timed right for an emerging trend, the product concepts had solid appeal, and we could convey a concise overall message to our customers on why to buy these products.
Q: What’s something an individual inventor might not know about how big retailers operate, that would be helpful to know before trying to present and/or sell a new item?
Bill: Retailers used to evaluate a product in and of itself, which made it relatively easy for an inventor to do business with a key retailer. Now, however, retailers look far beyond the product you’ve invented—they evaluate the packaging, the instruction manual, and of course the pricing. They may ask about where your factory is located, and they may impose testing requirements to prevent issues like the lead paint scare of a few years ago. Adding to this, retailers today will mandate shipping terms, payment terms, and various “vendor compliance requirements,” with significant charge-backs to you if don’t execute properly. It’s still very possible to get your invention into stores, but you’ll need to work much harder on the details to get there and stay there.
Q: Any other innovation or new product wisdom you’d like to share with the independent inventing community?
Bill: It’s important that you convince a retailer that your product is unique relative to what’s already in the marketplace. To do this, I strongly suggest every inventor make the time to understand what’s already out there. Use Google to explore what else is selling. Also, visit the retailers where you can envision your invention selling. And search websites too for additional layers of information and insight. All of this research will help you make a data-driven case about the uniqueness of your invention.
Q: Beyond those you’ve developed, what’s your favorite invention, and why?
Bill: The Blackberry. I’ve been using a Blackberry since they first came out, and it has made communication so much more efficient – I no longer need to get to my laptop to see or send important emails.
BE HEARD… and WIN
Hundreds
of you completed our early 2009 inventors’ survey… and many more
thanked us when we later shared highlights from the collective
responses.
So let’s do it again, with a new series of
questions about inventing! As before, we promise to use your responses
for good, not evil – to better serve you. We’ll also share collective
results so you can see how your answers compare to others, but we’ll
keep your individual responses confidential.
We’ll also keep it brief – the survey won’t take more than 5 minutes to complete. Really!
AND YES, we will again randomly select participants to receive helpful
prizes. This time: 10 participants will win a one-year subscription to
Inventors Digest, the magazine for idea people (a $30 value). Find out
more about the magazine at www.inventorsdigest.com.
To participate, please click here.
$20,000 IN FREE SERVICES
We’ve
already sponsored invention competitions in NYC, in our hometown of San
Francisco for high schoolers, and across the U.S. for college
engineering and design students. So how do we up our involvement?
We’ve now launched a national invention competition for members of the
United Inventors Association (UIA), our industry’s one & only
non-profit dedicated to helping inventors. The winner will receive our
professional product development and marketing services valued at
$20,000… plus of course the opportunity to earn lots more in royalties
if the invention becomes a marketplace success.
Click here
for details and the entry form… and don’t delay since the competition
is only open until May 31st. If you’re not yet a UIA member, it’s not
too late to join and become immediately eligible for this competition –
click here to join.
Our conversation will of course be
100% confidential.
STRETCH GRIP TESTERS
For those who haven’t yet heard about these breakthrough pliers—first created by a couple of independent inventors to serve their own needs—they feature a scissor-grip and thumb catch for comfort, control and safety like no previous pliers. We’re launching needle-nosed and slip-joint models, as well as smaller-sized pliers designed specifically for the crafting community.
Want to try one, free? Let us know, since we’re looking for feedback on the first sets to come off the production lines. We ask that you e-mail back telling us (briefly) how you might put them to use, and agree to give us your confidential feedback after using them. We’ll randomly select 10 respondents to be testers, and be back in touch seeking info on how best to mail to you. (And yes, you’ll get to keep them too!).
MORE PILLOW TALK, AND MORE
Want to see how a couple of independent inventors not unlike you pursue invention success on QVC? Well, tune in this week to see two of our clients’ creations hit the airwaves. Specifics:
Today—yes, May 4th—the inventive Back Sling™ chair support is scheduled to debut on “Problems Solved,” which runs from 10-11am EST / 7-8am PST. This invention turns just about any chair into an ergonomic chair, and we can’t wait to see QVC demonstrate its ease-of-use and effectiveness.
And on Wednesday, May 6th, Dr. Paul Mettler will be back on TV demonstrating his ingenious Side Solution™ pillow, which sold out just minutes into its QVC debut earlier this year. The good doctor is slated to go on-air sometime during a 3-4pm EST / Noon-1pm PST “How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep” segment.
Note: QVC often makes late refinements to its schedule around, so you may wish to check its Program Guide online for the latest details.
Learn a few tricks and support a fellow inventor—check these out!
And if you can envision your invention (and yourself) on the world's
No. 1 shop-at-home network, let’s discuss it. Give us a call.
MAD SCIENCE, CHIA OBAMA & MORE
Our latest posts cover:
- Mad science has a whole new manual
- Chia Obama update… and lessons
- Ridiculous inventions
- Dispatches from Factoryland, number 3
Click Here to check out the AbsolutelyNew Blog!
Got feedback? We’re all about continuous improvement.
So please do share your thoughts on how we can better serve you!
About us
AbsolutelyNew is the consumer goods company that partners with inventors to launch innovative products. We offer a broad range of affordable services to give inventors the help they need to find success in the marketplace -- and we'd be happy to help you, too. Get in touch!
Contact us
Phone: 1-888-9-INVENT
Web: www.absolutelynew.com
AbsolutelyNew is a Certified Professional Member of the United Inventors Association.