Domain Expert: Josh
1. Josh is a sales rep at KIWI, a shoe care brand that makes cleaning products.
2. He sells this brand to local shoe stores and retail chains. He knew a great deal about the shoe care market.
3. Found through calling SC Johnson, the brands holding company, sales line.
4. I explained to him my theoretical product idea and asked if he had heard of something like it before. He said KIWI actually sells a whitening product, a product that works on leather, canvas, and vinyl shoes. He also explained that this product was not a cleaner, that you must clean the shoes first then apply the re-whitening polish.
5. Having the knowledge that there is a well established competitor out there is priceless to a business. Knowing how their product functions and how much it is sold for ($5.50 retail) was vital information.
Market Expert: Ryan Greene
1. Ryan Greene is my friend from my hometown who is a manager at a PacSun there. PacSun is a shoes and clothing store that my target segment shops at frequently.
2. Ryan has worked at PacSun for years and has worked his way up all the way to managing a store. He sees what is most popular and interacts with the segment I am targeting.
3. He is an old friend who was a few grades ahead of me in high school. I still had his number saved in my phone and gave him a call.
4. I told him all about my product and asked how well he thought it would do in the store. He said that they currently did not sell anything like my product in the store and that some people could really use it. Also, he said some of the most popular shoes in the store are any of the white Vans, mainly because they are so cheap and easily replaced.
5. Having an insider who knows what sells and doesn't sell to my target market is a great thing to have. Also, there is potential that as a manger he could have some say in what products could be sold there.
Industry Supplier: Katherine
1. Katherine is a sales rep at a manufacturing company named Ball. Ball manufactures aerosol cans for companies such as Dove and Axe.
2. Katherine was very knowledgeable about the products Ball manufactured and their uses.
3. I was put through to her after making a general inquiry on Ball's website.
4. My inquiry explained my product and if it could be used in an aerosol can. I got a response back saying that most cleaning products, even foaming ones, could be placed in their aerosol cans. She also explained that they do not directly do sales with shoe cleaning companies, but does see why they could not.
5. Having contact with someone like Katherine is crucial to getting your product into the market. My product has to be placed into something, like aerosol cans, and having this contact is a great start to getting my product into the market.
Finding these contacts was more difficult than I thought it would be. Especially now with most people not working, I was surprised I got in touch with anyone. It was also hard to think of who i should contact as experts in this field. I still believe though, that I found great people who knew a lot about what they were doing and were willing to give me the information I wanted. This assignment showed me the benefits of having connections to people as a way to further your opportunity.
Friday, March 27, 2020
Thursday, March 26, 2020
19 - Idea Napkin 2
1. My name is Garrett Mullenax, and I am a Junior at the University of Florida. I love to play soccer and do anything that keeps me healthy and fit. After college, I aspire to work in the advertising and marketing industry. My peers would tell you that if something interests me I obsess over it until it is perfect or I lose interest. This business idea does interest me and if I had the money and time to start it, I would want to do it well and make it my sole priority.
2. The product I am offering people has not changed from my last idea napkin. I am offering a product that easily cleans your shoes, specifically white ones. The product does all of the work for you, and just requires wiping away after a few minutes. The fact is this type of shoe gets very dirty and there is no great solution to this problem. People struggle to clean them, or in general to not want to take the time to clean them. These are the problems this product is solving. Based on the market we are targeting, the product must be reasonably priced and do what it is expected to do.
3. The people we are target are pretty specific. Being too general with the target market could potentially tank the company. We are targeting younger people, aged 16-24, who go to school, college, or just recently graduated. These people are on trend and like to stay that way. They go out often to bars, clubs, parties, darties, and kick-backs. They do not have magical bank accounts that let them spend however much on anything they want. These people like to spend, but within reason to their other priorities.
4. These people care because they care about their image. This group has a lot of friends and are constantly meeting new people. They want to look the best. Nice shoes are on trend, hence why they would like to have nice shoes. Also, this group does not have the means to buy new shoes all the time. This product will allow them to always look their best without breaking the bank.
5. This target market is a lot like everyone else, but also not like everyone else. They put the time and effort in to look good and keep their things nice. They do not have the funds like others to buy new shoes all of the time. Also, they are different from the crowd that is happy looking like slobs and treating their things poorly. My competency is that I know these people. These people are my friends, and I may be a little like them. I know what they are like and what they want and I can give it to them.
6. I may be overconfident, but I believe that these elements all work together. These are real people with a real problem. Not some fantasy or made up group or problem. Also, the target segment is just specific enough without being too generalized. Nothing seems disjointed to me, it all flows.
7. There are two sets of feedback I have received that I have implemented into this new idea napkin. The first being that the product must be reasonably priced for this group. They do not have unlimited funds so the product must be worth their money. The second being that the segment must be specific and narrow. I should not try to cater towards other groups, I should stay narrow and I will succeed.
2. The product I am offering people has not changed from my last idea napkin. I am offering a product that easily cleans your shoes, specifically white ones. The product does all of the work for you, and just requires wiping away after a few minutes. The fact is this type of shoe gets very dirty and there is no great solution to this problem. People struggle to clean them, or in general to not want to take the time to clean them. These are the problems this product is solving. Based on the market we are targeting, the product must be reasonably priced and do what it is expected to do.
3. The people we are target are pretty specific. Being too general with the target market could potentially tank the company. We are targeting younger people, aged 16-24, who go to school, college, or just recently graduated. These people are on trend and like to stay that way. They go out often to bars, clubs, parties, darties, and kick-backs. They do not have magical bank accounts that let them spend however much on anything they want. These people like to spend, but within reason to their other priorities.
4. These people care because they care about their image. This group has a lot of friends and are constantly meeting new people. They want to look the best. Nice shoes are on trend, hence why they would like to have nice shoes. Also, this group does not have the means to buy new shoes all the time. This product will allow them to always look their best without breaking the bank.
5. This target market is a lot like everyone else, but also not like everyone else. They put the time and effort in to look good and keep their things nice. They do not have the funds like others to buy new shoes all of the time. Also, they are different from the crowd that is happy looking like slobs and treating their things poorly. My competency is that I know these people. These people are my friends, and I may be a little like them. I know what they are like and what they want and I can give it to them.
6. I may be overconfident, but I believe that these elements all work together. These are real people with a real problem. Not some fantasy or made up group or problem. Also, the target segment is just specific enough without being too generalized. Nothing seems disjointed to me, it all flows.
7. There are two sets of feedback I have received that I have implemented into this new idea napkin. The first being that the product must be reasonably priced for this group. They do not have unlimited funds so the product must be worth their money. The second being that the segment must be specific and narrow. I should not try to cater towards other groups, I should stay narrow and I will succeed.
Thursday, March 19, 2020
18A - Create a Customer Avatar
My protypical customer avatar for my shoe cleaning product is an interesting one. I see a girl, who is in college, around the age of 19. She goes to the University of South Carolina and is in her freshmen year. She is majoring in nursing, but will eventually change majors because of how hard it is. Also, she is in the top sorority at the school, alpha delta pi. She has made so many new friends, and they all love to go out to the bars at night, and fraternity houses during the day. If there is any sort of fun event happening around campus she is there. Her closet is full of white shoes, the same is true of her "sisters". She drives a white Ford Fusion, 2018, that her parents bought her. When she's not out partying she is up to her neck in studying for her classes. She likes to follow the crowd, whatever is on trend she probably has it and is wearing it. This person does not like to step too far out of the box when it comes to what they wear. This person can really blend into a crowd. She watches a lot of reality TV shows, like the Bachelorette and Love is Blind. I feel like I have a few things in common with this customer. We both wear white shoes. We both are in university, and we like to go out.I believe we have these things in common because we are the same age and also go to a state university.
Wednesday, March 11, 2020
15A - Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2
Research and Findings
After interviewing three people about their buyer behavior, I acquired great information relating to my product. When determining alternatives, all three were focused on price and quality. They were concerned about whether they could afford the product and if the product could efficiently clean their shoes. When asked about where they would look for a product like this, two of them said they would exclusively look for it online. While one of them said they would look online or at a big retail store like Walmart or maybe a Dick's Sporting goods. Each interviewee had differing post purchase evaluation. One person solely focused on how well the product performed. While another focused on a price to quality ratio, did the product perform well enough for the price. The last interviewee said she had problem with impulse purchases, so her post purchase evaluation dealt with the factor of did she really need the product or could she have lived without it. I believe that each interviewee's answers connect in some way. They gave similar answers while not being completely the same. I believe this gave me great information into how my target segment behaves.
After interviewing three people about their buyer behavior, I acquired great information relating to my product. When determining alternatives, all three were focused on price and quality. They were concerned about whether they could afford the product and if the product could efficiently clean their shoes. When asked about where they would look for a product like this, two of them said they would exclusively look for it online. While one of them said they would look online or at a big retail store like Walmart or maybe a Dick's Sporting goods. Each interviewee had differing post purchase evaluation. One person solely focused on how well the product performed. While another focused on a price to quality ratio, did the product perform well enough for the price. The last interviewee said she had problem with impulse purchases, so her post purchase evaluation dealt with the factor of did she really need the product or could she have lived without it. I believe that each interviewee's answers connect in some way. They gave similar answers while not being completely the same. I believe this gave me great information into how my target segment behaves.
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