25A

What is next for my shoe cleaning product? I believe what is next is to market towards “sneakerheads”, a culture of people who collect shoes. These people love to wear the hottest sneakers and want them to look well all the time. I believe my shoe cleaning product would do well in this market.

Existing Market Interview Reflection: I specifically asked my interviewees what they would do if they had a product that did what mine did. I asked them how they think it should work and if people would buy it. I did this without me telling them how I think the product should work. One of the interviewees said it should work like a wipe, a powerful one where you just need one to do the job and you can throw it away when you are done. She believed this would be the easiest way to clean the shoes. While the other two (boy, girl) thought it should be a machine like a laundry machine for shoes. These two did not believe that a wipe or spray could effectively clean shoes. I actually really liked both ideas for products, but I believe that the machine would be too expensive for the average consumer. The wipe seemed most feasible and convenient to use.

New Market Interview Reflection: I asked two people from a new market about my product idea. The market is “sneakerheads” or people who collect high-end shoes. The people I talked to about my product liked my idea. Their only complaint was that my product was for white shoes while they wanted a product for all of their shoes. They liked the convenience of it and thought it would be worth the price if it did what it says it does. They also said some sneakerheads do not wear the nicest shoes they have but still wear nice enough shoes that they would want to keep clean. This market seems perfect for a shoe product like mine.