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Develop Products
Development Schedule
Product
Development Timeline
By The Transparency
Center
As a buyer with
12 years of experience in the gifts and home decorative categories,
I'm always looking for new products and new designs of existing
products because they really motivate consumers in the United States
to buy.
In this article
I provide a product development timeline and tell you about the US
market in the hope that it will help you to make new, different, and
very marketable products. We will focus on developing product for
the 4th quarter—October, November, and December—of 2001.
Buyers would normally take delivery in September for items to be
sold during this quarter, and the product development process
usually takes about 1 full year. Included here is an
approximate time line based on a comfortable 1-year
schedule:
1-Year Product
Development Schedule
August 1,
2000 – September 1, 2000
Research market and design
product.
September 1, 2000 – October 1, 2000
Make
first prototype sample and send it off to prospective buyers along
with approximate cost. Remember to make and keep an identical sample
so you have a prototype to work from when you get an
order.
October 1, 2000 – November 15, 2000
Receive
feedback from prospective buyers, modify product accordingly, make
new sample that incorporates the suggested design changes, figure
new cost if necessary, and send back to prospective buyer. Make and
keep another identical sample.
November 15, 2000 –
December 15, 2000
Time to allow for more than one product
redesign and international transit.
December 15,
2000
Final sample should be in buyer’s
hands.
February 1, 2001
Receive orders from buyers,
order raw materials, and plan production.
February 1, 2001
– August 1, 2001
Make and package goods following a strict
production schedule.
August 1, 2001
Ship complete
order of goods.
September 1, 2001
Goods should
arrive in United States no later than September so that retailers
can start selling to US consumers.
The Best Selling
Opportunity
The 4th
quarter—October, November, and December—is the best selling
opportunity for the entire year. Many stores do up to 50 percent of
their business for the year during this 3-month period. Sales
related to the Christmas holiday create most of this volume. There
are three traditional activities that contribute to these
sales.
Gift-giving to friends and family
members
Gift-giving presents the largest opportunity for
new and unusual products as well as an opportunity to design
products that would sell well all year. Gifts are needed for men,
women, and children of all ages. Popular categories for gift giving
include jewelry, clothing, items for the home, toys, and books.
Handcrafted goods fit well in many of these categories. Keep in mind
that high quality is especially important in the US market because
many people feel the gifts they choose to give reflect on them
personally. Although some people exchange expensive gifts, most have
many people on their gift list and also need to purchase gifts at
moderate prices.
Seasonal decorating of home interiors and
exteriors
During the 4th quarter there are a series of
holidays for which North Americans decorate their homes. Popular
areas to decorate include front doors, fireplace mantels, and dining
table tops. During Christmas, a tall evergreen tree is brought
indoors. Popular decorations include weather resistant wreaths,
candlesticks, centerpieces, table linens, serveware, and tree
ornaments.
In September through mid-November the motifs that
are traditionally popular include leaves, pumpkins, acorns, twigs,
fruits, and vegetables, all in their natural colors. These may be
accented with the colors of fallen leaves: golds, browns, reds, and
oranges. Jewel tones—rich, deep shades of reds, greens, blues, and
purples—are also popular at this time of year.
In late
November through December decorating traditionally focuses on
Christmas—Santa Claus or Father Christmas, angels, nativities, wise
men, stars, evergreen trees, holly, wreaths, candy canes, snowmen,
snow scenes, bells, lights, and candles are all popular motifs.
Jewel tones continue to be popular as well as red, green, silver,
gold, and copper.
It is important to consider North Americans
and their Christmas trees because decorating these trees with
ornaments presents a great opportunity for artisans. Almost every
family has at least one tree in their house and banks, churches,
offices, and restaurants decorate them as well. Trees are often 6
feet tall and Americans don’t seem to think they can have too many
ornaments. Even if they already have plenty of ornaments they will
buy a few more every year if they see some that catch their
attention. Ornaments should be about 5 or 6 inches tall with a
string loop attached to hang the ornament on a branch. The
previously mentioned Christmas motifs are great ones to start with
but almost anything bright and colorful is popular. The tree is
usually topped with a star or an angel about 1 foot tall and
fashioned so that it will stay on the point of the
tree.
Entertaining family and
friends
Entertaining is customary for Thanksgiving and
Christmas and presents many opportunities for product development in
the areas of table linens, serving pieces, and bedding. The most
popular table linens at this time of year are dinner napkins, table
runners, and large tablecloths that cover tables at which the entire
extended family can sit. Serving pieces that are especially popular
at this time of year are large platters for turkey or big roasts,
gravy bowls or ladles, carving sets, pie servers, pâté knives, and
small dishes. All kinds of bedding, from sheets, pillows, warm
blankets, and comforters are sought by consumers as they ready their
guest rooms for visiting friends and relatives.
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