Archives posted in: Product

unsplash default post photo-350px

Colombian Coffee and Flowers – How the Best Gets Exported

By Kyle T. Westra November 1, 2016

Colombians are correctly proud of their coffee and flowers, but at first it came as a surprise that Colombia may not always be the best place to buy Colombian agricultural goods. Much of their optimal produce is destined for export.

More
unsplash default post photo-350px

You Get What You Pay For

By Kyle T. Westra September 1, 2016

One of the strongest arguments against advertising as the primary method of monetization is that you pay with your time and attention, which is a resource both finite and irreplaceable. Services like Spotify aggregate hundreds of labels on one easily accessible interface and payment system.

More
unsplash default post photo-350px

How Can the Music Industry Bridge the Gap Between Physical and Digital Experiences?

By Kyle T. Westra August 3, 2016

We’re visual creatures, too. Whereas programs like iTunes and Spotify will display album art, it’s not the same experience as standing before a rack of albums. Similarly with books, despite all of the advantages of e-readers, they have not captured the experience of examining a wall of books. Digital is great, but, unsurprisingly, there are features of the physical world that still have a certain primacy for, well, physical beings:

More
unsplash default post photo-350px

B2B and B2C Ecommerce Trends Witnessed at Internet Retailer 2016

By David Dalka August 3, 2016

Adrienne Hartman, Director of Ecommerce & Customer Insights at J.J. Keller & Associates talked about how B2B Ecommerce cannot be solved only by software alone. (I agree with her) She also talked about using Google Manufacturing Center. She encourages you to ask, “How well can buyers use your site?” It is clear that her words come from an employee of an organization with a strong culture.

More
unsplash default post photo-350px

Will Culling Low Margin Items Actually Destroy Profits? An Exploration into Economies of Scope

By Tim J. Smith, PhD July 3, 2016

Firms often sell low margin items because customers seek the low margin items and, when buying, buy higher margin items as well. These low margin items can make sense through their enablement of the firm to profit from economies of scope. Killing low margin items can make sense in some cases, but other cases doing so will kill the firm.

More
unsplash default post photo-350px

Tesla’s Software Upsell

By Kyle T. Westra July 3, 2016

What Tesla has changed for the automotive industry is now that upselling process can continue long after the purchase of the vehicle. If you buy a S60 then get a better-paying job with a longer commute, you can choose to upgrade with essentially no additional cost to serve for Tesla. And spacing out the payments for the vehicle and later the capacity may make the original vehicle purchase more palatable for the consumer.

More
unsplash default post photo-350px

Trends Observed at the 2016 International Home and Housewares Show

By David Dalka June 7, 2016

One of the most interesting booth visits I had was with Starfrit. Founder Jacques Gatien started selling kitchen gadgets at trade fairs in 1965. Over the past several decades, they’ve created many new categories. They showed me The Rock, a frying pan with a unique non-stick surface using what they call RockTec. It comes with a generous 10-year warranty.

More
unsplash default post photo-350px

Why is Gas Priced by Fractions of a Cent?

By Kyle T. Westra April 4, 2016

The fact that consumers buy gas on a continuum rather than in discrete gallons (unless you’re a wizard with the gas nozzle handle) likely makes it easier for both sides to live with the current arrangement. The pump price and volume numbers go along until the tank is full or you release the handle, and there perhaps isn’t much analytical thought put into the final ratio that appears.

More
unsplash default post photo-350px

Designing a Product Roadmap-II

By Anirban Sengupta March 4, 2016

It is not expected that all the dates mentioned in the product roadmaps are hard deadlines. An audience is cognizant of the fact that sometimes product launches can get delayed due to unforeseen reasons. Yet consistently not sticking to the roadmap may lead the audience to question a firm’s credibility. A great idea would be to backdate the roadmap, to some extent, to demonstrate the compliance so far and then to open up the future.

More
unsplash default post photo-350px

Maintaining Pricing Excellence During Currency Depreciation

By Kyle T. Westra March 4, 2016

It is preferable to maintain or carefully increase prices in a clear, methodical way, only decreasing cost slowly and with much consideration. Careful analysis is required to take into account different SKUs, product lines, geographies, and customer segments, adjusting prices in the way that fits best each unique category.

More