Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked, but infrequently answered.
This FAQ page is different. It’s designed to answer the questions we know you have because guess what? Many of our clients have had the very same questions.
This is because developing, creating and promoting a product is unknown territory and it’s very normal to not know everything. So, grab a coffee and scroll through the journey from start to end, with questions that are really answered and some golden nuggets along the way to get you on the right path.
Your big idea But is it the brightest
In a nutshell it all comes down to… does your idea solve a problem? Whether you’re already an established innovator or it’s your first rodeo – this is the biggest hurdle. So, congratulations on jumping that hurdle, now let’s take that idea and turn it into a reality.
Ask yourself is my idea unique and does it offer a better way of doing something? If yes, let’s rock and roll. Remember, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel to have an awesome idea you just need to prove that your idea makes life easier or better.
To determine this, you need to look at:
- Customer needs
- Market types
- Competitors
- Positioning
Taking it step by step we build your business model and your profit-making plan.
This is where blue sky thinking meets reality. For your bright idea to make a difference it needs to be physically created and that involves considering the type of production processes, technologies, and materials. Everything is possible but we like to keep things real.
You need a clear route to market to get your product into the hands of your target audience. You need to think about where your product will be sold, which countries you want to target through to core retail distribution channels and the partnerships that may need to be made along the way.
01 / 13
Are you feeling confident but worried about being a copycat
You need confidence before you financially commit – we’d be the same. We’re here to help you before the development journey even starts. We pride ourselves on transparency and provide the tools to give you confidence that your idea is truly novel.
Before you start. Stop. You need to do some Freedom To Operate (FTO) searches in the early days of the product development journey to check similar product patents and intellectual property rights. This crucial step avoids any potential infringements and will identify any risks.
Firstly, don’t panic. It is common for ideas to be similar, but we must make sure that your product provides a better solution and customers will prefer your product. If your market is competitive and your competitors have deep pockets this can be more challenging, but this means we have to be smarter and think outside the box.
A patent will protect you and your product idea. Taking this step early is important to register your invention to protect it from being commercialised by others which could become a potential issue in the future. Also, worth noting that product patents are attractive to potential partners and investors.
Protecting an idea is never a waste of time if it solves the problem and has Unique Selling Propositions (USPs) with the word ‘unique’ being key here, it’s worth protecting.
02 / 13
It can be scary but don't panic, we don't need much
You bring the idea and the desire to make it a reality and it’s our responsibility to do the rest. If you don’t know all the answers right now – that’s ok, we will support and work with you to dot all the I’s and cross all the T’s to establish a strong foundation before the development journey even begins.
You don’t have to be Picasso or write a white paper. Feel free to articulate the idea in the way that works best for you, from rough sketches to a written brief detailing a vision or visual reference examples that support your idea creation.
Anybody can be an inventor and you don’t have to be an engineer. That’s where we come in. You will be at the centre of the product evolution to initially express your idea, build up the market research and set the direction for features, promotion and market positioning of the product.
You need to know that your idea will not get stolen. Don’t worry that’s not in our DNA so we encourage you to create a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) that we are happy to sign to state that product discussions remain confidential. We go one step further and have our own client confidentiality policy meaning that we don’t promote the projects we work on and the clients we work with, as we respect your privacy.
03 / 13
How can we help? Full moon, half moon or total eclipse
Your project. Your terms. We can offer the complete solution or be an extension of your existing team. Our flexible approach is delivered in a way that works best for you, your business, and your brand.
We take the time to understand your wants and needs of the project to propose how we can best provide bespoke support throughout your product development journey – it’s not a one size fits all by any means.
In a nutshell, yes. However, some consultancies may specialise in specific areas of product development such as manufacturing or expert sector experience. Also, it is their support offering, approach, culture and commercial terms that will differ.
The number one factor to consider is the ‘fit’. The right consultancy for you will feel right, having confidence in the consultancies experience, support offering and trust their approach along with liking them as people. Remember, product development can be lengthy and is a collaborative process from day one, so having a team on your side is crucial. Also, be sure to check the small print as flexibility is an important part of your project journey so take note of how they charge for work and their level of flexibility as the journey will have ups, downs, left and rights.
Technically yes if…
- Your team members are all degree / commercially qualified to have the required skills and knowledge
- You already have the design software and equipment otherwise, it is a significant cost to set-up
- You have contacts for key testing to pass regulations and manufacturers to make the product a reality
- You understand product development and manufacturing requirements
We love it when our clients get involved. Our ideal product journey is to progress through each phase together as a team.
04 / 13
Let's get creative It's not just posh pencils and post-it notes
The starting line of your product development journey and where the fun really begins. From early conceptual development, through to prototyping, testing and detailed design for manufacture. This is when your idea / product really comes to life and you can deliver a tangible product to market.
There are many steps but we like to break them down and share the top-level with you, so you know what stage the product is at, at all times. Every product journey is unique and will involve diving into some steps more than others to ensure a robust, due-diligent product. Take a look at each step in more detail: Product Development.
It’s like building a house, you need all the relevant information to do the job correctly and build a firm foundation for a future-proof home. We aim to streamline the process as much as possible but will never compromise the end result.
Yes, you do. We are commissioned by you to develop your idea so all data created for your project is your proprietary and can be provided at any time.
We follow a design – build – test ethos and constantly test the product against the specification for performance and robustness to refine, advance and prove out the product concept before manufacturing investment.
3D printing / prototyping techniques for final product production is an attractive offering to most as it requires little to no commercial investment. However, part costs are often significantly higher and the reduced quality requires expensive post-op finishing to deliver an expected standard. Therefore, our recommendation is that this technique is best suited for components in key environments within product internals as a viable commercial solution. We do however, take the time to discuss materials in depth with our clients to ensure they fit your ethos and requirements.
05 / 13
Bakers gonna bake Manufacturers is what it takes
This is where the product physically comes to life and for business longevity, you’ll need the right manufacturers to make this happen. Good news – we’ve got you covered, with our tried and tested manufacturing partners across the globe.
We have a selection of supply base hubs to support you. We can introduce you to our trusted partners who offer Multinational Corporation (MNC) manufacturing techniques and processes to SMEs / Start-Ups who would not have sufficient initial volume to have access to such partners.
Yes, and we would be happy to implement quality processes and support the design to manufacture transition and even manage the small details on your behalf.
The Detail Design For Manufacture Pack which we would provide, includes all the data / specification and quality requirements for each part and assemblies needed to ‘make’ your product. We like to think of it as the passport for your parts / product and we can support you on all pre and post-production including QA / IQC / OQC procedures to ensure product manufacture is maintained to relevant standards.
We have a dedicated commercial / quality team who can support production reviews / pre-shipment quality checks. So you can be confident that products arriving to your HQ are delivered to your expecting standards.
Good question. This depends on your product requirements, retail price point (low value, mid value or high value) and your personal preference. We can support clients that manufacture in the UK only or overseas or a hybrid of the two.
06 / 13
Making it legit Ensuring your product is safe for retail
We’re playful as a company but take safety very seriously. Every product must go through a level of certification / testing to ensure your product is safe for retail. It’s often product and country specific, but don’t worry we’ve got your back.
Product certification confirms that a product is safe during use and that there is no risk of causing harm during normal or potentially abusive user cases. As a business you have a responsibility and need certification to ship and sell retail products to the public.
We can support certification and testing from start to finish by working with specific companies who act as custodians to the certification standards. These companies check if the product complies with the standards and will perform critical tests to ensure it does before rubber stamping / granting certification approval and authorising the product is safe for retail. All certification must be completed on production intent parts (final commercial materials not prototypes) for due diligence and a variety of test houses may be used to complete the total certification which we manage throughout the development journey.
Without certification you are unable to sell your product commercially or ship finished goods around the world so yes, certification is a must.
You don’t have to know this, that’s our job. During the detailed design stage, we engage with the relevant certification houses to identify which standards your product must comply to in order to test during initial pre-production runs and design refinement to reach product euphoria.
07 / 13
Why you... What makes you so special
We’re a company that can offer the complete solution under a single roof and there’s a reason people who have bright ideas and progressive products come to us. We’re keen to tell you why…
In all honesty it’s our forward thinking and flexible approach that sets us apart. Our team is made up of a collective mix of senior engineers and determined designers rooted in the consumer world and bring together decades of experience at the coal face to offer you support unlike anyone else. We like to say… our team is your team. The moral of our story is that we work in true partnership with you to guide the evolution of your product, brand and business.
We have a host of big brands under our belt but we are more than a tick-list of logos. Our essence: Innovation Designed guides our thinking, our curiosity, our endless pursuit of the why. For our clients, that means total transparency and a flexible way of working that is designed to offer you the most value from the start of the project until the end – if there’s an end. Many of our clients have been with us for years as we continue to support their continuous product portfolio – this is our client approach.
We’re happy to become an extension of your team or manage the project directly – we can adapt to any environment as required. We believe flexibility is important so we can support in the office, remotely and overseas to ensure your project runs as smoothy as possible.
We can be a small part of your development journey by supporting on a specific area such as concept development or CFD / FEA analysis for example. However, we are most comfortable when we support you throughout the whole product development journey as a team to help your product thrive.
We’re not new, we just like to keep things personal. We support a variety of MNC / SME / Start-Up clients in a variety of different sectors within the consumer goods industry. However, we value their trust and in return we don’t publicly share any project work. We’re happy to work behind the scenes to put you and your product at centre stage. However, we understand you need to know a little more about our experience so during initial consultations, we share examples of our work that relate to your idea / project. Also, we offer opportunities to speak with our clients directly to hear firsthand how we support them and their businesses… we have nothing to hide and we embrace our clients confidentiality.
08 / 15
Polar bears to people We only have one planet
We build sustainability into every product we design and develop at all times. Some clients have a clear requirement on sustainability, others take our lead but our core is to do our bit for the environment without product performance being compromised.
Often sustainability is considered at the end of the product life cycle. However, we like to consider it at the beginning, so sustainability is applied to the design process to reduce the impact on the environment and avoid your product becoming a statistic on the news. Sustainability is a hot topic for large Multinational Corporations (MNCs) to attract new consumers however, in our industry we have had a considered approach to this for many years and can truly say we design with sustainability in mind – it’s one of our core causes.
The real question is how far are you willing to go? Solutions such as recyclable packaging / biodegradable materials and ethical sourcing are readily available but merely scratch the surface. We can go much further and explore the world of right to repair and consumer serviceable parts on your product. You can be an active participator in changing consumer mindsets away from throw-away to fix and repair.
A good question which is continuously evolving day by day. As long as your product, its packaging, its route to market and product life cycle has the environment fully considered during the early project stages, you are on the right path… Naturally over time new legislation / certification may come in to drive further development (think energy rating on white goods as an example)… but if that time comes, we are here to support any product updates required if not already considered / future proofed into the current product development.
09 / 13
We look after the pennies So the pounds look after themselves
Developing a product to market is not a cheap endeavour. However, we know cashflow is important for any business and we take a flexible, transparent approach. We offer a variety of payment options to suit you and your project needs.
We have payment plans which are tailored to each of our clients’ specific needs. We avoid up-front payments and instead work with you to create a plan that works for you and your budget. For example, we can implement project caps and documentation to support complete transparency throughout the development process. This is all agreed prior to the project start so we’re both clear on the commercial agreements before the work begins.
You have several options these include:
- Personal investment is the most obvious funding solution but is not always practical or feasible
- The UK have significant incentives for driving new innovation through R&D Tax Credits, grants through Innovate UK and your local LEP which is always worth exploring
- Private / commercial investment through funding rounds / angel investment where you sell business shares to raise funding for product development / manufacture
As with all financial decisions this will be unique to your business and even though we don’t offer financial advice, we can help support on any documentation, meetings and alike during the development journey to support on the financial route of your choosing.
Price considerations often occur during the early stage of market research when you decide where you want your product to sit vs your competition and what your potential end customer would be willing to pay for such a product. It’s important to have a preliminary idea on where you wish to sit in the market (low / mid / high end) and an approx. RRP as this will guide what the target BOM cost of the product will be and manage expectations of the product complexity / materials it will be made from.
We feel that understanding your ambitions whether it be product development or marketing is an important step. That’s why we don’t charge for those initial consultations that many do. You have the opportunity to speak to our team before the project is formally costed to ensure we’re the right fit. Get in touch it won’t cost you a penny.
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Rome wasn't built in a day But seriously, how long is a piece of string
You need to know how long it would take to develop your product and we completely understand. The truth is it’s not a one size fits all answer, but we do our best to streamline the process as much as possible and share project timings in advance.
A product roadmap will be created at the start of the journey to manage key milestones / project deliverables. In terms of project timings in general, this is very product specific… but depending on requirements some can take 1-6 months up to 12-16 months. It really depends on product complexity and timing expectations would be shared directly when more information is known.
Our intention is to always go above and beyond – this means on timings too. However, product development involves solving complex problems and projects do experience ups, downs, lefts and rights and we like to be open and honest about this. This is when our total transparency approach is critical if bumps along the road do occur. Don’t worry you’d be in safe hands with us as we would manage such challenges and be with you throughout the process and strive to get things back on track as soon as possible. The key is to trust the process and the people.
Absolutely. Your product might be seasonal or want to be launched as an existing product is made obsolete. Having a sensible target date is always a good thing to lock in as a stake in the ground to support time management / flexible costings and resource requirements to keep your product development journey as lean as possible.
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Keep your arms and legs inside at all times Launch is going to be one hell of a ride
You’ve got the product. You’ve got the drive. However, you need a helping hand to get it from A to B with a product launch that well and truly takes off.
First things first you need a plan. You need to know who you are targeting, where you will market, how you will promote the new product and when you plan to launch. You need to develop a launch plan with a strategy behind it that gives your new product a fighting chance of success. Breaking your launch into pre-launch, launch and post-launch phases breaks down what information you share and when, to build intrigue and entice action. We would firstly recommend a discovery session with us to understand your launch ambitions and to determine the type of product launch campaign you need. Then, we would create a unique product launch strategy that breaks down why, when and what you do which our full service marketing team can support with.
Without stating the obvious, you need the product. But not necessarily the physical product… all you need is some product visuals whether it be professional photography or other forms such as photorealistic images (renders) or computer generated imagery (CGIs) – then we get cracking and you get selling.
Supply management is key. Ensuring you have enough volume of stock for launch and that you have the product readily available is important. The last thing you want to do is sell stock that you don’t have and disappoint your customers as a first impression.
There’s lots of things to do before you press the go live on your product launch. We would recommend considering packaging requirements early including the type, the combination of products and branding. Also, you need to think about creating some photorealistic images of your products for your marketing launch which we call renders. Followed by deciding whether computer generated imagery is needed to show the product in a custom environment, we call these CGIs. The good news is we can guide and produce all of the above for you as part of the development process.
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Memorable marketing Let's shout from the rooftops
Taking a guess, you’re probably weighing up whether to hire an internal marketing team or partner with a marketing agency. With us you get the best of both worlds, a team on your side but also an external resource that you can dial up and dial down.
Think you’ve told everyone about your product with your launch? Think again. Now is the time to:
- Build on the initial awareness by keeping content constant with continuous marketing campaigns promoting your product features
- Turn customer awareness into interest with customised messages
- Tell your customers how great your product is and how easy it is to buy
We’d be happy to walk you through what a marketing campaign involves and how this could work for you.
You have to honestly answer this question… Do I really know and understand my customers, purpose, competitors, and future? If you can answer some bits and others not at all you probably need a brand workshop. This is where we come and get to know you and your business and find the answers to the missing pieces of your story and in doing so can take your brand to the next level. We keep it real and tell you what you need to do but also what you don’t need to do to get the results that you want.
You can do several things to build and maintain your presence online. The main thing is don’t stand still.
- Make sure your business information such as who you are, what you do, when you’re open and where you are is clear
- Ensure your website is search engine and customer friendly. This means having the right keywords on the right pages of your website and making sure the user journey is a joy from start to end
- Be sociable. Make sure you have one or more professional social media accounts and that they regularly share content
- Don’t wait for customers to find to you. Get out there and get seen with online advertising
And like magic you can grow your digital presence and our wizards can help you get there.
In short yes. To ensure who you target, what marketing activities you do and how much you spend is best for your business – you need a plan. A marketing strategy is a plan of action that covers aims, Unique Selling Propositions (USPs) and tactics. Our marketing strategists also known as our ‘planning people’ get to know you and your business to create a tailored plan to allow you to reach key milestones. We’re happy to be a small part of the journey to create your plan or head up the complete show and set your plan in motion – it’s your call.
That’s up to how you want to promote your brand. Remember marketing materials help you tell your story, this is the branding that your customers see when they see you (we call them touchpoints). We believe every touchpoint needs to be on-point to put your story at centre stage. From digital brochures to day-to-day business cards – branding matters and your story must be consistent for you to look professional. In short you do need marketing materials, but how much is up to you and what your business needs.
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Your journey at your pace
You made it. Not all that scary is it?
After that light read, we hope you have some of your initial questions answered and are ready to talk. We’d love to chew and chat through the process ourselves and allow you to get a feel for us with a short call.
+44 (0)1635 904 053 / hello@greygekko.com
Company number: 10999754 / Company VAT number: 281601224
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked, but infrequently answered.
This FAQ page is different. It’s designed to answer the questions we know you have because guess what? Many of our clients have had the very same questions.
This is because developing, creating and promoting a product is unknown territory and it’s very normal to not know everything. So, grab a coffee and scroll through the journey from start to end, with questions that are really answered and some golden nuggets along the way to get you on the right path.
Your big idea But is it the brightest
In a nutshell it all comes down to… does your idea solve a problem? Whether you’re already an established innovator or it’s your first rodeo – this is the biggest hurdle. So, congratulations on jumping that hurdle, now let’s take that idea and turn it into a reality.
Ask yourself is my idea unique and does it offer a better way of doing something? If yes, let’s rock and roll. Remember, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel to have an awesome idea you just need to prove that your idea makes life easier or better.
To determine this, you need to look at:
- Customer needs
- Market types
- Competitors
- Positioning
Taking it step by step we build your business model and your profit-making plan.
This is where blue sky thinking meets reality. For your bright idea to make a difference it needs to be physically created and that involves considering the type of production processes, technologies, and materials. Everything is possible but we like to keep things real.
You need a clear route to market to get your product into the hands of your target audience. You need to think about where your product will be sold, which countries you want to target through to core retail distribution channels and the partnerships that may need to be made along the way.
Are you feeling confident but worried about being a copycat
You need confidence before you financially commit – we’d be the same. We’re here to help you before the development journey even starts. We pride ourselves on transparency and provide the tools to give you confidence that your idea is truly novel.
Before you start. Stop. You need to do some Freedom To Operate (FTO) searches in the early days of the product development journey to check similar product patents and intellectual property rights. This crucial step avoids any potential infringements and will identify any risks.
Firstly, don’t panic. It is common for ideas to be similar, but we must make sure that your product provides a better solution and customers will prefer your product. If your market is competitive and your competitors have deep pockets this can be more challenging, but this means we have to be smarter and think outside the box.
A patent will protect you and your product idea. Taking this step early is important to register your invention to protect it from being commercialised by others which could become a potential issue in the future. Also, worth noting that product patents are attractive to potential partners and investors.
Protecting an idea is never a waste of time if it solves the problem and has Unique Selling Propositions (USPs) with the word ‘unique’ being key here, it’s worth protecting.
It can be scary but don't panic, we don't need much
You bring the idea and the desire to make it a reality and it’s our responsibility to do the rest. If you don’t know all the answers right now – that’s ok, we will support and work with you to dot all the I’s and cross all the T’s to establish a strong foundation before the development journey even begins.
You don’t have to be Picasso or write a white paper. Feel free to articulate the idea in the way that works best for you, from rough sketches to a written brief detailing a vision or visual reference examples that support your idea creation.
Anybody can be an inventor and you don’t have to be an engineer. That’s where we come in. You will be at the centre of the product evolution to initially express your idea, build up the market research and set the direction for features, promotion and market positioning of the product.
You need to know that your idea will not get stolen. Don’t worry that’s not in our DNA so we encourage you to create a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) that we are happy to sign to state that product discussions remain confidential. We go one step further and have our own client confidentiality policy meaning that we don’t promote the projects we work on and the clients we work with, as we respect your privacy.
How can we help? Full moon, half moon or total eclipse
Your project. Your terms. We can offer the complete solution or be an extension of your existing team. Our flexible approach is delivered in a way that works best for you, your business, and your brand.
We take the time to understand your wants and needs of the project to propose how we can best provide bespoke support throughout your product development journey – it’s not a one size fits all by any means.
In a nutshell, yes. However, some consultancies may specialise in specific areas of product development such as manufacturing or expert sector experience. Also, it is their support offering, approach, culture and commercial terms that will differ.
The number one factor to consider is the ‘fit’. The right consultancy for you will feel right, having confidence in the consultancies experience, support offering and trust their approach along with liking them as people. Remember, product development can be lengthy and is a collaborative process from day one, so having a team on your side is crucial. Also, be sure to check the small print as flexibility is an important part of your project journey so take note of how they charge for work and their level of flexibility as the journey will have ups, downs, left and rights.
Technically yes if…
- Your team members are all degree / commercially qualified to have the required skills and knowledge
- You already have the design software and equipment otherwise, it is a significant cost to set-up
- You have contacts for key testing to pass regulations and manufacturers to make the product a reality
- You understand product development and manufacturing requirements
We love it when our clients get involved. Our ideal product journey is to progress through each phase together as a team.
Let's get creative It's not just posh pencils and post-it notes
The starting line of your product development journey and where the fun really begins. From early conceptual development, through to prototyping, testing and detailed design for manufacture. This is when your idea / product really comes to life and you can deliver a tangible product to market.
There are many steps but we like to break them down and share the top-level with you, so you know what stage the product is at, at all times. Every product journey is unique and will involve diving into some steps more than others to ensure a robust, due-diligent product. Take a look at each step in more detail: Product Development.
It’s like building a house, you need all the relevant information to do the job correctly and build a firm foundation for a future-proof home. We aim to streamline the process as much as possible but will never compromise the end result.
Yes, you do. We are commissioned by you to develop your idea so all data created for your project is your proprietary and can be provided at any time.
We follow a design – build – test ethos and constantly test the product against the specification for performance and robustness to refine, advance and prove out the product concept before manufacturing investment.
3D printing / prototyping techniques for final product production is an attractive offering to most as it requires little to no commercial investment. However, part costs are often significantly higher and the reduced quality requires expensive post-op finishing to deliver an expected standard. Therefore, our recommendation is that this technique is best suited for components in key environments within product internals as a viable commercial solution. We do however, take the time to discuss materials in depth with our clients to ensure they fit your ethos and requirements.
Bakers gonna bake Manufacturers is what it takes
This is where the product physically comes to life and for business longevity, you’ll need the right manufacturers to make this happen. Good news – we’ve got you covered, with our tried and tested manufacturing partners across the globe.
We have a selection of supply base hubs to support you. We can introduce you to our trusted partners who offer Multinational Corporation (MNC) manufacturing techniques and processes to SMEs / Start-Ups who would not have sufficient initial volume to have access to such partners.
Yes, and we would be happy to implement quality processes and support the design to manufacture transition and even manage the small details on your behalf.
The Detail Design For Manufacture Pack which we would provide, includes all the data / specification and quality requirements for each part and assemblies needed to ‘make’ your product. We like to think of it as the passport for your parts / product and we can support you on all pre and post-production including QA / IQC / OQC procedures to ensure product manufacture is maintained to relevant standards.
We have a dedicated commercial / quality team who can support production reviews / pre-shipment quality checks. So you can be confident that products arriving to your HQ are delivered to your expecting standards.
Good question. This depends on your product requirements, retail price point (low value, mid value or high value) and your personal preference. We can support clients that manufacture in the UK only or overseas or a hybrid of the two.
Making it legit Ensuring your product is safe for retail
We’re playful as a company but take safety very seriously. Every product must go through a level of certification / testing to ensure your product is safe for retail. It’s often product and country specific, but don’t worry we’ve got your back.
Product certification confirms that a product is safe during use and that there is no risk of causing harm during normal or potentially abusive user cases. As a business you have a responsibility and need certification to ship and sell retail products to the public.
We can support certification and testing from start to finish by working with specific companies who act as custodians to the certification standards. These companies check if the product complies with the standards and will perform critical tests to ensure it does before rubber stamping / granting certification approval and authorising the product is safe for retail. All certification must be completed on production intent parts (final commercial materials not prototypes) for due diligence and a variety of test houses may be used to complete the total certification which we manage throughout the development journey.
Without certification you are unable to sell your product commercially or ship finished goods around the world so yes, certification is a must.
You don’t have to know this, that’s our job. During the detailed design stage, we engage with the relevant certification houses to identify which standards your product must comply to in order to test during initial pre-production runs and design refinement to reach product euphoria.
Why you... What makes you so special
We’re a company that can offer the complete solution under a single roof and there’s a reason people who have bright ideas and progressive products come to us. We’re keen to tell you why…
In all honesty it’s our forward thinking and flexible approach that sets us apart. Our team is made up of a collective mix of senior engineers and determined designers rooted in the consumer world and bring together decades of experience at the coal face to offer you support unlike anyone else. We like to say… our team is your team. The moral of our story is that we work in true partnership with you to guide the evolution of your product, brand and business.
We have a host of big brands under our belt but we are more than a tick-list of logos. Our essence: Innovation Designed guides our thinking, our curiosity, our endless pursuit of the why. For our clients, that means total transparency and a flexible way of working that is designed to offer you the most value from the start of the project until the end – if there’s an end. Many of our clients have been with us for years as we continue to support their continuous product portfolio – this is our client approach.
We’re happy to become an extension of your team or manage the project directly – we can adapt to any environment as required. We believe flexibility is important so we can support in the office, remotely and overseas to ensure your project runs as smoothy as possible.
We can be a small part of your development journey by supporting on a specific area such as concept development or CFD / FEA analysis for example. However, we are most comfortable when we support you throughout the whole product development journey as a team to help your product thrive.
We’re not new, we just like to keep things personal. We support a variety of MNC / SME / Start-Up clients in a variety of different sectors within the consumer goods industry. However, we value their trust and in return we don’t publicly share any project work. We’re happy to work behind the scenes to put you and your product at centre stage. However, we understand you need to know a little more about our experience so during initial consultations, we share examples of our work that relate to your idea / project. Also, we offer opportunities to speak with our clients directly to hear firsthand how we support them and their businesses… we have nothing to hide and we embrace our clients confidentiality.
Polar bears to people We only have one planet
We build sustainability into every product we design and develop at all times. Some clients have a clear requirement on sustainability, others take our lead but our core is to do our bit for the environment without product performance being compromised.
Often sustainability is considered at the end of the product life cycle. However, we like to consider it at the beginning, so sustainability is applied to the design process to reduce the impact on the environment and avoid your product becoming a statistic on the news. Sustainability is a hot topic for large Multinational Corporations (MNCs) to attract new consumers however, in our industry we have had a considered approach to this for many years and can truly say we design with sustainability in mind – it’s one of our core causes.
The real question is how far are you willing to go? Solutions such as recyclable packaging / biodegradable materials and ethical sourcing are readily available but merely scratch the surface. We can go much further and explore the world of right to repair and consumer serviceable parts on your product. You can be an active participator in changing consumer mindsets away from throw-away to fix and repair.
A good question which is continuously evolving day by day. As long as your product, its packaging, its route to market and product life cycle has the environment fully considered during the early project stages, you are on the right path… Naturally over time new legislation / certification may come in to drive further development (think energy rating on white goods as an example)… but if that time comes, we are here to support any product updates required if not already considered / future proofed into the current product development.
We look after the pennies So the pounds look after themselves
Developing a product to market is not a cheap endeavour. However, we know cashflow is important for any business and we take a flexible, transparent approach. We offer a variety of payment options to suit you and your project needs.
We have payment plans which are tailored to each of our clients’ specific needs. We avoid up-front payments and instead work with you to create a plan that works for you and your budget. For example, we can implement project caps and documentation to support complete transparency throughout the development process. This is all agreed prior to the project start so we’re both clear on the commercial agreements before the work begins.
You have several options these include:
- Personal investment is the most obvious funding solution but is not always practical or feasible
- The UK have significant incentives for driving new innovation through R&D Tax Credits, grants through Innovate UK and your local LEP which is always worth exploring
- Private / commercial investment through funding rounds / angel investment where you sell business shares to raise funding for product development / manufacture
As with all financial decisions this will be unique to your business and even though we don’t offer financial advice, we can help support on any documentation, meetings and alike during the development journey to support on the financial route of your choosing.
Price considerations often occur during the early stage of market research when you decide where you want your product to sit vs your competition and what your potential end customer would be willing to pay for such a product. It’s important to have a preliminary idea on where you wish to sit in the market (low / mid / high end) and an approx. RRP as this will guide what the target BOM cost of the product will be and manage expectations of the product complexity / materials it will be made from.
We feel that understanding your ambitions whether it be product development or marketing is an important step. That’s why we don’t charge for those initial consultations that many do. You have the opportunity to speak to our team before the project is formally costed to ensure we’re the right fit. Get in touch it won’t cost you a penny.
Rome wasn't built in a day But seriously, how long is a piece of string
You need to know how long it would take to develop your product and we completely understand. The truth is it’s not a one size fits all answer, but we do our best to streamline the process as much as possible and share project timings in advance.
A product roadmap will be created at the start of the journey to manage key milestones / project deliverables. In terms of project timings in general, this is very product specific… but depending on requirements some can take 1-6 months up to 12-16 months. It really depends on product complexity and timing expectations would be shared directly when more information is known.
Our intention is to always go above and beyond – this means on timings too. However, product development involves solving complex problems and projects do experience ups, downs, lefts and rights and we like to be open and honest about this. This is when our total transparency approach is critical if bumps along the road do occur. Don’t worry you’d be in safe hands with us as we would manage such challenges and be with you throughout the process and strive to get things back on track as soon as possible. The key is to trust the process and the people.
Absolutely. Your product might be seasonal or want to be launched as an existing product is made obsolete. Having a sensible target date is always a good thing to lock in as a stake in the ground to support time management / flexible costings and resource requirements to keep your product development journey as lean as possible.
Keep your arms and legs inside at all times Launch is going to be one hell of a ride
You’ve got the product. You’ve got the drive. However, you need a helping hand to get it from A to B with a product launch that well and truly takes off.
First things first you need a plan. You need to know who you are targeting, where you will market, how you will promote the new product and when you plan to launch. You need to develop a launch plan with a strategy behind it that gives your new product a fighting chance of success. Breaking your launch into pre-launch, launch and post-launch phases breaks down what information you share and when, to build intrigue and entice action. We would firstly recommend a discovery session with us to understand your launch ambitions and to determine the type of product launch campaign you need. Then, we would create a unique product launch strategy that breaks down why, when and what you do which our full service marketing team can support with.
Without stating the obvious, you need the product. But not necessarily the physical product… all you need is some product visuals whether it be professional photography or other forms such as photorealistic images (renders) or computer generated imagery (CGIs) – then we get cracking and you get selling.
Supply management is key. Ensuring you have enough volume of stock for launch and that you have the product readily available is important. The last thing you want to do is sell stock that you don’t have and disappoint your customers as a first impression.
There’s lots of things to do before you press the go live on your product launch. We would recommend considering packaging requirements early including the type, the combination of products and branding. Also, you need to think about creating some photorealistic images of your products for your marketing launch which we call renders. Followed by deciding whether computer generated imagery is needed to show the product in a custom environment, we call these CGIs. The good news is we can guide and produce all of the above for you as part of the development process.
Memorable marketing Let's shout from the rooftops
Taking a guess, you’re probably weighing up whether to hire an internal marketing team or partner with a marketing agency. With us you get the best of both worlds, a team on your side but also an external resource that you can dial up and dial down.
Think you’ve told everyone about your product with your launch? Think again. Now is the time to:
- Build on the initial awareness by keeping content constant with continuous marketing campaigns promoting your product features
- Turn customer awareness into interest with customised messages
- Tell your customers how great your product is and how easy it is to buy
We’d be happy to walk you through what a marketing campaign involves and how this could work for you.
You have to honestly answer this question… Do I really know and understand my customers, purpose, competitors, and future? If you can answer some bits and others not at all you probably need a brand workshop. This is where we come and get to know you and your business and find the answers to the missing pieces of your story and in doing so can take your brand to the next level. We keep it real and tell you what you need to do but also what you don’t need to do to get the results that you want.
You can do several things to build and maintain your presence online. The main thing is don’t stand still.
- Make sure your business information such as who you are, what you do, when you’re open and where you are is clear
- Ensure your website is search engine and customer friendly. This means having the right keywords on the right pages of your website and making sure the user journey is a joy from start to end
- Be sociable. Make sure you have one or more professional social media accounts and that they regularly share content
- Don’t wait for customers to find to you. Get out there and get seen with online advertising
And like magic you can grow your digital presence and our wizards can help you get there.
In short yes. To ensure who you target, what marketing activities you do and how much you spend is best for your business – you need a plan. A marketing strategy is a plan of action that covers aims, Unique Selling Propositions (USPs) and tactics. Our marketing strategists also known as our ‘planning people’ get to know you and your business to create a tailored plan to allow you to reach key milestones. We’re happy to be a small part of the journey to create your plan or head up the complete show and set your plan in motion – it’s your call.
That’s up to how you want to promote your brand. Remember marketing materials help you tell your story, this is the branding that your customers see when they see you (we call them touchpoints). We believe every touchpoint needs to be on-point to put your story at centre stage. From digital brochures to day-to-day business cards – branding matters and your story must be consistent for you to look professional. In short you do need marketing materials, but how much is up to you and what your business needs.
Your journey at your pace
You made it. Not all that scary is it?
After that light read, we hope you have some of your initial questions answered and are ready to talk. We’d love to chew and chat through the process ourselves and allow you to get a feel for us with a short call.