Definitionen Product Decisions

•Substantial product definition (physisches Sachgut-> früher)

•Expanded product definitions
(Zubehör und Dienstleistungen gehören dazu)

•Generic product definition
(Wirkung/Benefit im Vordergrund)

...to be a bundle of features (Sach- Oder Dienstleistungen) that aims at creating customer benefits.

Am Anfang wenig Profit, da man viel investiert

-> nacheinander!

Company-internal sources

Company-external sources

• R&D department employees
•Field sales force employees
• Customer service/service hotline employees
• Complaint information
• Suggestions from employees in general

• Customers
• Competitors
• Market innovations in other markets
• Technological developments
• Experts
• Findings from trend and market research institutes, business consultants, and advertising agencies

Traditional Creativity Methods:

• Brainstorming
• Morphological Box
Lead User Approach



Recent Creativity Methods:

Crowd sourcing

(the practice of obtaining needed services, ideas, or content by soliciting contributions from a large group of people and especially from the online community rather that from traditional employees or suppliers)

...is a fresh and unexpected insight into the customers' needs, wishes, problems, wants, behavior patterns (and so on).

..which leads the customer to say:
"now you've finally got it",
"now you really understand me".

-> R&D kann sagen Produkt bringt nichts, aber der Kunde WILL das Produkt (z.B. Toiletten Deko Surfer ist teurer, aber dafür schöner für Besuch)

A product concept is the more detailed version of the product idea. It is a statement about the expected product features that will generate specific benefits relative to already existing offerings.

When developing the product concept, the intended target group for the products) should be identified:

• Single households (One-person)
• Young couples
• Families

In addition to the functional features of the product (core product features) formal aesthetic product features and the intended product image are also defined.

• Prestigious object
• Inventor of the „Kettle Grill"-design (1950s)

The unique selling proposition relevant for the target group should be defined

The USP will also help to differentiate the product from competitors

What is my position in the marketing compared to the competitive?

Why is my product unique?

Why will people from the target group that I have chosen prefer my product instead of the competitive?

• High Quality
• Barbecue Accessories
•Weber Grill Academy"

Defining the target positioning for the new product in terms of relevant product features aims at distinguishing the product from competitor products in the customers' minds

• Price Premium:
• Gasgrills - ca. 30%
• Kettle-Grills - ca. 50%
• Competitors: Outdoorchef, Landmann...

Rogers (2003) defines diffusion as „the spread of a new idea from its source of invention or creation to its ultimate users or adopters".

Innovators want to buy it first and do a part of the marketing and communicate a lot about the product (e.g. Apple users)

Early majority orientiert sich an early adopters!
-> erste Gruppe muss akzeptieren, damit die nächste es tut
-> es gibt trotzdem viele Fails!

•Product variation

•Product differentiation

•Product diversification

Product itself remains the same only the
logo, the bottle or the materiel of the packaging changed (Cola), Apple-> technical change
(Altes Produkt aus dem Markt)

modificating features and characteristics of an existing product (product care), new version replaces the old one (product relaunch)

•Product care-> Cola
•Product relaunch-> Apple

you differ in an existing product line with the introduction of a new product


Horizontal:

You change some features, but the product remains the same (just in a different shape)
-> Markendehnung, z.B. Pizzasorten



Vertical:

Having different qualities (low fat, high fat, different price levels, different type of salami)

company integrates a new product line in the product mix which make an addition (classes or groups of products)

Horizontal:
selling grill equipment, sausages, cleaning material for the grill (Apple: IPhone, IPad....)


Vertical:
buying other companies that are dealing with the particular business (Vor- und Nachstufe-> z.B Grill und Grill Restaurants)


Lateral:
no connection between the products (bei Aral kann man auch Getränke und Backwaren kaufen)

Bündelstrategie-> z.B. Mcs Menü-> Produkt bleibt gleich!

Elimination-> schafft Kapazität (z.B. damals Schokopizza)