Design Increases Sales
The UK Design Council has a new case study up, on how design was used to prop up declining sales of steam irons as well as competing with cheaper asian imports. Here's a snippet.
The product was based on detailed analysis of the market which highlighted two areas for product innovation which would provide real benefit for consumers: making it faster and easier to fill the steam iron with water, and improving stability through reduced weight and bulk.
'Irons are one of the few products displayed unpacked on retailers shelves,' says product designer and Seymourpowell co-founder Dick Powell. 'This means they must express brand values and communicate functionality clearly and persuasively through product design.'
KI Comment: Design is the 'creative economy' differenciator that every company needs to embrace if they are to win.
This
transcript of the Killer Innovations Podcast is licensed under a
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Tags: core77 steam irons steam iron seymourpowell product innovation dick powell asian imports creative economy brand values snippet shelves case study embrace functionality product design product designer uk design design council
Comments
I have to say that I disagree with the KI comment. Creativity is not a differenciator anymore. Everyone professes to be creative and we believe everyone is - just some people more than others.
Even for Seymourpowell creativity is not enough. Some 45% of our work is, devoted to researching the market context, customer usage, ethnographic studies and other relevant issues. Results are fed into the "crucible process", in which marketing, research and development, engineering and other departments are brought together to ensure support for ideas.
Clients come to us because they don't know what to do.
Posted by: Seymourpowell | July 6, 2006 11:41 AM