In case you haven’t heard, we’re currently running a podcast series called, How to Start a Successful eCommerce Business in Less Than 30 Days.” In episode 5 of the series, we discuss how to design a product that you can sell online.
So what exactly is the secret sauce to designing a product that people will want to buy online, when they can’t touch and feel the product before purchasing decision and must decide whether or not to buy based on the images, videos, descriptions, and product reviews on your eCommerce website? Keep reading for our insights.
Sections
1. Think of Your Customers’ Problems That You Are Going to Solve
All great products fill a need. The travel jewelry case, The Wanderer, that we sell on our eCommerce site Roam Often helps travel lovers accessorize while traveling the world by safely carrying their beloved jewelry in a secure case that won’t let necklaces and bracelets get tangled up. To come up with this problem idea, my business partner and I thought of the problems we experienced while packing jewelry with us for vacations and business trips, the shortcomings of other products on the market, and designed a product to fill a need that was lacking from other travel jewelry case makers.
Whatever your product idea is, you need to make sure that it’s solving a problem for your customers. That problem may be functional or aesthetic, but it should still be a problem that customers are willing to pay for to solve.
2. Narrow Down the Key Features Your Product Needs – At Least for Now
When you first starting brainstorming on the features your product will have, the sky’s the limit. Think of every possible feature your product can have to solve your customers’ problems.
But then, you’re going to need to filter those feature ideas into a product that you can realistically create a prototype of and manufacture, especially if your eCommerce website is just starting out and you have limited seed money to start your business.
Don’t let the process of limiting the scope of your product discourage you. You have several options for creating a great, go-to-market product, and then updating it in the future or releasing enhanced versions of the product – at higher price points, of course – in the future once you’re generating revenue from your initial go-to-market idea.
3. Before You Finalize Your First Go-to-Market Product, Research Competing Products
Once you’ve narrowed down what’s realistic to have in your first product, it’s time to do some online recon. Research competitors’ websites to see what their similar products offer, and how your product is different. Note these differentiators – they’ll be your key selling points that you’ll want to highlight on your eCommerce website.
4. Make Your Prototype
Once you know what your product will do, and how it’s different from competing products, it’s time to make your prototype. This can be as simple as sketching with pencil and paper, or more high-tech by using Photoshop. The choice is yours.
Your prototype will need to include:
- Product dimensions.
- Material suggestions.
- Specific instructions for features that might not be self-explanatory from your product image itself.
After you’ve designed your prototype, it’s time to connect with a prototype engineer who can build your prototype so you can touch and feel it, and adjust as needed.
Listen to Our Podcast to Learn How to Turn Your Prototype into a Mass-Produced Product
Your final step – and most important – to designing a product is to connect with a manufacturer who can mass-produce it. There are several important steps to mass-producing a product, and the best way for you to absorb them is to listen to us describe them in our podcast.
You can listen to episode 5, titled, “How to Design a Product,” on our website, or on platforms where great podcasts are listed, such as Spotify, Stitcher, iTunes, and Google Play.
