Archive
Innovation, Marketing Specs & the Volkswagen Diesel (TDi) Scandal
Years ago I purchased a white 2011 Golf TDi (the TDi moniker means “turbo-diesel” for those unfamiliar with Volkswagen naming). It had a manual transmission. I bought it for myself also looking for my son to learn to drive a stick (a lost skill among millennials).
My son and I both loved the car — he nicknamed it “the Stormtrooper.” It had a shocking amount of room in the back seat and was tremendous fun to drive — despite low horsepower the torque was incredible.
Unlike my experience with BMWs since 2000, the Stormtrooper really WAS a car for those who love to drive. (BMWs used to offer that experience — like those I drove from time to time in the 1980s and 1990s.)
A Botched Introduction: Lithium-Ion Batteries for Power Tools
We love to rate innovations as “success” or “failure”. Yet most innovation suffers a far more ignominious fate: mediocrity. And that sums up the introduction of Lithium Ion (LI) Batteries for power tools.
LI batteries offer outstanding buyer value for cordless tools than their NiCAD predecessors.
There’s a power advantage which can be used one of two ways:
- LI can be used to deliver more power in the same size package.
- LI can be used to deliver the same power in a lighter weight package.
There’s an incredible set of charging/usability advantages:
- LI batteries charge faster (a major issue for tool users).
- LI can be re-charged at any time without building battery memory.
- LI hold their charge well. After 1 year they usually retain 80% of the original charge.
All this adds up to tremendous advantages for power tool users. Yet they limped slowly onto the market. Even today, tool purchasers hesitate to pay a premium for LI based tools.
What should we learn from this market mediocrity?
Impact Driver or Impact Wrench? Confused Names Keep Products on the Shelf
End-user confusion about drills and drivers is rampant – although the model in this stock photo looks more bored than confused.
Consider an example from the realm of the home store where tool makers have created a wilderness of product, category and project names that stand in the way of revenue and market share growth.
No tool category is more confused than drills and drivers. And over the past few years manufacturers have added to the confusion with the impact driver. The impact driver is a superb, compact tool that use small bursts of torque to deliver turning power around the screw, bolt or nut. Read more…
Suggest Your Shelf Potatoes
This blog is dedicated to the retail challenge we call the Shelf Potato. And, to the opportunity reflected in shelf potatoes.
Because marketing experience shows that products don’t necessarily languish on the shelves because they’re bad products. Quite often they lack the communication support needed to connect consumers with the reasons they should care about the product.
So use the comment space below to post your shelf potato stories and let’s discuss this serious challenge to retail success.
Copyright 2010 – Doug Garnett
The Shelf Potato 