MISTAKE #75: You can’t appeal to the masses without appealing to the masses

Make sure you're not betting the viability of your product (or company) on impossible odds.

NEW PRODUCT MISTAKESThomas TessmerDecember 23, 2014Branding, Marketing, Competition, Barriers, Omni-presence Strategy, Content Creation

MISTAKE #68: You under-value or over-estimate repeat purchase or loyalty

By definition, sustainable sales require a solid base of shoppers that regularly repurchase the item.

NEW PRODUCT MISTAKESThomas TessmerNovember 25, 2014Assumptions, Ignorance, Shopper Experience, Barriers, Product Use, Engagement Tracking, Category Audit

MISTAKE #61: You think you’re an impulse purchase and that it’s a good thing

Don't assume an impulse purchase is a mindless non-decision or that it ultimately leads to repeat purchase.

NEW PRODUCT MISTAKESThomas TessmerOctober 30, 2014Shopper Experience, Barriers, Expectations, Competitive Evaluation, Price and Size Strategy, Assortment Optimizer

MISTAKE #60: You think purchase decisions are made in discrete category silos

Make sure you're not operating with tunnel vision, incorrectly thinking your product is an isolated purchase decision not influenced by external factors.

NEW PRODUCT MISTAKESThomas TessmerOctober 28, 2014Shopper Experience, Ignorance, Barriers, Competition, Competitive Evaluation, Concept Refinement, Assortment Optimizer

MISTAKE #57: Your product’s retail price is too low

There is a point when lower-priced products hurt the value of a category. Make sure your product doesn't get into this position.

NEW PRODUCT MISTAKESThomas TessmerOctober 16, 2014Pricing, Retailer Interaction, Expectations, Barriers, Price and Size Strategy, Engagement Tracking

MISTAKE #50: You don’t follow these 13 guidelines to design packaging to survive on the shelf

Designing magnetic packaging is only beneficial if it can survive getting to, and living on, a store shelf or in a delivery box.

NEW PRODUCT MISTAKESThomas TessmerSeptember 23, 2014Packaging, Retailer Interaction, Barriers, Shopper Experience, Principle-Based Design Guidelines, Concept Refinement, Concept Creation, Package Qualification

MISTAKE #48: You think imitation is the greatest form of flattery

It takes more than mimicking an existing product to be successful. While it is smart to copy what others have proven works, it is not enough.

NEW PRODUCT MISTAKESThomas TessmerSeptember 16, 2014Competition, Shopper Experience, Barriers, Mediocrity, Strategy & Planning, Competitive Evaluation, Principle-Based Design Guidelines, Concept Creation, Concept Refinement, Package Qualification, Omni-presence Strategy

MISTAKE #45: You don’t have healthy fear of the competition

Internally-focused greed tends to overshadow the value of having an appropriate amount of externally-focused fear.

NEW PRODUCT MISTAKESThomas TessmerSeptember 4, 2014Competition, Ignorance, Barriers, Competitive Evaluation

MISTAKE #39: You are static in a dynamic world

Shortly after you stop learning and improving, expect to become viewed as background noise as the competition becomes more appealing.

NEW PRODUCT MISTAKESThomas TessmerAugust 14, 2014Competition, Shopper Experience, Barriers, Omni-presence Strategy, Opportunity Exploration, Principle-Based Design Guidelines, Concept Creation

MISTAKE #34: Know when to accept approximate perfection

While mediocre work is dangerous, actually getting something done is almost always better than incomplete perfection.

NEW PRODUCT MISTAKESThomas TessmerJuly 31, 2014Excellence, Barriers, Time, Opportunity Exploration

MISTAKE #23: You’re too damn complicated

Embrace the belief that complexity should be avoided and simpler solutions are often better solutions.

NEW PRODUCT MISTAKESThomas TessmerJune 24, 2014Theory, Productivity, Barriers, Opportunity Exploration

MISTAKE #8: You ignore barriers to trial or switching costs

Many products fail not because the product is bad, but because the company fails to change an established behavior.

NEW PRODUCT MISTAKESThomas TessmerMay 1, 2014Ignorance, Competition, Barriers, Segmentation, Audience Profiling, Category Audit