Hunkydory *paper products
Hunkydory *paper products uses innovative product How does a small business producing a niche product like greeting cards for pet lovers grow in today’s marketplace? Hunkydory *paper products does it by welcoming their consumers into the product development process. Before Hunkydory introduces any new products, a focus group is held in the co-creators’ home to gain the retail customers’ insight and essentially their approval for each product. Hunkydory *paper products, of San Antonio, Texas, has tapped into the growing pet products industry offering greeting cards, invitations, gift bags and announcements for people who consider their pets truly members of the family. With such innovative products, Hunkydory co-creators, husband and wife team Peggy Dial and Stephen Shearer, take great pains in producing merchandise that strikes a cord with their consumers. Hunkydory’s signature style is black and white, photojournalistic images illustrating the joys and sorrows to which all pet owners can relate. The products are designed to evoke emotion in Hunkydory’s target customers about their own pets, which spur them to buy the products. Initially, Dial and Shearer invited a few friends and colleagues to review their concepts and help them select new products. Since then, the participant list has grown to over 60 people, including men and women, ages 25 to 70, pet lovers and what Dial calls "non-pet people," which offers a very broad perspective of consumer preferences. Participant Brad Parman, who describes himself as "not a pet fanatic" said, "If a non-pet person likes a particular card, then it must really be good." He notes that his feedback provides a very critical eye, because he isn’t swayed by any "emotional attachment." "It’s vitally important to reach out to non-pet owners who might have a friend or relative with a pet," says Dial. During the focus groups, Dial and Shearer hang all of their new product concepts on the walls of their home. Each participant is given a clipboard and rating card. They are asked to rate the impact of each concept assessing both the image and the associated tagline, and to indicate the likelihood they would purchase that particular product. "My input can really make a difference here," said one participant, Emily Heard. What strikes most of the participants in the focus group is that Dial and Shearer really care about their feedback. "The core of their business is that they care," said participant Patricia Barrett. "They show it through their thoughtful cards, but also by inviting us into their home to critique their own work." "Because I do most of the photography myself, and we write the taglines together, Peggy and I are just to close too the products to do our own evaluations," said Shearer. "We want brutal honesty," he added. "We’re thrilled when the group loves one of our concepts, but we also need to know when something isn’t working so we don’t waste our time and money bringing it to the market." Are participants really honest once they’ve been invited into the co-creators’ home and fed delicious treats? Shearer is also a former chef. "I don’t sugar coat it," said Lisa Parman. "If you love it, you love it. If you don’t, you tell them. Although, I do try to say it in a very diplomatic way." Is the process working? Over the past two years, Hunkydory has introduced more than 150 new concepts during their focus groups and only the best-rated 75 of those have made it to market. "Many of the items have scored high on the photograph and low on the tagline or vice versa. Those are pulled for review. We only go with the top 10 to 15 items per focus group. This assures us and our customers that we are bringing only the best to the marketplace." says Dial. One participant believes Hunkydory’s success in new product introductions is due in part to their focus groups. "The review of their potential products allows them to focus on what will sell and limit what won’t," said the participant. And Hunkydory’s success is apparent. After less than one year in business, the company was awarded the prestigious Louie Award by the Greeting Card Association for its sympathy card, which depicts a photo of a dog collar on an empty dog bed. Nominations are a mark of distinction within the industry and Hunkydory’s was the first pet card to ever win in that category. "This card was rated in the top five at our very first focus group in August 2001. And is currently in its fifth printing," Dial stated excitedly. So while some companies put their products through rigorous mechanical testing or electronic analysis, Hunkydory puts its own creativity on the line. But the creators really do appreciate the feedback. "Since the beginning we have placed a premium on consumer feedback. Our focus groups allow us to gain consumer reaction and approval of our concepts before we make the investment in producing them," said Dial. "Hunkydory has really made me aware of this market and the level of relationships that people develop with their pets," said participant Richard Heard. Heard added that he has seen significant improvement over the past two years in the samples that have been displayed at the focus groups. "This most recent round really stands out from the rest." |
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