Strategy March 02, 2017
Generate Creative Custom Products
WANT TO KNOW WHAT CAN IMMEDIATELY SET YOU APART FROM OTHER DISTRIBUTORS?
THE ABILITY TO OFFER YOUR CLIENTS CREATIVE CUSTOM PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS.
Many distributors shy away from custom work, and continue to offer the same products their competitors do, for fear of snags in the process. But producing custom products for your clients shouldn’t be painful. The process should be a fluid and productive experience for everyone involved. If you ask the right questions before you get started, you can troubleshoot any issues and be prepared.
Greater Pacific Industries is a trusted supplier partner in creating custom products because the team never runs out of ideas to keep production fresh and ahead of the curve – they’ve been doing this for 22 years!
To discover if you’re on track to creating the best products possible for your clients, answer these ve quick questions.
“It’s really cool to customize a product!”
Mark St. Peter, Greater Pacific Industries
1. WHO ARE YOU WORKING WITH?
Your partner in creating products is one of the most important aspects of a project. The right partner means product will be delivered on time and within your client’s requested parameters.
“Working with a trusted manufacturing partner ensures the best cost and most creative solution,” says Mark St. Peter, a Greater Pacific Industries import executive and marketing manager.
2. WHO IS THE CUSTOMER?
“Know who’s going to use your product and how they plan to use it, so you can offer the best solution,” St. Peter says. Consumer needs are always changing, and it’s up to you to understand how and why so you can be ready to help meet those needs.
3. WHAT’S YOUR TIMELINE
AND BUDGET?
Does the production schedule account for the many variables that impact the production process? Anything can hap- pen, so factor in time for communication, design, shipping and delivery time.
“Plan enough time for development and production – create a realistic timeline,” St. Peter says.
Avoid cost creep from the start by helping clients understand budgeting needs and parameters, and by keeping their requests manageable.
4. WHAT DOES THE CLIENT
REALLY WANT?
Did you answer with a detailed list of features and visuals? “Communicate in detail with pictures, drawings and photographs to make sure all parties are clear on product design and function,” St. Peter says.
Take this as an opportunity to challenge your team to come up with innovative ideas and solutions, and use a variety of experiences and expertise.
5. WHAT MAKES YOUR PRODUCT STAND OUT?
Did you answer with something awesome that sets your product apart? “The more custom your product, the more unique the solution you offer your client, so think outside the box,” St. Peter says. “The number-one question we hear is ‘What do you have that’s new?’ The answer is, we work together to determine what the client need is and then generate custom options around that need.”
Greater Pacific Industries resume includes well-established brands such as Starbucks, Lilly Pulitzer and Game Stop, just to name a few, that have trusted the sup- plier to create their one-of-a-kind promotions. “Every project that comes through the door is very different,” St. Peter says. Yours should be, too. “Uniqueness tends to command reorders and also avoids the low margins of cost-driven commodity items,” he says.
“We work very closely with our distributor clients to determine the needs and expectations of a particular project. Who’s the audience? How should the product function? What are client and end-user expectations? From this point, we can then help generate ideas, provide renderings and options, and eventually prototypes and samples.” -- Mark St. Peter, Greater Pacific Industries
BEHIND THE SCENES OF A CUSTOM PRODUCT
Learn what really goes into the making of a custom creation. “The POOP-A-CHEW and Mr. Scoop Safely are great examples of how we can take a concept or idea and turn it into an actual physical product, from creative drawing to prototype to mass product,” says Mark St. Peter of Greater Pacific Industries. “These are very unique solutions for our customers.”
POOP-A-CHEW
Here’s the conception lifecycle of POOP-A-CHEW, a bug figurine that Greater Pacific Industries helped a client concept from start to finish – from drawings to the actual plastic molded figure.
MR. SCOOP SAFELY
Mr. Scoop Safely is a custom bendable character. “The three-stage picture shows ‘bendy’ as a hand- drawn cartoon character,” St. Peter says. “The second image shows the initial molded prototype fresh out of the mold without any decoration or color. The final image is the 4” high PVC bendable character – finished and complete.”
MANUFACTURING TIP
Manufacturing and importing product can be risky, difficult and time consuming. It’s easy to go online and try and custom overseas vendors. “But you never really know what you’re getting,” says Mark St. Peter of Greater Pacific Industries, a domestic company with years of experience and offices in Shanghai and Cambodia that work 24/7 to source products from vendors that are reliable and have integrity. “We test every order to make sure the product is compliant and safe, and quality-check every order on the factory floor to make sure it’s what we’ve ordered.” Having people on the ground in countries where your product is made is critical. It ensures the accuracy and integrity of the product.
GREATER PACIFIC INDUSTRIES is a direct manufacturer of custom OEM products, selling to both the promotional and consumer product industries with 22+ years of experience. Specializing in over 10 product categories, we can source and deliver almost any product for you. Greater Pacific Industries is full service, sourcing product and managing every aspect of production with staff on the ground in China, and utilizing our time-tested 20-step project management protocol. No need to worry about quality control, product safety, CPSIA compliance or the hundreds of details related to custom manufacturing. Greater Pacific Industries oversees every aspect for you! Our global logistics team and in-house customs brokering ensure timely, seamless delivery. This is how we provide the Ultimate Manufacturing Experience! And we back this claim with a 30-day product guarantee on all orders. Click here to learn more.
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