How can small sellers use the concept of "substitution" to develop new ideas in the existing supply chain?

VictoryXue

1. How to negotiate with the factory. First, determine the requirements, including size, color, etc. Then start a large-scale search, go to 1688 and other supply platforms, consult online MOQ, whether there is a public mold, how much is the price, can I take a public mold first. Secondly, select three factories, and then you can call to inquire whether there have been inquiries before, how is the sales volume, etc. The phone can close the distance with the supplier and understand the industry information more clearly. Then ask about the delivery time, packaging, including packaging method, size, box specification, whether the thrown goods can be compressed, etc.

2. Procedure after receiving samples: After receiving samples, ask the supplier to issue a cost accounting sheet. To be honest, they don’t know how to write one, but if one of them is written, you can have a good understanding of the cost. Then ask for two sets of pre-production samples, indicating the details (including labeling, packaging, box specifications, etc.)

 

3. Sample process sheet. After proofing, I often receive situations where the sample is different from the proofed product, so a more detailed process sheet is very necessary. Therefore, the first question is: How do we write a supply order and how do we ensure that the sample is consistent with the bulk product?

 

4. During the proofing process, you can give priority to the packaging issue and put it in advance. I have suffered from not considering the packaging before, which caused the delivery delay. Moreover, many sellers now work hard on packaging in order to reflect the visual difference on the homepage, so there must be no problem with the pre-packaging design.

 

5. A better way is to inspect the factory before shipping large quantities of goods, but to be honest, it is meaningless for small sellers to inspect the factory without large quantities.

 

6. Preparation before replenishment. Including the preparation of wash labels, labels, and codes in advance, and the quantity of materials provided to the supplier must be recorded one by one.

But in the recent product selection process, I found that before determining demand and large-scale search, there is an important step that affects the confirmation and search of the supply chain. That is the confirmation of demand. We should analyze the demand itself without considering the product characteristics, so as to give full play to the creativity of the supply chain.

My thoughts come from several competing products I recently discovered. I’ll just give one example: B0CZRVRJ6Y . This product is just an inflatable cushion for leg relaxation. Now it has a new use, with a profit of up to 70% . (Although the volume is not large, this must be an excellent product selection idea), and the supply chain is very mature, without mold opening and MOQ restrictions. Therefore, I extended my supply chain process module.

Consider a few questions when selecting products

1. Think about the demand. Put aside the characteristics of competing products. What are the pain points and itch points behind this demand? Take the example above. The essential demand of this product is to separate children and stop them from fighting in the car.

2. How to use the existing supply chain to meet the demand without proofing? This question requires a good understanding of the supply chain and a deep insight into the demand.

3. How to maintain product micro-innovation insights and continue to be lean in the complex supply chain docking and communication? Behind this question is that in the process of a lot of searching, we often forget our original intentions and think that it is OK once we find it. In fact, although it is completed, it cannot last long.
 
The above is my thinking in the supply chain creative process. Based on this, I would like to ask

1. Do you have any different opinions on the above ideas?
2. I understand that my idea is relatively ideal in the current market that is so transparent. How can I make this idea more practical?
 
I hope this can inspire some valuable suggestions. Thank you.

"Wonderful Reply"

Gnitliang - a fine product development

Agree with: Aqua Time, Retired, Persistence is Victory, DTMDPD, YYRRPP more»

It seems that the OP's product selection and development methods are very similar to my current ones, haha. Let me share my humble opinion and hope it will stimulate discussion.

At the current stage of development when selecting products or modifying models based on demand, we will not rely entirely on the supply chain, but find ways to realize the products through analyzing the demand, and then look for factories that can realize it. One advantage of this method is that it will not be "attached to appearances".

Use the "first principles" method of finding needs that the OP shared in the previous product selection post. After finding the upper-level needs of the target users, first think about what different solutions the product can have, list and verify the solutions, and finally find a feasible supply chain based on your own ideas.

It can be understood as not letting the factory's current products affect your judgment of the product. Although it will be faster to find factories and products with demand, in the process of proposing hypotheses and verification, you can quickly deepen your research on competing products and different materials and fabrics of products, and deepen your understanding of the product.

Finally, let me share a method for product transformation and upgrading: SCAMPER
The SCAMPER method includes 7 entry points - Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to other uses, Eliminate, and Reverse.

SCAMPER is the acronym for this series of actions, which stands for seven directions for improvement or change. These 7 points help to test whether there are new ideas for better improving the current situation.

Mnemonic: "Substitute - combine - modify - remove - duplicate". Every time we encounter a product that we want to improve and develop, we will recite this mnemonic in combination with the specific product to help us find the direction quickly.

The following figure is to assist understanding:

Sellers wear sea

Agree from: JACKLEO, JIUyyiiz, zengjianwen001, and the little sister who travels through the sea

The original poster's idea coincides with mine. Most small shops do not have a fixed supply chain for product selection. It is normal that they cannot find a factory willing to cooperate when the order volume is small and unstable.

When we choose to look for sources of goods on major supply platforms, we want to create differentiation on this basis and explore user needs.

But it should be clear that the new products that Amazon or users like refer to products that solve users' unmet needs or new needs. The golden age in the past when some sellers could succeed by simply copying and pasting hot-selling products is gone forever. After all, the market has developed from a stage of insufficient supply to a stage of oversupply. In other words, choosing a product is like finding a hot topic in society. The same topic has different answer angles to suit different groups of people; the same product will also have different needs or consumption scenarios. What we have to do is to find new materials, new angles, and new scenarios to meet different needs.

Of course, the so-called finding a breakthrough point or differentiation means to follow market demand and make low-cost micro-innovations, rather than being independent and innovating for the sake of innovation. For small sellers, summarizing the micro-innovation routines commonly used by other sellers and combining them with product improvements is a good strategy.

Flash Wolf - Hello Hello Hello

Endorsed by: AAthena

I am also doing it part time, let me tell you my thoughts. I have just started in the industry, so please don't criticize me if my words are wrong.

In fact, for small sellers like me, there is no such thing as a supply chain. Most of them purchase goods from 1688. They say they are looking for demand, but in fact they are looking for low prices to reduce costs to the greatest extent. I am unwilling to spend any money on innovation. But if I want to create differentiation, I usually start with these points: be flexible in quantity, sell even numbers when competitors sell single numbers, or sell them in combination, package them, and make some changes to the pictures. Anyway, these are all tests of the seller's ability, and make differentiation in copywriting and pictures. In general, I can still get orders, which is just right as a side job. I don't want to get rich overnight.

Woooooo

Agree with: Gnitliang, 123卷儿123, 路不识-Jatty

Small sellers are not so much leveraging the supply chain as leveraging product ideas. Just like the link posted by the original poster, it is actually just the same product in a different application scenario. For example, a long time ago, a bamboo basket for steaming buns could be transformed into a soap holder. Sometimes a product may have miraculous effects in other application scenarios.

EimChen - This person is lazy and leaves nothing behind.

Agree from: Cynthiaaa, Guguai Laoren, Cross-border Wheat Family, Baofeng Baby No. 2, YYRRPP more »

Small vendors are more likely to find relatively more creative products to sell. The idea and usage of the product in the link posted by the poster is worth learning, but this is not a long-term solution. According to the character of "Chinese people", seeing your high profits and relative "blue ocean", the market will be crushed in a few months.

Can I drink or not • Wuhan • 2024-08-22 17:48

The price has already started to rise to 24.99. I don't know how long this link can last.

Cross-border wheat home • Shanghai • 2024-08-22 19:34

@能喝不喝: This post has been verified, the method does not work

Can you drink or not • Wuhan • 2024-08-23 09:33

@跨跨麦家: I can only say that changing the demand scenario will not work. Because there is no barrier.

Anonymous user

Agree with: Schwarzzz

Sometimes I am really curious, why do some people always get the lowest price in the market when they launch products? The cost of our company's development is no different from that of 1688, and the profit margin is really small. There is really no advantage to compare with competitors, and it is tiring to promote products. He is unwilling to bargain for development.

A big sunny rose

Agree with: Anti-Japanese Hero Du Dapeng

This idea can be tried by companies that have already reached a certain scale or individuals with a certain amount of start-up capital. But it is just a try. The market is too competitive now. You have to be cautious before opening a mold. It is easy to lose everything.