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Archive for the ‘Quality’ CategoryUtilizing Market Research To Validate Product DevelopmentMonday, March 15th, 2010 
It is undoubtedly challenging to create a protective glove that suits the broad range of applications and hazards in the multitude of industries across the world, as well as that fits every size and shape of hand. One company that understands the market for hand protection well is Ansell Healthcare, the world’s largest manufacturer of protective gloves and clothing. With over 1,200 different glove styles in its online catalog, it is clear that Ansell has a wealth of expertise in the PPE industry. In spite of its impressive portfolio, Ansell is constantly investigating not only new product development opportunities, but also how its existing products can be improved. Indeed 90% of market research on new products is focused on product additions and modifications rather than on new product concepts. Product improvements are obvious developments and are much more easily accepted than conceptually new products. Within its product offering is the Ansell HyFlex® range. These are premium, precision handling gloves which are ergonomically designed to provide a balance of comfort, protection and dexterity. Included in this brand category is Ansell’s most successful glove product worldwide: the HyFlex® 11-800 glove, which is ten years old and was the first product manufactured under the Ansell brand. Recognizing that every product has a life cycle, Ansell invested in research and development to improve its HyFlex® 11-800 glove offering. In doing so, it created an advanced version of this glove, the new HyFlex® 11-830 glove, which it then tested through independent market research involving placement tests. Leading business-to-business market research specialists B2B International designed and conducted the research program. The test gloves were trialed by large companies in the manufacturing, metal fabrication and automotive industries among both Ansell glove wearers as well as wearers of competing products. The wearers were asked to rate their current gloves and the test gloves on eighteen glove features, including fit, comfort, durability, flexibility, tactility, grip, and more. The test glove outperformed current gloves on all eighteen features examined. Furthermore, Health & Safety Managers and Purchasing Managers in the study rated the test glove with a very high overall satisfaction score of 9 out of 10. B2B International’s Research Manager, Julia Cupman, commented, “It is extremely rare to obtain consistently outstanding feedback in product development research. What’s more, our research has shown that quality is the key driver in the choice of glove, followed by price, thus indicating that in spite of price consciousness in the current economic environment, the quality of health and safety protection is not compromised. The superior quality of the HyFlex 11-830 test glove was confirmed in this study and the research will lead to a high return on investment.” The HyFlex® 11-830 glove will be available to purchase in the USA after April 2010. What Is Quality?Friday, October 9th, 2009
Dr Daniel Park of MASS Consulting Group, a good friend of B2B International, has contributed a Thursday Night Insight this week. It is an article that appeared in the Washington Post on 10 April 2007 and it raises a number of questions. Perhaps the most significant one is not obvious and takes a bit of thinking about. It relates to the concept of quality, which has been a bandwagon topic and a source of easy consultancy money for some time. Benefiting from quality management is two-sided: it requires not only suppliers that are able to deliver quality products, using quality inputs and quality technology but also – and here comes the interesting bit – buyers who have the capability of recognising quality when it is staring them in the face. Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. A man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about an hour. During that time approximately two- thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes, a middle-aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried on. 4 minutes later: the violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk. 6 minutes: a young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again. 10 minutes: a 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent without exception forced the children to move on quickly. 45 minutes: the musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32. 1 hour: he finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition. No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played some of the most powerful and beautiful music ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days earlier Joshua Bell sold out a theatre in Boston where the seats averaged $100. This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities. The questions raised: in a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we understand quality? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context? One conclusion reached from this experiment could be this: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the greatest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made…. how many other things are we missing; do we really understand quality; does quality really matter? Why not click on the following links to read some of the white papers Dr Daniel Park has written for B2B International:
Click here to view our complete library of white papers. The True Value of ValueMonday, April 20th, 2009
A fair number of articles that have been published lately slam the current over-use by marketers of the word ‘value’. Critics claim that ‘value’ is at risk of becoming synonymous with ‘reduced’, ‘cut-price’ and plain old ‘cheap’. Value should also be associated with quality. A product that offers true value is more than just an attractive price; it should meet a customer’s real needs, and go that extra mile. Customers are tending to watch what they spend at present, but if all companies are offering ‘value’ by simply reducing their prices, they will all end up competing on a level playing field. Look to differentiate your product or service in some way. Offer some evidence and reassurance to your customers that they are buying something that really does offer value for money. For example, auto manufacturer Hyundai is winning plaudits at the moment for its Hyundai Assurance program. With this program, anyone that buys a new car is guaranteed that if they lose their job, Hyundai will make their payments for 3 months. If they are still facing financial difficulties after that 3-month period, they can return the car (*subject to various conditions, of course – but you get the idea). In this way, the company is acknowledging the current economic climate and the fears of some of its potential customers, and offering them greater benefits and extra value. |
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