The King Comb case study

Background Info

• July 2015 to January 2017 

• Founder/Director

• Established, managed and launched the full lifecycle of a e-commerce product and online store, a white label Amazon FBA product. My role can be defined as a Product Manager and Designer. I took the lead on the branding, marketing & design in addition to all lof the intricacies involved in launching this business.  

• User Research, competitor & customer analysis, focus groups and Interviews, persona development, packaging design, brand identity, A/B testing (pricing & packaging design)

• Business activities: Coordinated with external stakeholders involved in the raw product procurement & manufacture, design & printing labs, logistics, e-commerce store, sales and inventory management. 

• I managed the digital platform and prepared the financial accounts, alongside the planning and decision making to support product delivery. Gained practical experience using design tools and conceptualising a brand image. I took the product from idea through to launch, and not only designed a product, but embarked on a journey that creatively tested my skills & abilities.

Problem Statement 

Opportunity

The 2010s saw the reappearance of full beards as being fashionable amongst young, hip men and a huge increase in the reappearance of male grooming products.

Around this time, I had formed a lettings agency in the London Docklands. The business focused on young city professionals, located just a few stops away from Shoreditch High Street and near many of the trendy streets of East London, where you’ll find an eclectic mix of face fur and groomed beards. For me personally, keeping a professional appearance whilst wearing a beard is just one of the challenges beard owners face (no pun intended) Another, is finding products that tame the hairy beast.

This drew me to the opportunity of supplying the market with beard grooming products. There was already an established marketplace on Amazon UK when I entered in 2015, but the US market was really booming and looked like an opportunity that was yet to be had on this side of the pond.

It also gave me the opportunity to get involved in product design and tap into my creative side whilst having the potential of e-commerce success. It’s a journey I’m truly proud of. In 2015, registered the company and over the next couple of months that followed, I started reaching out to suppliers and began forming the branding & visual design concepts.

Research & analysis - Road to MVP

Product concept, user research, goals, launch operations commenced

Product concept & research

• Conceptualising the product vision. It's a grooming product, potential for repeat purchase, a great seasonal gift (Christmas/Fathers day/Birthday)

• Discussed the product idea with friends & family, as well as industry experts (Barbers) 

• Found a product market fit - Grooming products & range expansion potential (Beard oil, Beard balm, brushes/combs, scissors, grooming kits)

Design

• Designed the Branding and Marketing and explored suitable domain names.  

• Mock up images of the products & designs in Photoshop, and decided on the initial product range (eg from MVP through to product extensions - for growth plans - Beard oil, Beard balm, brushes/combs, scissors, grooming kits)

• Finalised product branding and design, sent off to designers to check printing parameters and colour compatibility with the printing labs specifications for printing 

  
  

Logo Design

• Worked through a range of ideas based on focus group feedback

  before settling on a final design, see some examples below:

Packaging Design examples

Packaging Design

• Worked through a range of ideas after focus group feedback, iterated

  back to focus group, then settled on a final design. Reached out to

  packaging expert and sent the design off for printing.

Operations

• Sourced samples from white label suppliers based in the UK

• Decided on the suppliers, negotiated pricing and order quantities for product and packaging 

• Created an account on the Marketplace of choice (Amazon FBA - due to storage, fulfilment & delivery constraints) 

• Arranged delivery of stock to Amazon warehouse  

• Listed the first product on Marketplace and sold first batch of stock 

• Development of next product, repeating the previous steps 

• Launched next product & repeated the process

Competitive Analysis

• Used market analysis tools (JungleScout) to identify the keywords competitors rank for (Amazon sales)

• The beauty and personal care category on Amazon is one of the most popular among Amazon sellers, with 23% of sellers having products listed under this main category.

• What can we learn from the competitors? Review photos, product reviews, range and pricing. Analyse listing title, images, description, reviews/feedback. Gather data and define final product features.

• Monitor competitor pricing history, track competitor’s monthly sales.

• Explore how the competition markets their products (social media presence? what platforms are they on? How often do they post?)

Example: Competitor A

• Product (Beard Oil)

• Key features (Promotes hair growth and thickens beard)

• Online Ratings & Sales (4.1 / 7812 ratings / 1000 sales/month)

• Reviews (Common trends? Popular features?)

• Product Description (How well written is the listing description/Keywords used for algorithm?)

• Ingredients (list of)

• Usage (size of bottle, how long will it last, how do you use it?)

• Suitable for (any exclusions? ie Consult your doctor if you have an allergy disclaimer)

**Repeated for Competitor B & Competitor C **

Structuring:

Feature Prioritisation, User Personas

• Ingredients (health benefits & smell)

• Visual appearance

• Availability of ingredients

• Popular fragrances (reviews)

• Similarity/differences to competition

• Product range expansion potential

Personas

**Repeated for Personas 2 & 3**

Feedback analysis/findings:

• Were any patterns observed in research?

• What was the current need? Are these realistic, not idealised?

• Is this a challenging/competitive target market?

• Have I understood the users’:

• Context

• Behaviours

• Attitudes

• Needs

• Challenges/pain points

• Goals and motivations

Based on research, materials availability, competitor analysis, personas & customer reviews - How well does the product solve the problem users are having, and if so, how well?

Product Design & Testing:

• Analysed research, product range & features defined

• Started designing a brand name & theme based on the user research & competitor products

• Designed on photoshop & shared prototype designs with friends, family & industry experts

• Sample bottles labelled with prototype designs and final adjustments made, ready for print and sale

• Small batch sent out to focus group of users, barbers, friends & family for feedback

• Once satisfied with the results, large order placed with suppliers & first shipment delivered to Amazon

Product Launch & creation of an online presence:

• Amazon warehouse has received the stock, and ready for sale

• Online store created & Amazon approves the marketplace advert

• Online presence created on social media platforms & Amazon

• Product launched & performance monitored

• Marketing strategies implemented to improve visibility & rankings

Highlights:

Successful Product Launch:

• Successful launch of the product & e-commerce store was a major achievement for me alongside the running my lettings business full-time. The King Comb was a perfect learning curve which gave me inspiration and the creative freedom to design a physical product & brand from the ground up. It required excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to articulate my ideas clearly and concisely. All whilst managing people & processes. And I loved it!

User-Centric Design:

• Emphasis was on a user-centred design. I prioritised the needs and preferences of the target audience throughout the design process, ensuring a positive user experience with the product.

Visual Design:

• I loved that I was able to showcase my proficiency in visual design by designing the aesthetic elements of the product. I went with a classic b&w theme, incorporating a striking accent colour to aimed at excentuating the ingredients, a theme I was going to continue further down the range (green for lime, orange for citrus etc) I continued that theme into the e-commerce store to make the brand visually appealing to the targeted users as well as overcoming the challenge of associating a colour with the smell of the product.

Learnings:

User Testing Importance:

• User testing is an important element in the design process. The user feedback influenced the design throughout, and gave me valuable feedback when deciding on a product fit.

Iterative Design Process:

• UX design is iterative in nature, and I found myself making changes & adjustments throughout the design and development phases. I based this on feedback, user testing, manufacturer constraints & the evolving business requirements.

Collaboration Skills:

• The importance of collaboration with cross-functional teams was paramount in getting the business from an idea to a product launch. Worked with users, marketers, manufacturers, printing companies and other stakeholders which enriched the overall product and contributed to its appeal.

Market Research Insights:

• The value of market research in informing design decisions goes without saying. Its important to research the target audience as well as the marketplace. Market trends, scarcity and competitor analysis influenced my design choices and contributed to the product's competitiveness.

Areas for Improvement:

Time Management:

• There are many moving parts to running a business, if some areas of the business take up 60% of your time, which only leaves 40% to spend on the rest of the business. Allocating time to essential activities in the business, and sticking to it can be a challenge when limited on staff or budget. If you dont have time, you need to spend money to pay for services. I was looking for a product that I knew would require work upfront, but once established could be a potential as a passive income generating business.

  I underestimated the competitiveness of the market and the amount of time needed in the business, which used more time and resources than what I could sustain long-term.

Accessibility Considerations:

• It’s important as our lives become more involved in the digital realm, to address any areas where accessibility considerations could be enhanced in the design. This reflects an understanding of inclusivity and the importance of making products accessible to a diverse audience. This could be as simple as ensuring that the packaging of the beard oil is designed with inclusivity in mind. Considering users with different abilities, including those with limited dexterity or visual impairments should be a consideration. Easy-to-read labels, texture or braille labels, Accessible Open/Close packaging mechanisms are some examples of this.

Data-Driven Decision-Making:

• There was a need for more data-driven decision-making in the design process. This product required a larger sample size in user testing. More analytics and user data could have further enhanced the product-user fit and helped gauged the size and direction of the market.

Staying Updated with Design Trends:

• Staying updated with the latest design trends is essential, whether its a physical or digital product. Continuous learning & keeping abreast of industry innovations can lead to more competitive, cutting-edge designs.