Assignment 25A: Whats Next?
Existing Market:
Step 1: I think that this business concept might be able to be expanded and more features added. There are always new things that can be added to a product to make it better. Something that could be added are paddle holders so that you can attach the paddles to it when you aren't moving. This has been an issue in the past where I would set them down on the kayak and they float away while I'm not paying attention.
Step 2: After talking with 3 different potential customers, they gave me some ideas that I hadn't really thought about yet. One of them said that we could use the party pack as sort of advertising for certain rental companies. We could make them in the colors of the rental company and put their brand name on it so that while people are kayaking, they could advertise for the company they rented it from. Another one said that we could bring them to certain Universities. The University of Florida rents kayaks out to students that they can take to one of the many rivers and springs that are nearby. I think there are a few different Universities who do the same and they could be added to the list of potential customers. The last person mentioned that we might be able to give away the kayak party pack to people who have a major following on social media platforms in order to get the brand name out there.
Step 3: I think the biggest part of whats to come is branding and marketing the product. I would need to grow the name and product so that it is well known and people are able to see how it helps kayakers and provides additional services that don't come with a standard kayak. I think that would be the best way to grow especially on social media platforms. People love to see new innovations and products on the internet and if it were to go viral, the reach would be a really good way to sell the product. Also like some of the consumers that I spoke to, opening up to new markets and tailoring the product to new markets would help immensely in being able to get the product out there and running as a business.
New Market:
Step 1: A radically different market would be that of scuba divers. Although some of the scuba diving spots are pretty far from land, there are many reefs that you could practically swim out to from the shore of south Florida. There might be a way to tailer the party pack to fit everything that a scuba diver needs in order to go diving. They then would be able to kayak out to the spot and then go diving off the kayak.
Step 2: I think there are a lot of people out there who enjoy scuba diving but don't have the means to get a boat. Whether it be too expensive or they have nowhere to put it, they just are unable to have a boat to scuba dive off of. While they would need pretty calm waters and ensure the reef isn't too far from shore, this would provide a means for scuba divers to get to their destination.
Step 3: I have a couple of friends who go scuba diving quite often but they have a boat so they wouldn't necessarily need the product in a way that other people might. However, they both said that it would be anew and unique experience to paddle out to a dive spot and then dive from there. They said that it would be a lot more natural and less of a process because they wouldn't need to bring the boat to a boat ramp, fill it up with gas, then clean everything afterward especially if they were planning on diving close to shore anyway. They did however say that the party pack would need to radically change in order to fit all the equipment that they would need in order to go diving and be safe while doing so.
Step 4: I honestly didn't even think about this concept until this assignment and it isn't too bad of an idea. I love scuba diving as well but only go with my friends because I don't personally own a boat. I wouldn't want to take my kayak more than a couple miles off shore, but I think it would be a cool experience to be able to go scuba diving whenever I wanted. I think that this new market is a little more niche than my original market because of the fact that there aren't too many people who like to scuba dive and don't have or know someone who has a boat. I also think that it would be a little difficult to gear up on a kayak and then be able to take it all off and situate it in the party pack so that thing were to fall off or get lost.
Step 1: I think that this business concept might be able to be expanded and more features added. There are always new things that can be added to a product to make it better. Something that could be added are paddle holders so that you can attach the paddles to it when you aren't moving. This has been an issue in the past where I would set them down on the kayak and they float away while I'm not paying attention.
Step 2: After talking with 3 different potential customers, they gave me some ideas that I hadn't really thought about yet. One of them said that we could use the party pack as sort of advertising for certain rental companies. We could make them in the colors of the rental company and put their brand name on it so that while people are kayaking, they could advertise for the company they rented it from. Another one said that we could bring them to certain Universities. The University of Florida rents kayaks out to students that they can take to one of the many rivers and springs that are nearby. I think there are a few different Universities who do the same and they could be added to the list of potential customers. The last person mentioned that we might be able to give away the kayak party pack to people who have a major following on social media platforms in order to get the brand name out there.
Step 3: I think the biggest part of whats to come is branding and marketing the product. I would need to grow the name and product so that it is well known and people are able to see how it helps kayakers and provides additional services that don't come with a standard kayak. I think that would be the best way to grow especially on social media platforms. People love to see new innovations and products on the internet and if it were to go viral, the reach would be a really good way to sell the product. Also like some of the consumers that I spoke to, opening up to new markets and tailoring the product to new markets would help immensely in being able to get the product out there and running as a business.
New Market:
Step 1: A radically different market would be that of scuba divers. Although some of the scuba diving spots are pretty far from land, there are many reefs that you could practically swim out to from the shore of south Florida. There might be a way to tailer the party pack to fit everything that a scuba diver needs in order to go diving. They then would be able to kayak out to the spot and then go diving off the kayak.
Step 2: I think there are a lot of people out there who enjoy scuba diving but don't have the means to get a boat. Whether it be too expensive or they have nowhere to put it, they just are unable to have a boat to scuba dive off of. While they would need pretty calm waters and ensure the reef isn't too far from shore, this would provide a means for scuba divers to get to their destination.
Step 3: I have a couple of friends who go scuba diving quite often but they have a boat so they wouldn't necessarily need the product in a way that other people might. However, they both said that it would be anew and unique experience to paddle out to a dive spot and then dive from there. They said that it would be a lot more natural and less of a process because they wouldn't need to bring the boat to a boat ramp, fill it up with gas, then clean everything afterward especially if they were planning on diving close to shore anyway. They did however say that the party pack would need to radically change in order to fit all the equipment that they would need in order to go diving and be safe while doing so.
Step 4: I honestly didn't even think about this concept until this assignment and it isn't too bad of an idea. I love scuba diving as well but only go with my friends because I don't personally own a boat. I wouldn't want to take my kayak more than a couple miles off shore, but I think it would be a cool experience to be able to go scuba diving whenever I wanted. I think that this new market is a little more niche than my original market because of the fact that there aren't too many people who like to scuba dive and don't have or know someone who has a boat. I also think that it would be a little difficult to gear up on a kayak and then be able to take it all off and situate it in the party pack so that thing were to fall off or get lost.
Hi Daniel,
ReplyDeleteI liked your idea about scuba divers. Ultimately though I don’t know that it would work without changing the design to optimize it for scuba diving. One potential use that you could use to find a new market is to convert it into a “snuba” type apparatus, where people put an oxygen tank on top of the raft and extend a tube into the water to breathe. Either way, I think that adding an alternative market is important.