Let's Focus On Our Focus Group
Hello HAPPY people!
Focus groups are such an important part of bringing new
products to market. We get so many ideas
from our customers, retailers and employees that it can be difficult to
determine and focus on the items that make the most sense for our customers and
the Jon Hart brand. Earlier this year we turned to Instagram to recruit our
focus group and ended up with 12 witty women that love and appreciate their
handcrafted, made in America, personalized Jon Hart items.
We had a lot to bounce off of them in order to figure out
what was the best fit for our current portfolio based on trends and frequent
requests.
One of the big trends right now is clear handbags and
totes. It’s difficult to go to a school
event, stadium or venue that doesn’t have a clear bag policy and we all have to
figure out how we can be compliant without letting the new rules cramp our
style. We recently launched a new clear tote bag called the Tourney tote which
is a fan favorite so with this group we turned our attention to various
crossbody bags in clear. Several of the
attendees owned our Clear Becky, the best clear crossbody bag around, and had a
hard time imagining wanting anything else.
With the exception of one truly innovative and versatile bag (coming
soon!), none of the other new clear bags were a must have for these
ladies. They did have plenty of input on
how they’d like to see one of the bags reimagined into a traditional coated
canvas bag. We redesigned it according
to their feedback and boy are they right- it’s perfection! We can’t wait to launch it.
One request that we often receive is for a lunch box. Many people use our non-insulated large
travel kit as a lunch box. Since we
don’t want your yogurt to approach room temperature, an insulated box was in
the mix. The ladies loved it and had
several more ideas. They wanted to make
sure it would work as a six pack cooler and suggested that it could be used for
moms that pump and as a camera bag. Keep
watch for the Frio coming soon! I can’t
wait to get one in camouflage for myself.
We also talked about some of our previously retired items
such as the leather journal, monogramed coasters that make great personalized
gifts, a case for business cards, and a multi-purpose long pouch. Based on their feedback, a few of these items
will be coming out of retirement. There
was also popular demand to bring back our planner. We need to do a little more research on that
one but it’s on the table for consideration.
One last minute item added to the bunch was a rustic leather
wallet that our production manager initially designed and handmade for
himself. He’s been telling us that long
wallets for men are all the rage and he was right according to our focus
group. With enough room for his cards
and a notepad, it’s his lifeline and we believe that men and women will love it
as well.
We love creating and making handbags, backpacks, makeup
cases, luggage and handmade gifts for you!
We took note of the special requests such as an agenda book, a wedding
dress garment bag, gifts for bridesmaids.
We also appreciated hearing about the genius ways our customers use our
diaper bag as a laptop bag and the shag bag in more ways than we thought
possible.
We can’t wait to show you what’s next!
Have a great idea for a new JH item? Comment below and let us in on the #jhenius!
Have a great idea for a new JH item? Comment below and let us in on the #jhenius!
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