Toys and Electronics: The Packaging Curse

I've been meaning to write a post about packaging for a while. There are plenty of examples of poor packaging - long enough for a whole chapter in a "How to Piss Off Your Customers Before They Use Your Product" book. (hmmm . . maybe that'll be my next venture -- think anyone will buy?) But to write something constructive, rather than simply rant, well . . .

Let's start with electronics. Who came up with that impossible to open, cut-your-hands-till-they-bleed hard plastic that all electronics come in these days? And more importantly, why?? Why would you do this to your customers? Apparently there's a really great reason because it seems that every device from every retailer comes this way - from $10 cheapo ear phones to pricey cameras. It doesn't matter that the outside box is easy to open if the inside plastic requires 12 inch scissors to get through. My best guess: it's to prevent shoplifting by taking the item out of its packaging in the store and absconding with it in the pocket. But why punish ALL your customers for the misdeeds of a few?

Another example are metal twisty-ties that now attach all toys to their packaging. (Longer and stronger than the things in the grocery produce aisle.) I couldn't think of a reason for these -- perhaps someone who works in retail and/or the toy industry can enlighten me. But picture this scene: a 2-year-old gets a gift-wrapped toy, rips open the wrapping and the box, takes out the toy, only to have the parent take it back to separate the toy from its packaging. He's either on to doing something else and forgets all about the toy, or worse, starts crying while the adult untwists 20 twist ties and puts them out of the child's reach because THEY ARE NOT SAFE FOR CHILDREN! Seriously, who thought this was a good idea? Was this the customer experience they were going for?

And this brings us to the constructive portion of this post: when thinking about your product and the 5 'P's, think about the entire consumer experience -- from what the consumer will see on the store shelf (real or virtual), to the buying experience, to the experience of getting the item home, to opening it, and then using it. Given the plethora of "me-to" commodity items in both toys and electronics, perhaps easy-to-open packaging will be the next differentiator.

New Chapter: WOMM

I recently joined a new start-up (what other kind of job is there in Silicon Valley!) called Zuberance. It's a Word-of-Mouth Marketing (WOMM) application company. I am so excited to be back at a software company, I almost got emotional. Really. For the past week, I've been drinking from the fire hose of information, both about the company, but mostly about word-of-mouth marketing. Groundswell, by Charlene Li, is a good primer and womma.org is the industry association.

Since WOMM is a new marketing medium as a formal discipline -- as opposed to the literal word of mouth we've all been doing since time immemorial -- I thought I'd practice what I'm now preaching. So here goes:

Zuberance is hosting a webinar on June 24, at 11am Pacific, on how B-to-B marketers can harness word-of-mouth marketing to drive sales now. Go here to register.

In the mean time, think about the following:

Which brands or products would you recommend to your friends or colleagues? After a bit of thought, here's my list in no particular order:

* Trader Joes
* Toyota
* Palm Treo (I know it's ancient, but I will hang on to mine until its bitter end - or until the Pre makes it on to Verizon's network)
* Yahoo! Mail (sorry Google - my gripes will be the subject of another post)
* Target
* Microsoft Excel
* Jones New York apparel
* Renegades Drum and Bugle Corps
* Babycenter.com

What brands do you advocate?

Word-of-Mouth

I've been thinking a lot about word-of-mouth marketing in the past day or two. Here's a perfect example. Costco, Trader Jo's, and the independent businesses mentioned should be pretty happy. This also frustrates me to no end because I love Trader Jo's -- kid friendliness being just one reason -- but the meat thing means fewer trips there and more trips to Safeway.

I have to believe that TJs knows that it has many advocates (or Promoters in marketing-speak) in parents, hence the kid-sized shopping carts, balloons, and baby cooing by clerks who in some cases don't look like they would be interested in babies. The importance of kid-friendliness hasn't escaped Safeway either. The stores have the car-front shopping carts to entertain (and contain) the kids. And of course there is the obligatory "Do you need help out today, ma'am?" (Hint: no one under the age of 80, that I know, likes to be called "ma'am.") The staff is frinedly enough and my baby gets the occassional coo. So why aren't parents more enthused about Safeway, myself included?

Anyone?

Babies Poop Too

It might surprise the builders and managers of public facilities, but babies urinate and poop. The reason I say this is that it boggles the mind that any public restroom in a public place such as a convention center would not have a baby-changing station in any of the bathrooms. This weekend at the Maker Faire at the San Mateo County Expo Center, I checked three women's bathrooms and my husband checked at least a couple of the men's. No luck.

Those on the wall Koala changing stations can't be that expensive to put in, so what gives? Is it just an oversight? Anyone?

If any "Makers" need ideas for next year -- how about changing stations with nifty mechanical diaper disposal apparatuses?

A Spam by Any Other Name . . .

I had an interview last week with an advertising network. The first time the VP of Engineering said, "all our emails are 100% opt-in and CAN SPAM compliant" I didn't think anything of it because the statement made sense in the context of our conversation.

The second time he repeated the same phrase word-for-word, my feelers went up.

When the General Manager came in and repeated the EXACT same phrase I knew it. And I think he knew that I knew. Sorry, but I'm not quite hungry enough (for a job) to make SPAM.

No offense to Hormel.

A Meaty Disappointment

It's heartbreaking when a brand and business you like and trust lets you down. Twice. So here I am, heartbroken. I've been a fan and loyal customer of Trader Jo's for a long time. In the past 3 years or so, I've done most of my weekly grocery shopping there, with only an occasional trip to Safeway for brand-specific items and items TJ's doesn't carry, like diapers.

However, twice now I've bought meat there (well, the first time it was fish -- just to be precise), gotten it home, only to discover it has gone bad before it's "sell by" or "use or freeze by" dates. The first time, I was willing to forgive and forget. No one is perfect. But not this second time. I will no longer buy meat or fish products there, and that's bad news for both of us: more trips to other grocery stores for me, which takes more time; and TJs will lose some of my business.

In reflecting on this episode, I was surprised and how truly disappointed I was that this happened. It's not the money (I'm sure I'd get a refund if I bothered to ask), it's being let down by a brand with which I have had a long-term relationship. I know some people have deep affections for their cars or their iPhones or other cool products. But a grocery store? Who knew!!

As a Product Manager, my take-aways from this episode are:

1) Quality control cannot be short-changed. I'm not sure what went wrong with TJ's meat handling operations, but given that we haven't heard of any large-scale food poisoning news stories, I suspect there are issues at the local store whereby some process isn't being followed correctly. Does anyone randomly test the meat (and other perishable items for that matter) to make sure it's still fresh while on the shelf?

In my previous jobs, I was fortunate in that the management teams understood the critical nature of QA and so we had a QA team. I know there are web and small software companies that do not. I've interviewed at places where the Product Manager is expected to QA the software. From a customer retention standpoint, that's taking your life in your hands. And is that really the best use of a Product Manager's time? Even if it's one lowly intern, someone needs to do QA - in software, at grocery stores, with any product.

2) The importance of having feedback loops for times when something goes amiss. In this case, I'm not likely to complain. So how would TJ's find out that that the was a problem and that they're about to lose a big chunk of a loyal customer's weekly budget (and have the opportunity to try to win it back, if they should care to try). Unless someone who reads this blog happens to work there or knows someone who does, they won't.

This one is a challenge. No one I know calls the 800 numbers on packages to complain when they have a problem with a product. Unless it's a larges-scale problem, it's unlikely to make the news (a relief to consumer product makes and sellers everywhere.) Other than returning clothing and shoes I've bought online, I cannot remember the last time I complained about any product or service with which I was dissatisfied. I simply took my business elsewhere. And how many consumers have blogs where they publish their frustrations, even if the producers or service providers are savvy enough to watch online chatter for feedback from their customers?

So how do you gather customer feedback when there's an issues with your product?

Email Marketing Idea: Return Confirmation

I recently checked out a new (to me) site: 6pm.com and purchased some shoes. After deciding to return them, I looked at the slip that came in the box. For most retailers, you fill out the slip, put it in the box and go to the post office. Many even include the pre-printed return label. 6pm.com, however, told me to go to the web site, log-in to my account, and generate a returns confirmation email, print it out, and put it in the box with my returned items.

On the one hand, this is sort of a pain for the consumer -- an extra step to return unwanted items. On the other hand, it's a brilliant place for cross-sell opportunity. Suggest similar items, or same item in a different sizes or color or fabric or whatever works for your business in other cross-sell channels. And it's an opportunity to convert a return into a sale.

Direct marketers and their Email Service Providers (ESPs) are all working on their social media strategies. But good old-fashioned email still has a vital role.