In 'ZAG', Marty Neumeier argues that traditional differentiation is no longer sufficient in today's highly competitive market. He advocates for 'radical differentiation' to create lasting value for shareholders and customers. The book provides a 17-step brand audit, tips on reading customer feedback, naming products, and avoiding common dangers faced by brand portfolios. It emphasizes the need to 'zag' when everyone else is 'zigging' to out-position, out-maneuver, and out-design the competition[1][4][5].
I love staying connected to our community while they're out exhibiting or attending trade shows throughout the year. One update that caught my eye this summer was from Biff Ulm of Nice Enough Stickers about his experience at the Las Vegas gift show. Now Biff is no stranger to the podcast. He's been sharing tips about leveraging point-of-sale systems back on episode 146, and we did a COVID check-in with him during episode 177 where he shared how things were going for his brick-and-mortar shop at the time.
Biff and I had a lot to catch up on in this episode, but one thing that stood out was that his observations at the Las Vegas gift show were about product development strategy. He has much to say about it, and I'm excited for you to listen in.
For background, Biff’s stickers are now in over 3000 stores with 8,000 locations, so he knows a thing or two about creating products that people want to buy. Biff also owns a wildly successful retail shop, which provides him with a unique viewpoint as both a wholesale buyer and seller.
In this episode, we discuss the importance of patience, iteration, and customer feedback in developing successful products. We also discuss how to leverage data and understand buying behaviors.
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