We recently blogged about email marketing best practices to employ for Black Friday. One reason for this focus is that it was far too late to make a big splash with a new product launch if you didn’t have something already in (or, shall we say, out of) the product development pipeline.

Dealing with and understanding timelines for product development is second nature for us, because that’s what we do. Newcomers unaccustomed to the process, such as clients looking to launch a new brand, have typically been thinking in terms of weeks rather than months from ideation to finished product.

However, it’s not at all unusual for custom product development to take nine months start to finish, or even more.

With that in mind, as your plans for 2021 come together, it’s certainly not too soon to get started now on custom development for next year’s holiday season. Important considerations to make as soon as possible are:

• Consider market trends. While it’s good to be in the vanguard of something new, you also don’t want to produce something that will have a hard time gaining traction in the market.

  Inclusivity is red-hot right now, as is transparent beauty. Can you make a move in those verticals?

  Also, is there a way to leverage influencer marketing by producing the next social media-friendly, gotta-have-it beauty item? What would that look like for your brand?

• New line or brand extension? Extending your brand by adding a new item or several items can simplify the process a bit, assuming you’re going for the same “feel.”

  For example, if you maintain a certain brand fragrance that will continue with the extension, you’ve already addressed one facet of formulation that can require several iterations and much back and forth.

  More than likely your product branding (the look) will also be consistent with what you already have, simplifying your design process. On the other hand, a new line pretty much means starting from scratch and will require much time and attention.

• What’s your ideal launch date? Identify your ideal launch date and work backwards from there. The earlier you start, the less stressful it will be. Keep in mind, if you launch for Black Friday, you’re unveiling something entirely new without supporting reviews and your customers may be unsure about it.

  That could artificially depress sales at the most important time of the year. On the other hand, if you release it a little before Black Friday, you give customers a chance to try it and leave reviews, which could be a beneficial boost to sales.

• Don’t ignore “Murphy’s Law.” Some aspects of product development are out of your control.

  For example, as we mention elsewhere, COVID-19 wreaked havoc on packaging acquisition in the spring of 2020. A supply chain shock like that could easily delay a launch by weeks or months. It’s therefore wise to build in some buffers for unexpected delays.

If you have custom formulation needs you want to get started on for 2021, contact us today. Leverage our experience and know-how to make this process as smooth and simple as possible.