GUEST BLOG: From idea to production; how do we make new products?

Hey! I'm Zach from ActionHeat. I wanted to share a bit about how we add products to our brand. I hope you enjoy!

It usually starts with the idea that "we can make ANYTHING heated." The next step is thinking through what heating system, battery, and price we want the product to land. Because we have been in the industry for 10+ years, we typically can decide this within an hour based on our understanding of the heated apparel market.

Once we decide on a price point, we typically work backward to figure out the safest and best-performing way to get to that price. We ALWAYS keep our customers in mind when adding new items - our goal is to have the perfect match of price and quality for the best user experience. This is the reason why we are the leading heated apparel brand in over 4000+ retail locations.

Let's look at the development of our new ActionHeat 5V Heated Slipper Sock that we released in 2022.

Step 1: Make a Spec/Tech Pack

A spec is the first step to telling our factories exactly what we want. We give them exact details even down to the wattage of the heating system.

The beginning of a tech pack looks like this.

Step 2: Get a sample

The important part of the first sample is the heating system. Typically, once we receive our samples, we will decide on color, extra features, and trims.

Here is an example of our first sample - as you can see, it is a totally different color than production (typically whatever is available for the quickest sampling).

Step 3: Full Team Review

We work together as a team to review every aspect from material to heating performance, to market needs. We make any changes needed during this step prepping for the final launch. We usually receive sample #2 during this stage - this sample should be closer to production ready.

Step 4 - Let's get to market

With our final sample in hand, we perform a triple-check for safety and say "Let's Go!" When we say that, a lot of work needs to be done by the entire team. We have a 14-step process to build the item digitally so it's ready for ourselves and our retailers.

This process includes; SKU/UPC setup, imagery, retailer setup, description building, etc.

Step 5 - Launch!

This is the fun part!

This entire process can take between 2-6 months depending on the item

CLICK TO SEE THE FINAL RESULTS ONLINE

Buy yours now!