NEW brand and business development
BRAND CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT AND TRIAL DISTRIBUTION
Small, OEM luxury accessories business looking to diversify, sought to launch their own line of premium branded cufflinks and leather goods. Key challenges: no distribution or channel resources, limited know-how of developing and taking a new brand to market, and limited budget to support a launch.
What I did
​
-
Defined a dual-brand launch strategy with a phased test-and-learn approach. The first brand was positioned mid-market as an ‘incubator’ brand (volume, turnover generator, idea validation) and the second in a high-end, luxury position (limited distribution, high value).
​​
-
Worked with the in-house team of Product Managers and Designers to craft a brand positioning, name and product range.
​
-
Teamed up with a retail consultant to explore test distribution channels, pricing ranges and target geographies.
The Result
​​
-
Successfully launched phase 1 for the ‘incubator’ brand and initiated phase 2 product development (premium men’s and women’s accessory lines).
​
-
Secured distribution for the initial ranges (France, UK and Japan) through a combination of 3rd party distributors and direct sales (eg Amazon).
​
-
Launched a successful direct sales model via eBay as a means to conduct research on new products and offers and better understand customer service dynamics.
​
-
Achieved initial targets contributing to the overall company growth of +25%.