Product Development: Sell more, sell at a higher price point

Trail 6 Case Study

The Project

JW Speaker specializes in engineering and manufacturing high-performance vehicle lighting. The Trail 6 is a compact, high-performance LED off-road light that enhanced safety and visibility.

The Challenge

1 – Improve Sales and Increasing Market Share

2 – Maximize Sales Price Point without Increasing Manufacturing Costs

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Trial 6 | Winner 2018 SEMA "Best In Show" video presentation.

The Solution

Understanding the Market’s Interests and Motivations

The team started by researching and analyzing the off-road market. By gathering data on customer needs and preferences, they could tailor the design of the Trail 6 light to match their target audience’s expectations.

Defining Three Brand Principles

In collaboration with JW Speaker’s marketing and engineering teams, three brand principles were identified to guide the development of the Trail 6 light:

Power Density: The Trail 6 light should emit an impressive amount of light, despite its compact size.

Rugged: The light must be perceived as durable and reliable, capable of withstanding harsh off-road conditions.

High Tech: The Trail 6 light should incorporate advanced technology not found in competing products.

This project included:

Product Design
Brand Expression
Design for Manufacturing

The Outcome

The Trail 6 light successfully met JW Speaker’s dual objectives of increasing market share and raising the sales price point. The product now sells for $250 to $460, a significant increase compared to the $165 price point of competing products.

Key Factors Contributing to Success

Several factors contributed to the success of the Trail 6 project, including:

Expressing Features and Function: The Trail 6 light was designed to be easily understood by potential customers, shorting the path to a sale.
Showcasing Technology: Advanced features and technologies were incorporated into the exterior design, allowing customers to see and appreciate the innovation within the product.
Developing a Market-Appropriate Aesthetic: The Trail 6 light’s design was tailored to appeal to the off-road market, ensuring a strong connection with potential customers.
Differentiating from Competition: The Trail 6 light’s unique styling set it apart from competing products, helping it stand out in a crowded market.
Building Brand Recognition: The Trail 6 light was designed to be easily identifiable as a JW Speaker product, reinforcing brand loyalty and encouraging repeat purchases.

Resonate with market

KAIA designed the Trail 6 to stand out in the competitive off-road lighting market by showcasing the technology wrapped in a market-appropriate aesthetics, and identifiable JW Speaker branding. The principle of brand differentiation says that given two products with the same function, performance, and price, customers will consistently choose the one they best understand and connect with on a personal level. ref: Investopedia. Product Differentiation. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/product_differentiation.asp

The J.W. Speaker Trail 6 case study demonstrates the effectiveness of a customer-focused approach to product development. By researching and understanding the off-road market’s interests and motivations, defining clear brand principles, and employing an iterative design process, the Trail 6 light successfully increased market share and sales price point for J.W. Speaker. The outcome highlights the value of customer-centric thinking and reinforces the significance of creating products that resonate with target audiences.