"Make it fluorescent" is an old saying in product development or marketing, used once you run out of ideas on an old product.  For the Slinky and other products it is a reality.  But what I am getting at is how to move items that are either buried in competition or just do not grab the attention of the consumers.  Combining items to make a new offering is one obvious solution that is not used by very many retailers. 

We recently got stuck with cases of Educational Insights handheld magnifiers we bought at closeout prices.  We were looking for some way to sell the magnifiers and walking around the shop we found some little insect kits, dusty and old.  By combining the Magnifier with the Insect kit we created an entirely new product that had more appeal and made both products make more sense.  Now they had something to study the insects with, and something to look at!

Melissa and Doug products are so popular it is hard to find your way into the marketplace.  Prices get pushed down by competition, below the point where it is worth the effort.  Again, something a few have done, but most do not try, is combining.  Combine the dollhouse with the furniture and dolls.  Take the puzzle rack and sell it loaded with puzzles.  Easel paper with the Easels.  Paint with the paint holders.  The possibilities are endless and the reward is there for those who take the initiative and make the effort to step out of the normal way of working.

At Bravofun we took the above advice in trying to find a way to move a top 10 game for the last few years – Bananagrams. 

Everyone sells Bananagrams.  You can not discount the item so how do you get folks to buy from you rather than Target or the online giants?  We took the contrarian approach and thought – if Bananagram’s claim to fame is no need for a score sheet – we will offer a score sheet.  We have been successful in offering consumers the great game they want with the Banana Leaf Score Pad . 

The score pad is fun for those who just Have to track and score everything.  It also turns the game into a cross-curricular game as math and logic can be used in the scoring.  It also works for team scoring and allows players to add their own rules.  Adding bonus points for longest word, most creative word etc. causes players to pause between rounds and admire the other players’ great words!  Not to overlook the other popular scoring game, Dominoes – the score pad has a grid that can be used for scoring the popular Mexican Train and other domino games.

Combining is a winning concept on your web site as it sets you apart with Unique offering only available from your site!  Consumers are forever trying to find ways to avoid shipping charges and combining is the solution.  If they can by the Microscope with the extra slides included  then they will not be hit with $4.99 shipping for some slides.  Of course they could click to combine those or your site may suggest they buy those… but nothing beats the pre-packaged offer.. ‘click the button and you get it all’….


“Make it fluorescent” is a great way to get the creative ideas flowing but that is just a start.  Look around your store or the web and see what you might combine to create your next set of winning products.

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The Banana Leaf Score Pad is a copyright 2009 product of Bravofun and Pacific Distributing Company and is not affiliated in any way with these great games: Scrabble™, Farkel™, Chicken Foot™, Mexican Train, BananaGrams™, or Scrabble Apple™