Question

Topic: Strategy

How To Avoid Competitos From Copying Our Product?

Posted by Anonymous on 1/8/2009 at 8:26 AM ET 500 Points
Hi ladies and gentlemen
My friends and I are going to produce a product similar to napkin. We know the product will be sellable. However, since the product is easy to make and low barrier of entry, we are afraid that right after we push the product in to market, there will be many companies copy our product.

Probably there is no way to stop other firms from copying the product since the product is so easy to make. Is there a way that consumers still choose our product instead other firms which copy our product?

Thank you in advanced
J
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RESPONSES

  • Posted on 1/8/2009 at 8:30 AM Member
    What about branding (What is the main difference between 'Red Bull' and the other energy drinks?) Good luck.
  • Posted on 1/8/2009 at 9:31 AM Member
    Is this a product or process you can patent?

    Marketing-Riot
  • Posted by michael on 1/8/2009 at 9:56 AM Member
    "The Original" is something you should start saying before the competition even gets to market.

    Michael
  • Posted on 1/8/2009 at 12:05 PM Accepted
    You can develop an advantage here by understanding the emotional-level benefits which your target would seek in purchasing your product and by communicating this positioning message via language that would be best understood and would resonate the most with your target audience. Talk to some potential customers to find out what emotional-level benefits they are trying to obtain when purchasing your product and this will help you to achieve a unique positioning statement.
  • Posted by Mikee on 1/8/2009 at 12:37 PM Member
    Unless you can patent several parts of the process you can not stop them. Patents can take a while, be costly, and may not really protect you.

    What you can do is to be the best and first. Be sure to have excellent service and value so that people adopt your product as the standard. You will need to be sure that your product is top notch and your customer service is even better. You have the distinct advantage of being the first to market, the innovator.

    Mike
  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 1/9/2009 at 8:45 AM Member
    Expect competition. Given the low cost of entry, expect it sooner. The trick is to not just be first, but to flood the market, and leave no compelling reason for someone else to compete with you. Then, move to the next market (niche or location) and repeat.
  • Posted on 1/13/2009 at 7:16 AM Author
    @marc1.mathis - Thanks, that's what I'm thinking, I may need a Branding Strategy, but first, I need a marketing and sales strategy to bring in profit.

    @PhilGrisoliaMarketing - Thank you for your answer, it's very helpful
    1. It takes a great deal of effort and innovation to maintain that position since others as they come along will surely better your initial effort.
    2. There must be enough profit to maintain creating an ongoing perception that yours is in fact better than any competitor's product
    Again, I need a branding strategy.

    @jlevin - yes! emotional message, this is instead a very good move to achieve a unique positioning statement, especially for branding strategy.

    @Jay Hamilton-Roth - yes, flooding the marketing and leave no compelling reasons for competition is instead a good move :D
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