We Didn’t Change the Product. We Changed How It Was Gifted.

One of the easiest ways for a small business to improve an existing product is sometimes to stop thinking about the product itself.

Look at the whole customer experience instead.

We recently did this with one of ShopStreet’s best-selling products: our range of six Claddagh baby bangles.

The bangles themselves haven’t changed.

They’re still the same products we’ve been selling. The difference is that we’ve added a new presentation option – a charming Teddy Bear Gift Box featuring a happy bear sitting on a swing.

And that small change has made the product feel different.

The Product Was Already Good

The six Claddagh baby bangles already had several things going for them.

They’re Irish-themed gifts, they’re suitable for occasions such as Christenings and new baby celebrations, several can be personalised and some are hallmarked sterling silver.

So there wasn’t an obvious need to redesign the product.

Instead, we looked at how the product was being received by the customer.

When someone buys a baby bangle, they’re rarely buying it simply as a piece of jewellery.

They’re buying a gift.

That means the packaging and presentation are part of the product experience.

A Small Change Can Add Perceived Value

This is something small businesses can easily overlook.

When we think about improving a product, we tend to think about adding features, changing materials, redesigning it or creating something completely new.

But sometimes the improvement can be much smaller.

In our case, introducing a new gift box gave the existing product a fresh presentation without requiring us to redesign six products.

The new box has a much more child-friendly feel. The teddy bear and swing immediately tell the customer that this is something intended for a child.

It also gives us another visual asset to use when presenting the products online, where packaging and presentation can be difficult to communicate.

We Didn’t Replace the Original Box

There was another decision to make.

Should we simply replace the traditional jewellery box?

We decided not to.

The traditional jewellery box still suits the product beautifully. It gives the bangle a classic, more formal jewellery presentation.

The new Teddy Bear Gift Box does something different.

So instead of deciding which one was “better”, we gave the customer a choice.

Four of our six bangles now include the Teddy Bear Gift Box as a complimentary presentation option, while customers buying our two entry-level bangles can choose it as an option.

That gives us another way to differentiate the products without changing what is inside the box.

Look Beyond the Product

This is the bit I think is worth taking away if you’re running a small business.

When you look at your best-selling products, don’t just ask:

“How can we improve the product?”

Also ask:

“How could we improve the experience of buying, receiving or giving this product?”

It might be:

• Better packaging
• A handwritten note
• Better instructions
• A more attractive presentation
• A small complimentary extra
• Better photography
• A more useful product guide
• More choice
• A simpler buying process

None of these necessarily require you to reinvent what you sell.

Sometimes you’re sitting on a good product already. It just needs a little more thought around it.

The Lesson for Small Businesses

Small businesses don’t always have the budget to continually develop completely new products.

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t opportunities to innovate.

Sometimes innovation is simply looking at something you already sell and asking how you can make the customer’s experience a little better.

In our case, the answer was a teddy bear, a swing and a new gift box.

The bangle didn’t change. The way we presented the gift did.

View Claddagh Baby Bangles

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