Dive Into a New Product Category

“A second way to discover a new product hunch is to look at the market,” he continues. “If you see a lot of products in a particular category at trade shows and in magazines, give them a test in your catalog.”

Both Minix and Revello say that in the catalog world, using focus groups and surveys is a process that usually doesn’t yield helpful information, especially for smaller to medium-sized companies. The problem, says Revello, is that people tend to not always be truthful. “They sometimes fill out the form the way they want to appear and not the way they’d act in real situations. I think it’s always better to go with your hunches, and then test items on the page,” she says.