Need Criticism! My fourth business attempt. Personal cooling & warming device.

[Stephen H King]

My previous attempts are all failed. I've been trying to make everything better and start all over again. I'll explain my framework and do some surveys about a few details. Please give me as much criticism as you can. I will be grateful.

The first part: Business Idea​

Cooling Neck Fan​

I noticed an increasing need on personal cooling device. Google Trend shows more than 30% peak search increase each year in North America and European countries. Since temperatures are getting higher and higher every summer.
Currently there is no perfect product, but I found a few relatively usable products available among manufacturers. I’m planning on design my own device after scaling up, which is not realistic for now. So I’m going to start with a kind of neck fan with a cooling plate at the rear section. It will fully operate about 2 hours and much longer if you turn off the cooling plate. I’ve tested it the whole summer. It’s not as efficient as AC, but definitely was usable in hot weathers and kept me from fainting.
This is my competitor's product. I can get the same device and print my own brand and even pattern it. Please comment how do you like it. Thanks.

Warming Devices​

The only hiccup is, the need is seasonal. Obviously nobody need it in winter. So I did another research and found out a lot of people, females especially, are experiencing cold hands and feet in winter. Rechargeable warming mittens and socks would solve their problems. But such things are not widely accepted in the US and Europe. I'm not sure how big the market will be. Please comment your thoughts about these warming devices. Fingerless warming mittens, warming socks, warming bag(real bag with space for accessaries)

Competitors are selling​

My competitors are selling phone cases and it seems pretty profitable. But there are already more than a million sellers all over the world selling phone cases. And honestly, I can't do any better or sell anything special in this area. So should I also sell phone cases?

 

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[Stephen H King]

The second part: Marketing​

This time I'm planning to use Shopify to build website for my brand. First stage marketing is paid ads on Meta and Tiktok. I failed terribly on Tiktok Shop(not ads), so I'm not going to use TikTok Shop until the business really is proven successful.
Second stage marketing including SEO(I know DeMarco suggested not to do SEO, but I just can't let it go), Google Ads, and content marketing on Youtube, Pinterest and Tiktok. I gathered enough experience on AI generated contents. The second stage marketing seems pretty easy, for now.
So what do you think of my marketing strategies? Will they work?

 

[Stephen H King]

There are something need to be added. According to my research, the warming devices were heavily needed in the winter of 2022 due to a lack of energy in Europe. But in 2023 the situation will be much better. Is it still a good idea to sell warming devices? Note that my products are not widely accepted, but they are very useful.

 

[Robdavis]

My previous attempts are all failed. I've been trying to make everything better and start all over again. I'll explain my framework and do some surveys about a few details. Please give me as much criticism as you can. I will be grateful.

The first part: Business Idea​

Cooling Neck Fan​

I noticed an increasing need on personal cooling device. Google Trend shows more than 30% peak search increase each year in North America and European countries. Since temperatures are getting higher and higher every summer.
Currently there is no perfect product, but I found a few relatively usable products available among manufacturers. I’m planning on design my own device after scaling up, which is not realistic for now. So I’m going to start with a kind of neck fan with a cooling plate at the rear section. It will fully operate about 2 hours and much longer if you turn off the cooling plate. I’ve tested it the whole summer. It’s not as efficient as AC, but definitely was usable in hot weathers and kept me from fainting.
View attachment 51705This is my competitor's product. I can get the same device and print my own brand and even pattern it. Please comment how do you like it. Thanks.

Warming Devices​

The only hiccup is, the need is seasonal. Obviously nobody need it in winter. So I did another research and found out a lot of people, females especially, are experiencing cold hands and feet in winter. Rechargeable warming mittens and socks would solve their problems. But such things are not widely accepted in the US and Europe. I'm not sure how big the market will be. Please comment your thoughts about these warming devices. Fingerless warming mittens, warming socks, warming bag(real bag with space for accessaries)
View attachment 51706View attachment 51707View attachment 51708

Competitors are selling​

My competitors are selling phone cases and it seems pretty profitable. But there are already more than a million sellers all over the world selling phone cases. And honestly, I can't do any better or sell anything special in this area. So should I also sell phone cases?

I think that I wouldn't produce a device that could both warm and cool. I would start by producing one or the other. It will make the product and production simpler.

Also, target places that have warm weather all the time or brutal winters. So AFAIK Florida doesn't get that cold in the winter so they are unlikely to need warming devices, but say, Finland doesn't get that hot in the summer but has long winters so they are unlikely to need cooling devices.

With respect to marketing, often "older" people feel the cold or the warmth more than younger people. It may be worth thinking about how to target this demographic, because they won't respond to the sort of adverts that would attract younger people. They also don't tend to hang out in the places where young people do, so targeting "older" people on Tiktok, for example, is probably a bad idea.

If you are thinking of producing a device that is the same as a competitor, then you will lack value skew in your product. So you really need to think about how you would differentiate your business in the marketplace.

Edit: If you aren't careful, this business will start to sound like dropshipping and with very low barriers to entry it will be hard to be successful.

 

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[Stephen H King]

I think that I wouldn't produce a device that could both warm and cool. I would start by producing one or the other. It will make the product and production simpler.

Also, target places that have warm weather all the time or brutal winters. So AFAIK Florida doesn't get that cold in the winter so they are unlikely to need warming devices, but say, Finland doesn't get that hot in the summer but has long winters so they are unlikely to need cooling devices.

With respect to marketing, often "older" people feel the cold or the warmth more than younger people. It may be worth thinking about how to target this demographic, because they won't respond to the sort of adverts that would attract younger people. They also don't tend to hang out in the places where young people do, so targeting "older" people on Tiktok, for example, is probably a bad idea.

If you are thinking of producing a device that is the same as a competitor, then you will lack value skew in your product. So you really need to think about how you would differentiate your business in the marketplace.

Thank you for sharing, my good sir.
Indeed, with current technology it is unrealistic to produce a uni-device for both winter and summer. I am going to sell a dedicated cooling device and a dedicated warming device.
Your opinion really inspired me. I really need to target old people and different regions when doing ads.

 

[Robdavis]

Thank you for sharing, my good sir.
Indeed, with current technology it is unrealistic to produce a uni-device for both winter and summer. I am going to sell a dedicated cooling device and a dedicated warming device.
Your opinion really inspired me. I really need to target old people and different regions when doing ads.

In the UK where I am, these kind of devices are pretty new. I can easily see that a lot of "older" people would benefit from keeping warm in the winter. Energy prices are high at the moment here, so older people who are short of money may be tempted to turn down their heating in their homes. This will leave them much more vulnerable to the cold. The wealthier "older" people might be prepared to buy a warming device for when they go out.
Also countries like the UK and some European countries have aging populations so potentially that means more customers with time.
My hunch is that this is good industry / market to get into (I could be wrong), but you need to make sure that you are getting the revenues and not your competitors.

Sometimes there are companies that target "older" people specifically. An example from the UK would be SAGA. If you could partner with companies like them in some way this might help with your marketing.

 

[Stephen H King]

In the UK where I am, these kind of devices are pretty new. I can easily see that a lot of "older" people would benefit from keeping warm in the winter. Energy prices are high at the moment here, so older people who are short of money may be tempted to turn down their heating in their homes. This will leave them much more vulnerable to the cold. The wealthier "older" people might be prepared to buy a warming device for when they go out.
Also countries like the UK and some European countries have aging populations so potentially that means more customers with time.
My hunch is that this is good industry / market to get into (I could be wrong), but you need to make sure that you are getting the revenues and not your competitors.

Sometimes there are companies that target "older" people specifically. An example from the UK would be SAGA. If you could partner with companies like them in some way this might help with your marketing.

Those are genuine and useful thoughts. I never could have figured out the "target old people and advertise on SAGA" marketing strategy all by myself. I just contacted SAGA advertising team. Gladly I didn't spend all money on Tiktok.
I'll keep doing research on old people's needs in winter and find out better products in China. Manufactures in this industry have more interesting products yet to be found by my competitors.
Thank you for the information.

 

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[Sirrom]

Did these stop working?


IMO the world is full of the kind of electronics you are trying to sell. I scrolled temu yesterday and I couldn’t believe the shit people are selling/buying.

If I was you I would try to tackle bigger problems in a bigger way. Or tackle the same problems in an easier (environment friendlier) way.

 

[Stephen H King]

Geez

 

[amp0193]

Don’t do any of your ideas, they are all bad.

Not because of any specific product category, but because you don’t have any way to be unique in any of them, thus adding no value to the market.

So you get the same device as your competitor. Then what? Why would anyone buy yours instead of theirs?

 

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[Stephen H King]

Don’t do any of your ideas, they are all bad.

Not because of any specific product category, but because you don’t have any way to be unique in any of them, thus adding no value to the market.

So you get the same device as your competitor. Then what? Why would anyone buy yours instead of theirs?

I have the same concern.
My competitors are not doing a good job on marketing. They are not showing on first page of google, no ads whatsoever. Their websites are not optimised for English/Español audiences. And those products I selected can't be found on Amazon.
Currently, there are too many cheap knock-off alternatives on Amazon. I've tested most of them. Most of them have all kinds of design flaws. My selections are not perfect, but pretty usable, way better than those cheap knock-offs on Amazon. So it's safe to say my products are rare and unique for now.
But still, I feel like I'm lacking screw value. My plan is try to differentiate myself from most knock-off sellers by selling fully functional and good looking products. Most knock-offs don't meet these two simple standards. Is this seem to be a logical plan?

 

[Timmy C]

@ampmakes a good point.

in MJ DeMarco's books he goes over "skewing value," and if you do that with these products, make them better you will increase your odds of success.

 

[Stephen H King]

@ampmakes a good point.

in MJ DeMarco's books he goes over "skewing value," and if you do that with these products, make them better you will increase your odds of success.

Thanks for sharing.
Indeed I'm going to screw my value. 1

 

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[biophase]

Thanks for sharing.
Indeed I'm going to screw my value. 1

I wouldn’t do an electronic product. Sounds like it will take a lot of money to get it off the ground. There’s probably a reason you don’t see the ones you want one Amazon.

Honestly you said you failed 3 times already. Really ask yourself how this is different than your first 3 and if you are making the same mistake again. Why did your first 3 fail?

 

[Stephen H King]

I wouldn’t do an electronic product. Sounds like it will take a lot of money to get it off the ground. There’s probably a reason you don’t see the ones you want one Amazon.

Honestly you said you failed 3 times already. Really ask yourself how this is different than your first 3 and if you are making the same mistake again. Why did your first 3 fail?

There were several mistakes. I did my previous businesses solely on Tiktok Shop. Sold a few products until the platform changed the rules. This made the whole procedure a lot more complicated which lead to an end of my businesses. Also, I wasn't focusing on solving anyone's problems. This time I will make none of these mistakes.

Talking about the electronic part, my warming devices are more like upgraded versions of clothes, fingreless gloves and socks, etc. And they are pretty cheap. I've done the math, the cost of a pair of warming socks is less than 30$ by drop shipping. Other products are in a similar price range. This means I don't need much money to start this business. Still sounds suspicious?

I'll do further research on Amazon to find out reasons why I don't see any of my products. Your are making a really good point here.

 

[Xeon]

I bought one of these neck fans a few months ago, and it was trash. Rubbish!!!!

I got the dark blue one. The ads and graphics showed the fan blowing out air-con cool air, but when the product arrived, it had 5 issues:

1) It's electronic, so after a few seconds of use, it actually heats up the neck making it even warmer!

2) Women's hair gets stuck inside these holes. You can imagine.

3) Misleading ads. Thought it would blow out icy air-con air, but turns out the air is normal temperature air.

4) Too loud and noisy.

5) Wind speed even set at max is hardly noticeable at all!

Your target market is in South East Asia where it's hot humid summer all year round and getting hotter each year.
Humidity is insane, which is why the same temperature here is actually a lot hotter than the same or higher temperature in US/EU.

What the world needs, is an affordable neck-worn air con that actually blows out ICED AIR on the face, the neck and torso, without any of the 5 flaws mentioned above.

I have the same concern.
My competitors are not doing a good job on marketing. They are not showing on first page of google, no ads whatsoever. Their websites are not optimised for English/Español audiences. And those products I selected can't be found on Amazon.

Your competitors are not on 1st page of google whatsoever, because they're already making big money on platforms like Temu and Shopee. Google is so 1990s. Temu and all these shopping platforms with built-in cashbacks and gamification with monthly mega sales and points etc is where the party is at now. This is why you hardly see people talking about "ecommerce" nowadays.

 

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[Stephen H King]

I bought one of these neck fans a few months ago, and it was trash. Rubbish!!!!

I got the dark blue one. The ads and graphics showed the fan blowing out air-con cool air, but when the product arrived, it had 5 issues:

1) It's electronic, so after a few seconds of use, it actually heats up the neck making it even warmer!

2) Women's hair gets stuck inside these holes. You can imagine.

3) Misleading ads. Thought it would blow out icy air-con air, but turns out the air is normal temperature air.

4) Too loud and noisy.

5) Wind speed even set at max is hardly noticeable at all!

Your target market is in South East Asia where it's hot humid summer all year round and getting hotter each year.
Humidity is insane, which is why the same temperature here is actually a lot hotter than the same or higher temperature in US/EU.

What the world needs, is an affordable neck-worn air con that actually blows out ICED AIR on the face, the neck and torso, without any of the 5 flaws mentioned above.




Your competitors are not on 1st page of google whatsoever, because they're already making big money on platforms like Temu and Shopee. Google is so 1990s. Temu and all these shopping platforms with built-in cashbacks and gamification with monthly mega sales and points etc is where the party is at now. This is why you hardly see people talking about "ecommerce" nowadays.

You are actually addressing my biggest concern. There are too many knock-offs under the name "neck fan". They are, indeed, rubbish.
But my selected product doesn't have these five design flaws you've mentioned and the contact point is cold so people actually feel cold at the neck. I've actually tested every single one among manufacturers that's how I know. So my question would be: if my product is far more usable than those knock-offs on Temu, is it possible to convince people to buy my 5 times more expensive yet usable product?

What the world needs, is an affordable neck-worn air con that actually blows out ICED AIR on the face, the neck and torso, without any of the 5 flaws mentioned above.

You were describing my ultimate goal to an affordable personal AC. I will need a few years and a few thousand grands to achieve that goal. Before that, I have a temporary alternative, which is selling a combo of neck fan + belt fan. The neck covers shoulder and head, belt fan covers body under t-shirt. This combo doesn't solve the extreme heat problem in Southeast Asia, but it solves 60-80% of it. Is this a reasonable plan? Please comment more of your thought, thank you.

 

[Xeon]

You are actually addressing my biggest concern. There are too many knock-offs under the name "neck fan". They are, indeed, rubbish.
But my selected product doesn't have these five design flaws you've mentioned and the contact point is cold so people actually feel cold at the neck. I've actually tested every single one among manufacturers that's how I know. So my question would be: if my product is far more usable than those knock-offs on Temu, is it possible to convince people to buy my 5 times more expensive yet usable product?

Of course it is, you just need to find a way to get the point across. E.g: how are you going to show them it works through the phone screen? Maybe a sensitive thermometer or temperature measuring device to show it on Tiktok videos? Or maybe even through live streaming. Live streaming ecommerce is big in Asia now.

I personally would buy the product if it is 5x the price of those cheap rubbish, but only if i) it really works and ii) it has some form of warranty, like a 1 or 2 year warranty. After all, a quality product should have some kind of guarantee.

There's also items like this: https://www.amazon.sg/COOLIFY-Conditioner-Full-body-Portable-Vertical/dp/B0BXKJ71TP

I haven't tried that kind before, not sure if that really works, but it seems to just cool the neck area like some kind of ice strip and not blowing air con air upwards and downwards. And besides, the price is too high, I would rather bear the heat than spend that kind of $$$. Personally, my max budget for this kind of product would be US$65 or so. If it comes with 2 year warranty, then $85. Maybe that product above can be used as a good starting point for you to reverse enginner it if you've this sort of tech background.

You were describing my ultimate goal to an affordable personal AC. I will need a few years and a few thousand grands to achieve that goal. Before that, I have a temporary alternative, which is selling a combo of neck fan + belt fan. The neck covers shoulder and head, belt fan covers body under t-shirt. This combo doesn't solve the extreme heat problem in Southeast Asia, but it solves 60-80% of it. Is this a reasonable plan? Please comment more of your thought, thank you.

Sounds promising, as long as it doesn't make one look weird. Not sure how the belt fan would work, but I assume it will be clunky and there'll be something big sticking out from under the tshirt, which makes it ugly.

This product below, for example, solves a problem (prevent skin damage from sun UV + prevent tanned skin) but it looks goofy for many:

 

[Kung Fu Steve]

View attachment 51712
Did these stop working?


IMO the world is full of the kind of electronics you are trying to sell. I scrolled temu yesterday and I couldn’t believe the shit people are selling/buying.

If I was you I would try to tackle bigger problems in a bigger way. Or tackle the same problems in an easier (environment friendlier) way.

@Stephen H King How about traditional fans with climate change memes on them?

 

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[biophase]

There were several mistakes. I did my previous businesses solely on Tiktok Shop. Sold a few products until the platform changed the rules. This made the whole procedure a lot more complicated which lead to an end of my businesses. Also, I wasn't focusing on solving anyone's problems. This time I will make none of these mistakes.

Talking about the electronic part, my warming devices are more like upgraded versions of clothes, fingreless gloves and socks, etc. And they are pretty cheap. I've done the math, the cost of a pair of warming socks is less than 30$ by drop shipping. Other products are in a similar price range. This means I don't need much money to start this business. Still sounds suspicious?

I'll do further research on Amazon to find out reasons why I don't see any of my products. Your are making a really good point here.

You mention drop shipping. So does that mean that the product you found is not being sold by the Chinese manufacture on Ali express or Temu? Who are they making it for then?

I just don’t see what type of advantage you can have by drop shipping a product.

 

[Stephen H King]

You mention drop shipping. So does that mean that the product you found is not being sold by the Chinese manufacture on Ali express or Temu? Who are they making it for then?

I just don’t see what type of advantage you can have by drop shipping a product.

Only one product is selected on Aliexpress. None of them are on Temu. Yes they are sold by Chinese manufacturers but somewhat rare.
Could my advantage be selling rare products? And my selections do solve 60% of the heat problem, way better than other cheap rubbishes on Aliexpress.

 

[Robdavis]

Could my advantage be selling rare products?

No. Because the whole point of the idea of a productocracy is that market forces will make great products that are rare into great products that are common.

In other words, if you sell a rare product and it sells well, then other people will notice and start competing with you. If they find out that you don't make your product someone else does, then they can simply buy from your supplier and serve the market like you do.

EDIT: The only way that "selling rare products" could be a value skew, would be if you were selling a product that was no longer in production. Eg. if you were some kind of antiques dealer or something like that. In this case, your value skew is in fact an ability to source these rare products better than your competitors. This scenario is irrelevant to your current situation.

EDIT2: I mentioned targeting "older" people in the UK with products. Because the weather here isn't usually that warm in the summer, there would be almost no demand for cooling products. It would only be heating products in the winter. So only some of your products would be applicable and also your demand would be seasonal - You would not sell the same amount of product all year round.

 

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[amp0193]

And those products I selected can't be found on Amazon.

Literally the first example you shared (Coolify) is on amazon if you look for 5 seconds after searching "cooling neck fan". They are a little further down, because it's the premium option at $299. But anyone who wants quality will find them.

My competitors are not doing a good job on marketing. They are not showing on first page of google, no ads whatsoever.

For first example (Coolify), they don't need ads, because they are in every affiliate round up on page 1 of google for the main search term (New york times, bob villa, women's health, popular science, etc.). They are dominating google right now.

My plan is try to differentiate myself from most knock-off sellers by selling fully functional and good looking products. Most knock-offs don't meet these two simple standards. Is this seem to be a logical plan?

By selling an exact copy of a patented competitor's product (with your logo instead)? That's your plan?


If you can't think of at least one or two things that you can do significantly better than the competition... don't start the business.

 

[amp0193]

EDIT: The only way that "selling rare products" could be a value skew, would be if you were selling a product that was no longer in production.

Or if your brand identity is incredibly strong and desirable, and you artificially limit the supply (i.e. LVMH and other luxury brands).

 

[Johnny boy]

Great product businesses are often niche solutions to pain points that businesses have.

Audience is easy to find.
They know they have to spend money.
If it helps them, it's worth it. Even if its pricey.

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Less likely to be commoditized, good margins per sale, easier to spread reputation and get traction. Company owners talk to each other. You can hit up a trade show and get a booth.

 

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