The Beach Carrier Case

Assignment #1: Beach Carrier Case

Mary Ricci has a great idea! It seems her idea has come from existing products and services and the observation that there is a gap in the market for a product that can carry a chair and also is small and easy to carry. I also like the characteristics Mary Ricci carries: her enthusiasm, flexibility, and motivation to bring her product to market. I think these traits are important to be a successful entrepreneur and will help her immensely. On the other hand, I would like to know more about Mary Ricci’s past track record. So far she has no proven sales. In terms of Mary Ricci herself, I would want to make sure that she is suitable for the long hours and stress of running her own business. I would also like to know what her plans are for if she gets sick. Does she have a fallback plan or another management member? Does she have any experience in this type of work or how will she be trained?

The primary research Ricci had done with her focus group is a wonderful tool for altering the product. I think it was very wise to get feedback on the product, however, I would have liked to see her propose a price point to the focus group and gauge their

In terms of entering the market: the product will be promoted in novelty and general interest mail-order catalogues and special interest magazines that appeal to beachgoers and boat owners. Because the competing products are both sold online, I am wary of the sales projections that Mary Ricci has made. It seems that the shopping patterns for this market share are almost exclusively online while Mary Ricci has not yet brought the product online. Her decision to not yet bring her product online and her lack of skill in this area is also disconcerting to me as online sales is a huge trend and there has been a massive change away from in store or catalogue shopping to online. Trends say that retail and technology are nearly inseparable now. Although Mary says she is flexible, I hope she is flexible enough to bring this online.

Regarding distribution, I would like to know more about the turn-around time as same day shipping is very important to those ordering retail not in stores. I would also like to know how much research Ricci has done into her supplier’s