290. The Simple Question That Slashes New Product Failures

290. Most new products fail because brands guess instead of asking. In Day 18 of 30 Days to Profitable CPG Growth, I show how to dramatically reduce innovation risk by co-creating with the customers who already love your brand. You'll learn why focus groups mislead, why natural brands are the true R&D engine of CPG, and how using your community as your innovation lab leads to faster launches, lower costs, and products shoppers are waiting to buy before they ever hit the shelf. Big brands often fail to innovate because they prioritize manufacturing efficiency over consumer needs, leading to missed trends and product flops. Natural brands can leverage their loyal customer communities for co-creation, gaining valuable insights and pre-selling products. By asking customers directly about their preferences and involving them in the innovation process, brands can reduce risk, increase success rates, and build stronger relationships with their audience. Action step: talk to 10 customers and write the "need state" in their words. What problem are they hiring you to solve? For additional inspiration listen to the following Bulletproof Your CPG Brand podcast episodes: 🎙️ 51 An Unsung Hero Changed The Way We Celebrate Food, Ahmed Rahim with Numi Organic Tea and OSC2 🎙️ 94 Reinventing Favorite Foods with a Artisan Vegan Cheese, Miyoko Schinner with Miyoko's Kitchen 🎙️ 97 Disrupting the Category with a Creative Packaging Strategy, Greg Steltenpohl with Califia Farms and Odwalla 🎙️ 185 Tofurky The Hottest Food Trend in Plant Based Products, Seth Tibbott with Tofurky Day 18 of the Free 30 Days to Profitable CPG Growth Tip of the day: Natural is the R&D for total CPG. Natural products are driving the profitable trends. Co-creating with your loyal tribe can dramatically improve new item launches while streamlining innovation giving shoppers products they are eager to buy. You can get the episodes free guide and todays show notes at: RetailSolved.com/session290