Ch. 11- Developing and Managing Products

Like any business UNIQLO has developed many products that are new to that target market that they are targeting. That in mind leads to the test marketing concept. Since UNIQLO is an overseas company it takes a lot of adjustments to be able to market their products in the USA. Test marketing is very important for UNIQLO because since it is a sample/prototype of the product being shown it helps them get feedback by how many people buy that item. That feedback helps them find out if this certain would work in the USA and what needs to be adjusted.

The UNIQLO started off as a store for the basic items like a tee shirt and things like that. It was also one of the only companies in Japan to open at around 5 am every day. The reason for that is that the company wanted to be open for customers at the hours they might need something which made them super convenient and made there sale rocket. That was the beginning so everything they developed after the beginning, was put through test marketing.

The Ultra-Light down jackets were one of those items that were put in the test marketing. Since they were new to the market and there weren’t many or any light compactable until the UNIQLO brand came out with one. Another item put through test marketing was they Heat Tech and the AIRism. These are both new to their target market. Heat Tech is supposed to keep you warm during the winter. You layer it under a sweater and your body heat gets contained. Whereas the AIRism products does the opposite. These products are used during the summer or during working out because they help to keep your body cool. Both these items are new to their target market and through advertisement people were able to find out what exactly these products do.