New Product Development |
| 02-15 03:02:05 来源： 作者： |
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New Product Development Inquiry (采购产品): New Product Development Dear Ambix Labs, I found your company on Thomasnet.com, and along with a few other firms, you offer what we are looking for. I represent a new business, Brazilian Keratina USA, LLC. We are headquartered in Miami Beach and operate in Caracas; we currently import Brazilian Keratina hair care product from Brazil and sell it in Venezuela. We want to establish our own brand and line of products in order to sell them in the U.S. and export to Latin America. Of course, we want them to be manufactured in the U.S. and so Ambix Labs looks like one of the best matches based on what I’ve read on your website. I should also give you some information on Brazilian Keratina. It is a hair product developed in Brazil and it is very popular and widespread there. They manufacture various types and there are many brands. It is a chemical treatment that deeply hydrates the hair. It brings back the natural shine of the hair, eliminates frizz, and gives it more volume. It also straightens curly hair 70-80 percent after the first treatment, and more so gradually over the course of several treatments. For women with a history of heavy coloring or other chemical treatments it can recuperate and give new life to the hair. So, basically it both hydrates and straightens hair, whereas traditional straightening methods damage the root and the hair’s fibers, keratin products revive the root and rebuild and strengthen the fiber. Therefore, the benefits are enormous to people with either straight or curly hair, healthy or heavily treated. Here is a good article about it too http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/19/fashion/19skin1.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=brazilian%20keratin&st=cse When it first came out, it had a lot of formaldehyde and a strong odor. The new generation, that which we sell currently, has no formaldehyde (only 0.2% as a preservative and if this can be eliminated all the better) and no salt; and the smell is pleasant. The results are instant and the receiver of the treatment can continue her life as normal, whereas before, she would have to be careful about her hair and keep everything away from it for four days. Most of the brands for sale in the U.S. now are the old generation from Brazil that is heavily chemical and inconvenient immediately afterwards. We want to find a lab/manufacturer in the U.S. that can improve on it further. It is still a chemical treatment and needs to be in order to work. However, we would like to make it as natural a product as possible and have it still be effective. My next question is then, how do we start the process? How do we tell you what we want and begin a dialogue to achieve this more natural keratina? How much communication can I expect to have with the developers at Ambix Labs during the formulation process? Now, what do you need from us? Is it possible to send you a small sample of the brand we sell now and then Ambix Labs can replicate it to preserve the current positive results, but still change it so that it uses more natural ingredients? For example, it has a nice vanilla aroma; does Ambix Labs have an organic vanilla extract that can be used to make it even better? Many people ask about a chocolate keratina that is popular. But, it is cheap, from the old generation, heavily chemical, and the chocolate smell is overwhelming and lasts for days. Does Ambix Labs have an organic cacao extract that can be used to produce a light pleasant aroma? Are there Amazon fruits like guarana’or also Hawaiian kukui available? Another option is for us to buy a formula from Brazilian chemists and then send it to Ambix Labs for production. If we go with this route, what must we send you exactly? As far as improving directly on the brand we currently use, what are the copyright/ethical issues with doing this? It is not copyrighted or for sale in the U.S., nor do we intend to sell in Brazil. If we were to hire Ambix Labs, how does the copyright process work? Does Ambix Labs keep the rights or do we get them? How much is New Product Development for 40 gallons of product and 5 hours of research time, for example. How do we do the testing in order to be sure that the results match, or preferably exceed, those of the product we currently sell? For example, would the lab send us a small sample before making all 40 gallons so that we could test it and compare results? How many exchanges like this are you willing to do? That is, if the first time we don’t like the scent and we want it slightly tweaked can we send it back with detailed comments on what to change? Or, if it leaves the hair greasy or not thickened enough, may we send it back for more tweaking? How do you handle this? Also, our product comes in a kit with two distinct steps. One is a deep cleansing shampoo and the other is the keratin treatment. They must be used together. In addition, we want to sell a companion shampoo and conditioner for regular maintenance. They would be professional grade, concentrated products for hair that has been treated chemically; free of sodium chloride, ultra-hydrating, and again, as natural as possible. Does Ambix Labs have existing products that fit this bill and would be ready for us to attach our own label? Does Ambix Labs also have something similar that would be non-professional, less concentrated, that can be sold retail? We want to sell kits of various sizes. The standard, professional kit would consist of two 32 ounce bottles – one keratina and one deep cleansing shampoo; plus one 32 ounce post-shampoo and one 32 ounce post-conditioner. We also want to offer 16 ounce and 8 ounce sizes. Does Ambix Labs offer bottles in metric sizes? We intend to debut our product line at The International Beauty & Barber Show in South Beach on August 23-24. We'd like everything to be ready by July 1. After our first run we intend to order a lot more. How do we re-order and what does it cost after the initial product development? We will sell this line for a few months and then add a three-step keratin treatment that is for very curly to African-American type hair. Most of our clients will be in Latin America. How much does it cost to ship to another shipping agency based in Miami or L.A.? Please explain how your drop shipping system works exactly. My thinking is that we would go to a tradeshow, for example, and begin a relationship with a new distributor that then orders 500 kits (each kit being two 32 ounce bottles, one keratina and one deep cleansing shampoo; plus one 32 ounce post-shampoo and one 32 ounce post-conditioner). We email you the order and the address of the distributor. You email us and say, “OK, it will take 3 weeks. Send us $???? via Paypal and we’ll get started. Tell your distributor in three weeks they’ll have their 500 kits, and the shipping will cost $????” Is this how it works? Another thing about shipping. When we get product from Brazil, they use weak boxes for heavy bottles, and the bottles leak. Then the boxes fall apart and we lose some product. What precautions does Ambix Labs take, and what guarantees are there? Does Ambix Labs offer Business Development Consulting? Can you help us develop a solid brand and marketing materials for tradeshows? How much does this cost? How is it done from long distance? With whichever company we choose I’d like to develop a strong, lasting relationship and utilize as many services as possible under one roof. Taking into consideration the weak economy, that we are a brand new business, and that it could be the start of a long term, lucrative relationship; what is the lowest amount that Ambix Labs can offer to create a package deal that would be like a turn-key operation consisting of the product development I described, branding, marketing materials, bottling, and label design? I would like a response this week to all of these questions. I know there are a lot, and I look forward to establishing a dialogue with Ambix Labs and to making the first step in the right direction. The question that is most important to me is the one about the formula. Where do we start? Can you replicate and improve our existing product making it more |
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