New Product Development Consultants

Bringing new products to the market is one of the most crucial periods in the business calendar for any organisation, so our robust research, strategic planning and delivery methods are essential to delivering for your product innovation.

We pride ourselves in working with our partners to analyse and identify opportunities to get new products to the market for you. We support you through all stages of the process from product research and ideation through to innovation strategy and commercialisation.

Igniting rural innovation in North Wales

We offer a suite of new product development services, designed to empower your business and bring your innovative ideas to life.

We are dedicated to walking the path to success alongside you, ensuring that your products reach the right audiences and achieve their full potential. Our experts at Lafan are able to offer their market experience to guide you through:

  • Research and planning

  • Concept ideation

  • Strategic planning

  • Market Strategy

  • Commercialisation

  • Product launch strategy

  • Communications and Marketing

  • And more!

New Product Development Process

Bringing a new product to market features a number of key stages in the innovation process that require new or advanced levels of thinking to fully optimise your product for success. Some of the key stages we’ll walk you through include:

  • Market research and analysis - This includes the important steps of market research to identify consumer needs, market trends, and competitive landscapes to inform the development of new products.

  • Idea generation and concept development - Exploring techniques and methodologies to generate innovative product ideas, conceptualise designs, and refine concepts based on customer feedback and market insights.

  • Prototype development and testing - Testing feasibility through prototypes or minimum viable products (MVPs) with functionality and user experience in mind

  • Product design and engineering - Effective product design and engineering can translate your concepts into manufacturable and marketable products

  • Manufacturing and supply chain management - We can help you select manufacturing partners, source materials, optimise production processes and manage supply chain logistics to ensure quality, efficiency, and scalability.

  • Marketing, branding and Intellectual property protection - Finally, we can help you explore marketing and branding approaches for launching new products, including market positioning, messaging, pricing strategies, distribution channels, and promotional tactics. Plus, focus on safeguarding your intellectual property rights through patents, trademarks, and copyrights.

"New product development projects are always exciting to be involved in as we can utilise our full expertise, creativity and strategic skills to take your ideas from concept to reality. We want to ignite rural innovation in Wales and there’s no better place to start than here.”

— Geraint Hughes, Lead Consultant

Consultancy for your Product launch strategy

To ensure your new products enter the market with maximum impact and visibility, we carefully plan the product launch strategy and support you in delivering a major splash in your market through innovative and tailored communications and advertising campaigns. This will focus on two main stages of your new product launch:

  1. Launch planning and execution - We’ll help detail a comprehensive product launch plan, including timelines, milestones, budgets, resource allocation, and contingency measures to ensure a successful market introduction.

  2. Post-launch evaluation and optimisation - We then follow this up with ongoing monitoring, feedback collection, and performance analysis to evaluate your product performance, customer concerns, and focus for continuous improvement.

If you’re interested in understanding how Lafan can support you with your new product developments and launches, simply drop us a message and we’ll run through your plans to make a difference.

Food product development for a Welsh agricultural industry

Working in and amongst the various farming communities in Wales, we have been well educated in the needs of food products from farm to fork and can bring our skills to the table to support any food research and development needs - whether it’s a product launch, market research, support with Agricultural Technology or help with production efficiencies.

Product development in the food industry requires a multi-faceted approach with the addition of food safety regulations and other compliance legislation in place, safeguarding instructions from the Welsh Government. We listen closely to the updates provided for the rural developers of Wales and are quick to adjust any new product development strategies to match changes in national policy, such as those found in the National Community Food Strategy for Wales.

We’re happy to utilise our skills as primary local food development consultants to continue to support our community in achieving economic growth for Wales.

Together, we can make it happen.

New Product Development FAQs

What are the key stages of the new product development process?

The new product development process typically consists of several key stages, starting with idea generation and concept development, followed by market research and analysis to validate customer needs and assess market potential (see above). Once a viable concept is identified, the next stage involves prototyping and testing to refine the product design and functionality. Subsequently, product design and engineering efforts focus on creating manufacturable prototypes and optimising technical specifications. After finalising the design, the manufacturing and supply chain management stage involves sourcing materials, selecting manufacturing partners, and establishing production processes to ensure quality and scalability. Finally, the product launch and commercialisation phase encompass activities such as marketing, branding, sales channel development, and distribution planning to introduce the new product to the market successfully.

How do I generate ideas for new products, and where can I find support for concept development?

Generating ideas for new products often involves brainstorming sessions, customer feedback, market research, trend analysis, and innovation workshops to identify unmet needs, pain points, and opportunities for differentiation in the marketplace - Lafan can help support you in any of these ideation processes. Additionally, we can help you leverage external resources such as innovation hubs, accelerators, industry networks, and design agencies to provide expertise, tools, methodologies, and collaborative platforms to facilitate the ideation process and help generate innovative product concepts that resonate with your target customers.

What factors should I consider when selecting manufacturing partners and managing the supply chain for my new product?

Selecting manufacturing partners and managing the supply chain for a new product involves evaluating various factors such as production capabilities, capacity, quality standards, location, cost, and reliability. It's essential to conduct due diligence, assess potential risks, and establish clear communication channels to ensure alignment with business goals and product requirements. We have a long history and strong network to identify robust logistics opportunities for any new products developed in Wales. Additionally, you should consider factors such as supplier relationships, lead times, inventory management, logistics, and distribution channels in your planning.

What role does market research play in new product development, and how can I conduct effective market analysis?

Market research plays a crucial role in informing new product development by providing valuable insights into customer preferences, market trends, competitor strategies, and industry dynamics. Effective market analysis involves gathering and analysing data from primary and secondary sources, including surveys, interviews, focus groups, demographic data, market reports, and competitive intelligence. By identifying your target customer segments, understanding their needs and preferences, and assessing market demand and potential barriers to entry, you can make informed decisions throughout the product development process and increase the likelihood of success in the marketplace.

How can I protect my intellectual property rights during the new product development process?

Protecting intellectual property (IP) rights is essential to safeguarding your innovations. We can help you employ various strategies to protect your IP, including obtaining patents, trademarks and copyrights. It's crucial to conduct a comprehensive IP audit to identify valuable assets, assess the competitive landscape, and develop a tailored IP strategy aligned with your business objectives.

What should I include in a comprehensive product launch plan, and where can I find resources for launch planning and execution?

A comprehensive product launch plan should include a detailed timeline, milestones, objectives, target audience, messaging, positioning, pricing strategy, distribution channels, promotional activities, and metrics for tracking success. We can help you set this up so that you never miss a key deliverable stage in your new product development process.

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