Product line and item strategy.
Where each item sits in the line, what it replaces, and what it has to earn. The commercial case comes before the sketch.
A line is a set of decisions, not a set of products.
Most lines grow by addition. Someone has an idea, it gets designed, it gets made, and nobody asks what it displaced or what it had to earn. Two seasons later the range is wide, the margin is thin, and the buyer cannot explain the difference between three of the items.
- Assortment architecture: how many items, in which categories, at which price points
- Good-better-best tiering that a buyer can actually explain on a shelf
- Price and margin targets set before design starts, not discovered after costing
- What a new item replaces, and what the line loses if nothing comes out
- The case an item has to make: who buys it, against what, and why now
- Line reviews that cut what is not earning its slot
The questions a proposal answers
Where does it sit?
Above what, below what, and next to what. An item that cannot be placed in the line is not a product yet, it is an idea with a drawing attached.
What does it earn?
A target retail, a target margin, and a volume that makes the tooling and the material minimums make sense. Set early, because they decide what the item can be made from.
What does it replace?
New styles usually take a slot rather than add one. If nothing is coming out, the line is growing, and someone is paying for the extra complexity.
The specificity a factory needs in a brief is what remains once these are answered. Vague strategy becomes vague briefs, and vague briefs become extra sampling rounds.
Richard Amodio“CenterEdge was a keystone sourcing and design partner. Rich's leadership consistently improved quality and margins across nearly all targeted growth categories. I highly recommend him.”
“CenterEdge LLC has been a keystone design and sourcing partner during my outdoor career from 1995-2013. Kelty Packs, Pearl Izumi, Patagonia, and Prana were all recipients of the leadership of Rich Amodio and his talented team. As CEO of each of these firms it was always so comforting to know that I could rely on CenterEdge to work hand in hand with my inside operations and design team to come up with the optimum sourcing prescription. I am proud to say that in each of the company engagements we were able to increase quality and margins in almost 100% of the growth categories we focused on. Rich is a trusted professional and is highly recommended.”
“Their deep experience and knowledge, combined with thorough execution, has been invaluable in launching our ambitious line of new products. They know the process, and how to get things done.”