New innovative business idea - feedback ?!

shannok2

Hi all,

My name is Kevin, I'm looking for any and all feedback and advice with regard to a new business idea - in particular in regard to marketing, and development of a business model for the product.

The business concept is a totally new way of waking - an alarm clock which utilises the harmless and frequently used technology of Electrical Muscular Stimulation (EMS) to rouse the user. EMS is currently used by products such as "Slendertone" - you know the belts that people wrap around their waist to stimulate their abs.

EMS delivers a unique sensation to the affected area that is strong but not painful. For these reasons it is believed EMS will provide an ideal alternative to ordinary alarm clocks. The alternative that is proposed will be called the “E-wake”. It is believed that this new product will overcome many of the problems associated with conventional alarms. Problems such as ;


1.As time passes users can become immune to alarms that they have used for long periods;
2.Deep sleepers often find it impossible to wake with the aid of these devices claiming they do not hear the noise;
3.If a user is successfully woken by their alarm, they will still probably be very drowsy;
4.Individuals will almost involuntarily choose to avail of a “snooze” function instead of getting up as they might wish to.

The device is comprised of an armband, similar to those used for casing mp3 players and electronic devices during exercise. The armband will house an LCD screen displaying the time and date and will obviously incorporate an alarm function which can be set to the desired wake up time of the user. The unit will have a button interface which will allow the user set the alarm time.

The E-wake is intended to function as follows; when triggered, an electrical current will flow into electrodes (metal contacts) which will be located on the underside of the armband . These electrodes come into contact with gel pads which in turn touch the users skin (bicep). Upon feeling his/ her muscles involuntarily contract (due to the current) the user will be roused.

Initially,it is intended to sell the E-wake within the Irish market. Particular market segments which will be targeted are the deaf / hard of hearing community and people who have extreme difficulty waking - narcoleptics, as it is believed our product can be most beneficial to these individuals.
There are approximately 30,000 deaf people living in Ireland alone (Irish Deaf Society 2010), and although some products do exist to cater to the needs of this segment (Hearing Direct 2010), we feel that E-wake is a much more effective product than any of those currently on offer.

Thank you for taking the time to read the concept, and as I said at the top any and all criticism , advice and feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Clearpreso

Sounds interesting alright, but surely a tough sell to most people? "Electrocute ourself awake" might not work out too well.

I do see how it can have specialist appeal though, I am sure the parties you named have a need for this, but do you think you can sell the product in big enough quantities to those people? You'd have to assume youre only going to hit a small % of the possible market.

Also... does it work? And are there good scientific sources you can show people? Could be the difference between someone buying into the idea or not.

Ed

shannok2

Thanks Ed,

Absolutely, I agree the prospect doesn't sound too appealing at first. Any marketing campaign should certainly stress the painless nature and ease of use of the device !

Our product is physically attached to the arm, and thus uses the sense of touch rather than hearing to wake the sleeper, which is indeed scientifically proven to be the most reliable method of waking.

EMS does provide an intense effect proven to wake a sleeper. Anyone who has experienced an EMS device whether for muscle toning or otherwise can testify it is a very foreign feeling ! We believe a person is very unlikely to grow accustomed to this sensation. Essentially were talking about an involuntary contraction of ones bicep.

Another perceived innovative aspect of the ‘E-Wake’ which I failed to mention earlier is that it is a personal product, which affects only the individual who wears it. The partner, or housemates of the user will not be affected or disturbed by the product, as can be the case with traditional alarm clocks. - Hopefully another attractive selling point.

aidan.connolly

Hi

Good luck with your new product.

My only advice is to make sure you have good product insurance, and be aware of any medical condition that would be effeceted by the voltage.

I think some medical inplants can react to electrical voltages

Make sure that the product instructions and packaging contain proper warnings etc.


Aidan

flash harry

well done shannok sounds like it has potential - is there any mass selling alternative worldwide? How is it powered - reason I ask is because if it has any sort of wire, personally, it wouldnt work due to turning over during night etc....

Can you patent any aspect of it and can it be produced to retail at a decent price point?

My curiosity is reason for questions BUT it sounds interesting.....good luck

2Daphne2

Hi

Don't particularly like the idea of electrocution but that said it does sound interesting.

Assuming you know you need to research this before putting any money in, (lots of research before you go spending money... research...)

... there might be a market for parents who share a room with baby. You do not want an alarm going off waking a baby :mad:.

Best of luck with it.:D

finisklin

Hi,

congratulations on a really intriguing, interesting product. What is the potential for this product and who exactly is your market? I think these are important questions, requiring a lot of research and finding out if people (from whatever segment) will actually pay cash for it.

I am ambivalent about this as I consider it and without too much reflection. Perhaps market research would point to clear benefits that people will pay cash for.

I know Trinity college have done a lot of research in the whole area of sleep and sleep paterns and waking up etc. I think a link up or a tie into their research may throw up rewarding nuggets that might help evolve this idea further. This should complement the market research and marketing plan.

Well done and best wishes with it.

Bandara

Are you solving a problem that doesn't exist?

I have been using the alarm clock on my phone for about 15 years. I personally have never slept through it, I set it for 20 mins before I'm getting up, snooze twice and then get up, I like to awaken gently, if I get waken roughly/with a start I am in bad form.

How will you will get over the negative connotations that waking people with an electric current will cause.

The idea of going to bed and having to put on an armband in order to wake up for work sounds way over the top to me.

I just think its a miles too over engineered product for a simple part of life, who is the market going to be? I can't see what age group will go out to actively buy it?

I know its not positive feedback but its just my immediate thoughts on it.

Good luck either way and congratualtions for your get up and go.

HT

was.deevey

Are you solving a problem that doesn't exist?

I have been using the alarm clock on my phone for about 15 years. I personally have never slept through it, I set it for 20 mins before I'm getting up, snooze twice and then get up, I like to awaken gently, if I get waken roughly/with a start I am in bad form.

Seriously? he has stated the problems that DO exist and knocked it on the head

Some people can get up after 4 hours kip without any alarm .. that doesn't mean other people don't need one.

Never slept through an alarm, even just hit the stop instead of snooze ? .. wow, you are in the minority

1.As time passes users can become immune to alarms that they have used for long periods

Yep ! Loud noise in general will not wake me

2.Deep sleepers often find it impossible to wake with the aid of these devices claiming they do not hear the noise;

Anyone who is narcoleptic knows how hard it is to wake one you actually sleep.

3.If a user is successfully woken by their alarm, they will still probably be very drowsy;

Which means doing below

4.Individuals will almost involuntarily choose to avail of a “snooze” function instead of getting up as they might wish to.

I don't remember it but I know I must

Unfortunatly some of us are not in the same situation as you mate :rolleyes:...a narcoleptic person myself, the main issue with alarm clocks is that they genuinely do not wake me up once i'm out .. im out until I eventually get up.

The alarms do wake up the neighbours however (thin walls), family and friends if I stay over.

Loud noise as a waking device will not wake me under any circumstances ... I can fall asleep beside a running diesel generator going full throttle

So this sounds like it solves at least one if not 2 problems ...

1. Me waking up
2. If not.. it is certainly a solution for my familys sleeping problems!

Best of luck mate .. I hope you sell a million !

Questions

1) How is it powered?
2) How long can it alarm once fully powered (if battery)?
3) How is it attached ?
4) What Size is it ?
5) What will the price be ?

Some12

Another marketing point would be that this type of alarm would not wake others near you.

It could also be spun from a business perspective where silent reminder alarms can be made during meetings without interupting others.

Finally, it could be used as an alarm or reminder in high noise areas.

Hope this is useful!

was.deevey

Unfortunatly that area IS already covered by vibrate on phones :rolleyes:

Could this device be implemented into or attached to a phone as an external device.... "idea"

Bandara

was.deevey wrote: »

Unfortunatly that area IS already covered by vibrate on phones :rolleyes:

Could this device be implemented into or attached to a phone as an external device.... "idea"

I think you have spectacularly missed the entire point of this thread

The man asked for feedback, he is getting feedback. The very idea of feedback is that it indentifies the issues, concerns and fears that people have about a product.

The threads purpose is not for us to pick holes in each others opinions, it's the very different opinions that the OP is looking for.

Regards
HT

antoinolachtnai

I honestly have no idea whether this is actually a goer. I have no use for it myself, just because I wake easily. (Sometimes I don't want to get up, but that's another issue.)

However these are my suggestions:

You are wrong to limit yourself to Ireland at the outset. That is a really big mistake. The population is too slow for what is a relatively niche product.

Talk to specialist medical people, like people who treat sleep disorders. Ask them if they think there is anything to this.

Also, talk to the deaf societies here and in the uk, see what they say.

If you believe in this idea, build some sort of prototype and get some people in the core markets to test it.

If it turns out to be a flyer, you should be able to charge a premium for it, because it is a specialised item. You don't necessarily need to sell zillions of them. If you can make 20 euros a unit clear, then you only need to sell 5000 a year to make it worth your while.

The Internet makes it much more feasible to market specialised devices like this.

There are a good few devices out there for the hard-of-hearing

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&expIds=17259,27642,27744&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=alarm+clock+deaf&cp=15&safe=off&client=safari&rls=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=17924820610526157528&ei=MNLuTL61FI6AhQeM8OTCDA&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=3&sqi=2&ved=0CDIQ8wIwAg#ps-sellers

http://www.marilynelectronics.com/Alarm-Clocks-s/5.htm


Narcolepsy might be a better niche. There are certainly some people out there with problems in this department.

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=alarm+clock+narcolepsy&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

tombull82

was.deevey.. Leave off on HT he's a legend..

Shannok.

Fair play.

I actually love this as a product idea but you will have to get the whole concept right and know exactly what you want to do with this product.

I believe at a good price it could sell mass amounts to the general public,(my preference)
or as a specialized device with a higher price tag you could offer it to the smaller market you have identified.

Or maybe 2 versions could look after this?

Also in the interest of feedback..

Q's.
1."it is believed EMS will provide an ideal alternative" Research Backup?
2."become immune to alarms" would this not occur with the EMS also?
3."they will still probably be very drowsy" Again does this still not occur?
4."“snooze” function " I guess your not going to have one? So will the EMS increase until you reset it from a base station in the kitchen maybe?

Not being smart but without proper research data I fail to see how it solves the problems you have identified.

Can you provide further info?

Tom