The Beach Carrier

Q1: What is the nature of the product? What are its strengths and weaknesses?

A1: The Beach Carrier is a new product concept developed by Mary Ricci. It is a large, lightweight, durable bag that is designed to carry everything required for a day at the beach, including a chair. The Beach Carrier can be folded down to a 12-inch by 12-inch square for easy storage when not in use. It comes with an adjustable strap and various-sized pockets for carrying all types of items to the beach or other outdoor activities (i.e. concerts, picnics, and barbecues).

The Beach Carrier possesses several strengths relative to competitive products in the market, including the following:

1. First, the overall product concept of a single bag that can carry all of the things needed for a day at the beach is a differentiator.

2. Secondly, the Beach Carrier can be easily handled and stored when not in use as it can be folded down to a 12-inch by 12-inch square.

3. The Beach Carrier is large and roomy and contains multiple compartments and different-sized pockets. It can accommodate carrying items varying in size from a bottle of sunscreen to a beach chair or ski boots.

4. It is manufactured in a lightweight, tear-resistant, fade-proof fabric that dries quickly and is thus suitable for a range of outdoor activities.

5. The Beach Carrier will be offered in a variety of fluorescent and conservative colors, where competitive products are only sold in three colors.

6. The selling price of the Beach Carrier will range from $12.99 to $14.99 versus a range of $16.95 to $59.99 for similar, competitive products.

Some of the weaknesses of the Beach Carrier include the following:

1. The Beach Carrier is 36-inch by 36-inch when in use and this size was perceived to be much larger than necessary by many members of a focus group.

2. The Beach Carrier's overall size may be more cumbersome to handle relative to its top two competitors, the "Caddy-Shack" and the "Wonder Wheeler". The "Caddy-Shack" is a backpack-type product, while the "Wonder Wheeler" has oversized wheels.

3. The "Wonder Wheeler" is capable of carrying the most items and thus the Beach Carrier is not the market leader in carrying capability.

4. The fluorescent colors of the Beach Carrier are see-through and considered "trendy", lessening the perceived quality of the bag.

Q2: What are the limitations to the assumptions Ricci has made in determining the market potential? What risks do these present?

A2: In assessing the market potential for the Beach Carrier, there are several assumptions that Ricci made that could significantly impact the overall market share potential. These include the following:

1. First of all, Mary Ricci has made the general and often-popular assumption that "bigger is better". However, a 36-inch by 36-inch bag is huge and would be extremely heavy if completely filled. People may prefer to have a smaller bag and limit the items that they bring to the beach or on another outing.

2. Second, the Beach Carrier utilizes an adjustable shoulder strap for carrying and Mary has assumed that this method would not be viewed as a negative when compared to the "Caddy Shack" (backpack-type) or the "Wonder Wheel" (oversized wheels). However, many consumers would likely view these other carrying methods as an advantage, especially if one is packing lots of stuff including chairs and umbrellas.

3. Next, Mary based her market research on all people who use suntan and/or sunscreen products. This may be a significant overstatement of the market as many people who use these products will never have a need for a large bag. This could dramatically change the break-even point.

4. Further, Ricci based the market potential on the assumption that all women who purchase sunscreen products would be the target buyers of the Beach Carrier. Again, this seems to be a flawed assumption and she would have probably been better off trying to find out the current sales of either the "Caddy Shack" or the "Wonder Wheel". In my opinion, this also appears to be an overestimate of the market potential and could negatively impact the break-even point.

5. In addition, Ricci has assumed that women buy new beach