nestWhether it’s a well-known company working on their next product or simply a creative individual with a great idea, new product development isn’t always easy. Below are three steps you can follow to help take your concept from an idea to a finished product.

Research Similar Products

Unless your new product idea is really “outside the box” then chances are that there are other similar products already on the market. If you are looking to improve upon an existing idea or product, your first step should be to conduct thorough research on your existing competitors. You can even have your competitor’s product chemically analyzed through the use of deformulation services. The expert chemists at these formulation reverse engineering companies can identify and quantify the ingredients in a competitor’s product, allowing you to take that product and improve upon it. Of course, you should always be careful that your new product isn’t too similar to a competitor’s, as there could be legal ramifications.  These companies can often help you perform patent searches to insure that you are free to produce the product.

Be Different: Decide What Sets Your Product Apart

If your idea is for a completely new type of product, you already know what will make your goods unique. However, if you’re attempting to improve upon an old product, be sure that you have something to offer the market that hasn’t been offered before. Build upon an existing product to improve it – don’t just copy a competitor once you determine the composition of their product. With the secrets of the competition in-hand thanks to product reverse engineering, you can add to the benefits of the competitor’s product with your own unique spin and ingredients. You can also work with a new product development firm to make changes to your own products to improve them. Whether you’ve been having a quality control issue you need to fix or if you just want to make a minor change like an adjustment to the product’s shelf life, appearance, color, or odor, a chemical analysis of the product is the first step before you can make the changes needed to achieve the desired results.

Produce Several Batches or Trials to Find the Best

Don’t expect to hit a home run right off the bat – rolling out a new or improved product takes time and patience. As they say, practice makes perfect. Try to produce a number of different prototypes or batches in order to find the best variation. With the help of expert manufacturing support and consulting services throughout the chemical analysis process, you can make changes and adjustments as-needed until your product is up to par and ready to be rolled out.

Jordan Wompierski is a part of an elite team of writers who have contributed to hundreds of blogs and news sites.