Then again who buys radios? Custom clocks seem far more universal and let people use a wider range of shapes.
We liked the radio because it was unique enough that we felt it would stand out. Instead of flipping between AM/FM stations, you'd be flipping between podcasts. I think that would have sold pretty well... or at least well enough for us to prove the concept and raise the large amounts we needed.
Hats off to you for trying, but I'm going to file this statement under my "I'm reliving 1999 in 2015" heading...
I am not sure if I agree with this.
I think a good initial product choice is really important to gain the much needed initial traction.
If the initial product is good, the potential users will resonate with it. They will think 'Yeah! I want it!'. They will think 'Yeah! These <initial_product> could be so much more convenient to use / cooler'. You get the idea.
But nowadays, few people use radios other than a car radio. It's much harder for the users to resonate and see what problem it solves for them.
Yup. This definitely should have started out as a B2B play. Industry will pay an arm and a leg for customization for lots of random parts. Use the cash to build the foundation of the biz then go after the finicky consumer market later.
* proper cross-checking of compatibility of items ordered
* generate image of finished product
* on-line generation of installation drawing/CAD file,
including mounting holes and electrical connections.
Let users play with the options. Huge win for
designers - "If we add option B, will it fit?"
This, in fact, is the big win - let users try your
options and see what works for them.
* generate manufacturing data in format the seller's
production system can use
* provide cross-company integration. If you need
something that requires parts from several
companies, and they're often used together, give
the user help in getting everybody going in the
same direction.
Right now the electronic-music market is undergoing a massive explosion of new technologies - new products, new synths, just a real explosion of technology for music-makers.
Imagine if a company sprang up that could viably produce custom panels - real hardware - for all the synth software thats on the market? Do this, become the leader, and you will fill in a very big hole ..
It looks like they finally decided to focus on this one product which I think is smart because my guess is "way more than you think". Customization may be difficult to make but it is very easy to sell.
There are other customized products in that space which might be more useful.
* Customized entertainment remotes. Tell us what gear you have, what you like to do with it, and we make a remote or remotes that makes it easier to use. You might have a simple "watch TV only" remote, and a tablet type "does everything" remote.
* Light your house and garden. Send us pictures of your house and garden, answer some questions about how you use them, and we'll design an outdoor lighting system for it and have an installer put it in. You get to see renders of what it looks like at night before you buy. (There are Autodesk tools for that.)
* Custom control panels for the aftermarket auto sound industry. Make cool stuff for LA rappers and wannabees.
* There are lots of industrial products which need heavy customization. Offer on-line ordering tools for such products as a service to industrial sellers.
Trying to hammer a customized product model into the web-based "order on line, ship to customer, integration is someone else's problem, no customer service" model wasn't going to work.