Page 36 - HW March 2021

global eyes
Amazon and Lowe’s seek out innovation
LOWE’S AND AMAZON recently adopted Shark Tank- or Dragon’s Den-
and Kickstarter-style mechanisms respectively as they seek to discover, test and promote innovative new products.
Lowe’s does a Dragon’s Den – Lowe’s has been seeking product innovation in smaller businesses with its “Making It... with Lowe’s” programme.
Having invited entrepreneurs to pitch their products, resulting in Lowe’s evaluated more than 400 new products for sale on Lowes.com or on Lowe’s store shelves and three products have now made the cut:
• Handle&Haul–Lousiana’sJoe
Porche designed Handle & Haul (photo top) after injuring himself in
a crash to help others more easily
and safely grab and move bulk items. His effective, easy-to-use, tie-down strap comes with an adjustable handle to help move awkward or heavy items, from crates to game! www.multusproducts.com
• SoilKit – Out of a family-owned and run company in Alabama, SoilKit (photo below) provides consumers with the tools to take a soil sample and receive expert lab reports to better understand how to keep their lawn and garden healthy. https:// soilkit.com
The third successful
applicant was gluten free,
vegan, 100% all-natural and non-GMO project-verifiedLola’sFineHotSauce.
In addition to earning space on Lowes.com and in Lowe’s stores, all three companies received a marketing support package, a mentoring package and a US$5,000 Lowe’s Small Business Grant.
“Making It...with Lowe’s” will continue into a second “season”.
www.lowes.com/makingitwithlowes
Amazon tests the water – Unlike Lowe’swhose“MakingIt...withLowe’s’ winners are already on the shelves, Amazon has been testing the water with its “Build It” scheme.
Building on its “Day 1 Editions” initiative, the new scheme invites consumers to indicate interest in new product concepts by pre-ordering selected products at special prices, a la Kickstarter or Indiegogo.
“If a concept reaches its pre-order goal in 30 days, we’ll begin to build it,” says Amazon.
The first Build It concepts to go live include a Smart Sticky Note Printer,
a Smart Nutrition Scale, and a Smart Cuckoo Clock, all of which work with Alexa, as you’d expect.
Using voice-to-print technology, the hands-free smart sticky note printer uses thermal technology, so it never needs ink or toner, and paper rolls are easy to refill.
In just three days, the US$89.99 Smart Sticky Note Printer (photo above) hit its pre-order goal and shipping is estimated to start between July and September 2021.
www.amazon.com/buildit
34 NZHJ | MARCH 2021
MORE AT www.hardwarejournal.co.nz