Autopia Product Line

If Autopia were to offer a detailing product line, what would you want it to be?

  • Autopia Brand (private label the best of the best)

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Mothers

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Meguiar's

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Eagle One

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • P21S + 303

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    0
davidb: Yea, I understand the whole rebranding thing. The fact that companies sometimes use the same chemists for different products is favorable in this situation though. If the Autopia brand consisted of new products, the community could say exactly what it wanted and have one of these experienced companies tweak whatever they've done in order to meet everyone's need. Many people here detail their cars so much that durability is less important than appearance. I would love a sealant that only lasted a month or two, but looked better than anything else. Just an idea for products that can be easily improved on (sealants, cleaners...). For products such as polishes, rebranding is fine as long as there isn't a markup (I don't think it gets any better than Menzerna).
 
My thoughts really run the gammut on this one. I don't even know where to begin or how to communicate my thoughts effectively.



Products seem like a good idea, and I have no problem with Autopia branded products (even if I did, what would it matter?). I believe, however, that the added costs associated with:

(a) designing the packaging & products

(b) stocking the "inventory" (overhead)

(c) promoting the brand (advertising)

(d) delivering the product (packaging and shipping)

(e) improving the brand (product evolution)

(f) maintaining mfg/vendor relations

(g) performing customer service



might decrease the amount of profit that actually exists from the sale of the products. I realize quite well that there is a huge mark-up in detailing products (300% is not uncommon), so it may all be a moot point...



I'd just hate to see your valuable resources be diverted to maintaining product sales; I also know from experience that customer service (especially via the web) is a royal PITA. Taking orders, managing problems, packing and shipping, etc. is a rough job...hopefully you'll have the staff to handle it all.



You'll also have the inventory to manage and some steep initial overhead to deal with. Further, if the products are "too effective" or "too good", repeat sales might be diminished...say for instance that the durability of a product is too good, and people are only using 4oz of product per year.



Finally, Autopia is a rather small webiste; even with 7,000 members, that's not a lot of people to "draw" from for selling products. When you consider that about 1% of an online community supports advertising/involvement, that's only 70 sales of product (on average)...Now, I know you'll sell more than 70 products, but once you sell, say 1,000 units, what happens then? Autopia will have to grow (and we know the pains associated with that) drastically or, ???? (edit: I assume the products will be sold through CMA, so this point becomes somewhat moot)



Just some thoughts...not sure they're even valid - just rambling, mostly. :)



Whatever the outcome, I wish you the best - I know that if the products come to fruition they're certain to be great products (and'll probably get tested by "the Guru's") ;)
 
4DSC... New member impressions is a very good point. I think I have tried to provide the tools that allow people to voice their impression of products in a fair and balanced way (albeit, as of late I have been lazy on the Autopia Reviews system in getting new sections and products added).



Let's separate autopia.org "the community" from autopia-carcare.com "the business". They are two very distinct and separate things. Maybe I shouldn't call the product line "autopia." Maybe I should call it "carsmotology" or something.



I guess this also gets back to the question of why should I create my own line of products? I said it before in my Glide, Block and Waffle announcement... I need a job. I could sell other mfg products, but what? Zaino... not available. BLACKFIRE... not available. P21S... over distributed already. ZYMOL... nope, don't like the guy. Klasse... same as P21S. I know, how about Formula 113!!! I could distribute the best items in every category, but then I'd never get good pricing. :nixweiss



Scottwax... I have talked to Mr. Glass, and I'm still waiting to get some of his products for testing. We'll see. I have to be concerned with long-term availability.



geekysteve... all very good points. Creating your own line is very expensive. I would easily tie up $15,000 to $25,000 on packaging alone.



The feedback is great. It helps me get a grip on reality. I will weight all of the input before making a decision.
 
For the name thing i am not sure at all. It would be kind of wierd to have all the other products, then the Autopian ones being talked about here. I mean people who have been around will know that good products come from all over, but newer people might be kind of pushed in a bias sort of way. I think if a product is going to be involved with a message board, the message board should be under the product (not the other way around). If there was an Autopia line it would be great to have a message board to discuss those products. Immagine if there was a zaino or p21s forum.



I think creating your own line is the best way to go, but it's probably a lot more work. Weither it was just taking the best of whats out there in each catigory, or adding a little something to an existing product, i think it'd be great. I've always wondered what kind of chemestry goes into stuff like that, i might ask one of the chem professors here...



I think with all your expierence and knowledge that you can accomplish the goals of having a product line that is top of the line in everything it sells. (and i know you'd be able to get some help from the guys here too) It would be kind of nice to get wax, polish, interior stuff and all that from the same product line. Especially if you knew it was all good stuff.



Even if the whole making your own product line isn't feasable. I would like to see autopia kits. Even if it is just a collection of other people's stuff, i'm sure what ever you choose to go in them would be of the best quality.



What about doing an Autopian Carnauba Farm? All that stuff comes from Brazil... it would save a lot of people some trouble if they could find it locally :D



CARNAUBA PALM



The carnauba palm is native to tropical areas of South America. It has an edible root, small edible black fruit (olive sized), sugar is produced from the sap, and a wax is collected from the lower surfaces of its leaves. This carnauba wax is used in carbon paper, polishes, plastics, floor wax, lubricants and as a food additive. The pith is also used as a cork substitute, fiber from the leaves is used to make rope, and the wood is used for building and to produce excellent veneers. A truly useful plant.



Uses:

Lipsticks, Salves, Creams And Ointments; Manufacture Of Shoe, Furniture And Car Polishes; Lacquers; Varnishes; Phonograph Records; Carbon-Paper Coatings; As A Hardener For Candles; Leather Finishes; Electrical-Insulating Composition; Water-Proofing Textiles, Wood, Etc.; Inks And Ink Compositions; Mold Lubricant; Candles; And Paper Glazing.



You can buy seeds here http://users.erols.com/rborg/palm1.htm



How about Autopian Carnauba detaling snacks made from processed carnauba fruit?



I wonder what it would take to get palms to grow in Colorado... i could harvest them and make my own wax like our forefathers did many many years ago.
 
IMO, having an "Autopia" brand may not be a very good idea in the long run if the forum stays online as well.



No doubt, Autopia will be affected when people suggests brands that are currently available. Let's say somebody asks "What's better for degreasing engines, Meg APC+, 3M APC or Autopia APC?"



Honestly, people in this forum will post what they've used successfully, I'd say "I've used Meguiar's APC+ for years and it works ok... I'm pretty sure that Autopia APC is good as well"... but in a sense, there will be A LOT of internal product wars (whether it's direct comparison or not). And over time, something's got to give.



If Autopia ends up doing well with the products sector, for sure, the forum community will suffer and it'll end up as a product review discussion group instead of what it is now.



I love this forum dearly and it'll be sad to see it turn into a marketing tool instead of a mutual educative resource.



I also understand that bills must be paid... So...



Why not set up an online store that will sell products that you recommend in your ebook? Much like Griot's handbook and product list.



You covered a lot of brands and products that works, in addition, you can also sell popular items such as S100, P21S, etc etc in your store as well that is priced competitively with other sites. I don't think a price war needs to take place... I mean, if you offer the same prices and service as other online stores, chances are Autopians will purchase from you instead of somebody else.



Maybe you can drum up something special for Autopians that will set you apart from other online shops without affecting prices... I don't know what you can think of but I'm sure there's a way to have your cake and eat it too... so to speak.



I vote for an online store with various products that you personally believe in, and include several Autopian-popular products as well to entice the "locals"
 
Many good points here. First, let me say whatever David chooses, I will always support this site.



Private Label - Expensive for David…I know from personal experience. A few members here know and have sampled a “carnauba lockâ€� I am developing. Product is called Pearl Wax. I have spent over $6K in the last 30 days and don’t even have the label designed yet!



However, I trust David’s judgment and am confident anything he develops would be good and I, like most members here, certainly would buy it to see how it compares to my favorites. But then what? Would I go back to my “old� favorite or continue with the new brand? If it’s the best thing since sliced bread, David will, and I hope, be a millionaire - if it does not live up to Autopian’s expectation, or should Geekysteeve bury it on his next test, it could mean financial ruin. Tough call.



I guess what I’m trying to say it’s hard to speculate without having/using the product first. That’s a toss of the financial dice that represents a risk in any new business that David has to consider.



KITS - I’m OK with that too. Perhaps to coincide with the info an the e-book and would simplify things for the newbie and cut down on the tons of products on my shelf.



I agree with THEVEED’s comments. An online store would be great. I would purchase through there knowing it helps support his forum. Perhaps an incentive could be created to buy from Autopia rather than CMA like some kind of bonus reward points or reduced shipping costs for contributing members. I know that shipping has been a HUGHE complaint from CMA customers with shipping costs exceeding the cost of the product sometimes.



I have had a few PM’s with David and I can tell you he is a stand up guy. But reality is reality and this site is time and money for him. I think Autopia needs to be risen to the next level where David and our members can both benefit.



Let me think about this for a while and maybe I can add something more meaningful later…
 
Thank you. I think I understand now. You would have the various companies manufacture your product, not just rebrand exactly what they sell. In that case, wouldn't it make sense to just go with whatever company could provide you a lot of flexibility in your compositions, and also do it at a decent price? Maybe having 10 different companies make you 10 different things isn't the best idea in that case, as it may be quite a bit more costly and troublesome. It's only if you were rebranding existing stuff that picking and choosing would result in the best products.



P.S. Please don't call it "carsmotology"... :(
 
I think the kit idea is the best one to come up yet.



Engine Kit (some all purpose cleaner, brushes and towels and some nice engine dressing.)

PC kit (PC, Finishing and Medium pad velcor backing plate, Meg's #9 and some p21s)

New car kit (clay bar, #9 or SMR, paint cleaner and wax)

Abused car kit (clay, #83, SMR, cleaner and wax)

Interior kit (glass cleaner, carpet cleaner, leather clener and conditioner, vinyl cleaner and conditioner, and somthing for the seals

More ideas are a car wash kit, weekend detailer kit, soccer mom kit and on and on and on.
 
The input regarding an Autopia product line being detrimental to the Autopia community is well taken... I fully understand. Please know that the community means more to me than money. This is why I say that the community and a product line would be distinct and different.



I appreciate the input, so I will do this:



1. Evaluate opportunities to be an e-tailer of quality car care products;



2. Evaluate opportunities to market a few interesting product kits under the Autopia label; and



3. Evaluate opportunities for more Autopia books and educational materials.



Because I value the input of the community, I will continue to share my plans and seek input.



:wavey
 
3. Evaluate opportunities for more Autopia books and educational materials.



I like this idea more than anything. There is a real lack of quality and informative Detailing Literature. I know the idea of a Detailer Certification program has been talked about for years but nothing has come of it. Mechanics have the ASE certification , detailers could benifit from something like that. Autopia could become national or globally regonized as the Automotive Detailing Education Authority.
 
David here's something different...as you know I offered a % discount to all first time buyers her at autopia...what if you take the orders and then process them to the vendors and in return autopia gets a % to keep it running and improve, as you do so well, and we the vendors keep the stock, do the shipping and you can keep the site virtually the same. Vendor would have a forum to answer technical questions and there is no relabeling or development expenses for you?



Steve(poorboy)
 
Steve... I have thought about this. From a resource pool idea it does have some merit. I own a store system that supports multiple vendors and multiple vendor products. Not long ago I started out on this path but finding willing partners was problem, so I put it away.



Here's what the store looks like (it was no where near complete, and the products you see were used for testing only, so don't make anything of it):



www.autopia.ws/store/customer



The nice think about the store is that each vendor can load and update their own products. When a customer orders, each vendor receives notification of the items they will be supplying. The customer gets a consolidated bill. The sticking point, as always, becomes shipping and the potential of multiple shipping costs.
 
I like Steve's idea and the experimental store you have set-up David. With this system we will still be using our favorite vendors, they will be moving their products, no conflict in interest between vendor products and Autopia products, less over-head for you David, and with each sale Autopia will be receiving a portion of the profits. Enough for you to call an income?:nixweiss
 
DavidB-I'd be more than happy to send you some of my Clearkote stock if you are unable to secure them from Mr. Glass so you can test them.



Like I said earlier though, if you sell repackaged products, it would be best to use the cream of the crop from more than just one manufacturer.
 
David I think the store looks fine as a starting point.

You should not get involved with the shipping and consolidation process for multiple products it would be very time consuming and labor intensive. I'm sure some member vendors would not pass up the oppotunity this presents for both sides and all autopians too.

If some one was going to order from multiple vendors, they would be paying s/h from each any way.

There are always ways to work out the fine points.



Steve
 
I'm am not really sure. I know a lot of people are set in their ways and these products better be above all the rest.

Will they be Bio degradable? That is very big for mobile detailers as depending on your state certain laws apply.



I am all for trying new products out. I think before you go out and make gallons and spend lots of money, you should make some small samples and give them out to a select few on autopia and have them try it out. They can give an honest feedback on the product and you can work out any bugs before you go all out.





I looked into making some products myself. I dropped that idea when i found out how much product liability was $$$$!
 
I cant figure out why so many people voted for "Autopia" brand products when we dont even know what they will be. They very well may end up being Meguiars and or any other product out there. I have a little apprehension about buying something someone "tells" me is the best. I say just offer already founded, trusted products and let the members make up their mind on what they tinkis the best. Slapping an Autopia logo on someone elses product is like adding another middleman.



Just my 2 cents.
 
I like the idea of our own detailing store Autopia Store.

I don't think we need the Autopia lable on it, just sell as they are and try to carry the best products from all over.



It would nice to only have to buy one source. Plus maybe we can get club discounts and promotions. ;)

But I would pay alittle more if I knew it was helping this site grow and keep going.



Also how would this affect CMA, aren't they some how invovled with Autopia? :nixweiss



Plus we have alot of pros on this site which give us great (honest) advice on products too. (Thanks Guys) :xyxthumbs

Not some sales man pushing his world's greatest ever wax crap on us!!! :nono
 
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