“Most people today have too much stuff – they don’t need another gadget or gizmo. You need to think about how you can help people simplify and de-clutter their lives,” GameChanger CEO Larry Popelka told the International Housewares Association this week.
“The reason why Apple has been so successful with the iPhone and iPad is not because they’re cool gadgets, but because they are life simplifiers. They make people’s lives easier and less complicated… You need to find the equivalent of these things in your own category.”
Popelka will be a featured speaker at the International Home & Housewares Show (IHHS), March 13 at 1:30 p.m. at the McCormick Place Lakeside Theatre in Chicago. The IHHS is North America’s largest trade show for the housewares industry, with over 2,000 exhibitors from over 35 countries and over 60,000 attendees.
Popelka will be speaking on innovation and how Housewares companies can better adapt to the changing marketplace. “…The companies that are really successful are using this Show to learn and adjust. If you want to be successful, you’ve got to constantly update your business model. This is a great place to start,” said Popelka.
“The biggest issue I see is that differentiation is tough. Everyone is looking for an edge, but it is hard to get. Most innovation in most categories is design-based, and that doesn’t create a long-term sustainable advantage, because it is easily copied. The companies that are having the most success are breaking the rules – and doing things that are really different.”
You can read the full text of Popelka’s comments to the Housewares industry at http://www.housewares.org/blog/index.php/2012/01/knowing-innovation-larry-popelka/. You can also register for the show at www.housewares.org.
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