August 2016 Carrie Jeske
The August 2016 TIA meeting featured Carrie Jeske, who discussed how, for the past 15 years, she has been helping inventors bring products to market. She has sold her own products on QVC, in retail stores, and through catalogs. Between 2004-2012 she volunteered at a local inventor club where she helped license 7 products for inventors and grow the group from 20 to 80 active monthly attenders. Now, she’s a direct licensee in the As Seen On TV category with Will It Launch? and manages a team of licensing agents through her company Inventive Ideas.
Carrie Jeske made a video presentation to the TIA. Her focus was on the type of products that are sold in the As Seen On TV category. Inventions in this category have a short (maybe 4 years) shelf life before they are replaced by the next best thing. She described how she and her company vettes ideas and products as they look for profitable As Seen On TV category products. She admitted that she and her associates review thousands of products every year to find the one that will make it to the shelves of Walgreens, Walmart, and other As Seen On TV retailers.
Carrie said that the typical royalty for inventors in the As Seen On TV category is 3%. This royalty can result in a payout close to $5 million over the life of a popular product. The payout is good, but the odds are not.
She explained the following table of the type of invention/product that sells well in the As Seen On TV category.
| Must Have | Negative factors | ||
| 1 | Mass market appeal | Someone in every home | Niche users.Novelty. No BBQ products or pooper scoopers. |
| 2 |
Solve a problem, Sve time or money |
Positive emotional response | Nothing preventative or safety related |
| 3 | "WOW" in Demo Video | Homemade videos show product in action. | Too much talking. More than 2 minutes. |
| 4 | Pricing | $2-5 COGS, $11 wholesale, $19.99 to $39.99 retail. | Too expensive to make (materials or production). |
| 5 | Unique | New or Improved | Crowded with competitors or similar items already done. |
| 6 | Practical and believable | Problem wrth solving? Will it do what it claims? |
Shipping costs. Liability risk. |
| 7 | Easy to explain | In 30 seconds. | Too many variations (size, color, or design) |
Carrie said she welcomes product ideas. She offers a finders fee for the person to inform her of a product that is ultimately selected for retail sales.
She also has another company Inventive Ideas that is suited for inventions and products that have a longer shelf life and do not fall within the As Seen On TV category.
