Describe the factors that should be considered in developing new products for international markets with particular emphasis on the consequences for not adequately testing new products

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Since conditions vary in different countries, it is very important to test new products that are designed for international markets.
There are three primary activities that managers should undertake and carry out on a routine basis. First, they should ensure that all relevant information sources are continuously tapped for new-product ideas. This can come from external or internal sources. Secondly, they should carefully screen all ideas to identify potential candidates for further investigation. Finally, they should ensure that the organization commits adequate resources for the development of potential ideas. Once there is enough evidence that the idea has good potential, it should be examined for the following aspects: (a) the size of the market for the product at various prices; (b) the expected competition; (c) market possibilities through existing structures; (d) changes to be made in order to market the product; (e) estimates of potential demand; and (f) the compatibility of the idea with the corporations goals and objectives. Once the answers to the above questions are promising, new products should be tested.
One should realize that new-product introduction outside the home market is subjected to interaction with human, mechanical, or chemical elements. Incompatibility can be expected from unimaginable sources. Therefore, it is important to test a product under actual market conditions before proceeding with full scale introduction. Failure to assess actual use conditions can lead to big surprises.