2013 Year in Review

As we ring out 2013 let's reflect on what a busy year we had at KJB Security! We continually introduced new or updated products, we added productmarketing materials to your Dealer Dashboards, and we implemented online ordering!

Several of our products were reviewed by The Honest Reviews and the Gadgeteer and scored very well. We ramped up our social media efforts and created lots of relevant content for our Dealers to use in their marketing efforts, including the successful Market Pro program.

Over 60 new products were introduced and we said the words Zone Shield®, Xtreme Life™, and SleuthGear® in our sleep!

Just a few of the best sellers from 2013 were:

• In the SleuthGear® line the Xtreme Life Smoke Detectors were the product of the year! 

• Our new Zone Shield® Clock Radio, introduced in September, has set records for clock radio sales.

• From the Tracking line we were very pleased with how end users chose LandAirSea's SilverCloud GPS Tracker and theTracking Key Pro.

• From the Detection and Audio Surveillance lines the Cell Phone Detector and the Rabbler Noise Generator were top selling items.

Get a list of all 60 products introduced in 2013 from the Dealer Dashboard where you can also click the tab to see Best Sellers.

Tune in in 2014 as we report from CES and launch mysleuthgear.com!

Sometimes Too Much Choice Is A Bad Thing

We all do it. We stand frozen in the grocery aisle overwhelmed by our choices. “Should I buy the whole wheat bread with fiber, the low fat honey wheat, the multigrain, plain white?” We stand there pondering and finally grab something so that we can simply move on. If toothpaste is next on your list, you should consider simply closing your eyes and pointing to a brand on the shelf. Not that some aren’t better than others, but even Proctor and Gamble’s director of global oral-care research and development stated, “We’ve come to realize that fewer is better.” The company (makers of Crest toothpaste) slowed down their production of oral-care products worldwide.

Fewer is better
An over-abundance of consumer options is not confined to bricks and mortar retailers; it’s a factor for internet shoppers as well. If your business is web based, you can and should be more picky about what “goes on your shelves.” Don’t clutter your site with any and every gadget or gizmo available. When you spend time reviewing and selecting the best product options to place on your site, look at it through the eyes of the buyer. If buyers have too many choices, they often make no choice at all. This study actually found that cutting product options by 75% resulted in more sales regardless of price.

Delete information overload
According to this study 'website navigation problems' and 'process was taking too long' are in the top 10 reasons shoppers abandon their cart. Fight information overload with these ideas:

• Consider “landing pages"  to promote a specific product line or special. Landing pages are easy to set up within the confines of the site and are easy to promote well qualified, limited options to customers. Landing pages also give online businesses the ability to test market certain products to see what is attractive to shoppers.

• Differentiate products but don’t go crazy. For example, when delineating Zone Shield® products use phrases like EASY TO SET UP or BATTERY OPERATED for Xtreme Life™. These phrases are easy to understand and set the product apart - but you can't use it on every other hidden camera on your page or it means nothing.

• Give top listing to products that do the most. Do your buyers have to wade through pages of hidden cameras that may be cheaper but also do less? If they have to decide which features they want on their camera then you are using up their patience and maybe losing your sale. Instead present your customer with the product that does the most. Think about that toothpaste aisle again - the whitening, brightening,  straightening, tartar busting, gum disease fighting super hero toothpaste is always right at eye level.

• List first the products that do the most for you. If your profit margin is higher or a returns lower on a specific model then throw down a bright shiny red carpet for your customer to stroll up and buy it. In the end time is money for both you and your customer. The less time they spend shopping for a good product or that you spend supporting their purchase the better the experience is for everyone.