How Scanning Kickstarter Could Help Your Business

Do some product research occasionally on Kickstarter.com. Not only will you be exposed to fun, experimental ideas — like steampunk jewelry, wearable greeting cards, and samurai rings — you may get a chance to get in early on a product with viable commercial prospects. The owners of Urban Pooch Canine Life Center, an independently owned pet store in Chicago, IL, told INSTORE’s sister magazine Pets+ that they were among the first stores in the country to start stocking a hot-selling pet toy called Tearribles (with velcro limbs that can be torn off and reattached) after spotting it on the crowdfunding site. “We were able to get our hands on a large stock order (160 pieces) several months before they were made available for purchase anywhere else in the world. And we nearly sold out of them in just a couple of weeks,” store owner Ed Kaczmarek said.