Product launching program flow

The OCS will gradually launch the program beginning in September, before adding other products in the fall and winter.

Any products listed in either the general catalogue or the flow-through model, including store brand products, will still be available to all retailers.

Cannabis producers in Ontario who want to participate in the new flow-through program will need to be able to fill orders within seven days, those outside Ontario will need to do so in days. Ontario currently has nearly licensed retailers , with 30 new authorizations a week. The province intends to open more than 1, retailers by September first, although this target could be impacted by various Covid-related restrictions. About of those currently licensed are waiting until after lockdown to open.

All in-store shopping for cannabis in Ontario is currently not allowed due to lockdown restrictions. Currently, only Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Newfoundland and Labrador are the only provinces with no provincially-run distribution warehouse. Consumers could touch through an interactive display to experience Jaguar XF. Or, production can include a little more. It can be something unique and exciting that is as entertaining and memorable as possible, such as an experiential event.

According to Next Level Design , experiential events are more than the average event: they are events that people will talk about years after it takes place. For example, you can have desserts delivered by hot air balloons.

Food should be creative at a product launch event. The type of food should be made with the audience and company in mind. Instead, serve appetizers and make food stations so guests can easily walk around and try the tennis racquet.

Before the event takes place, create your messaging to promote the product. According to HubSpot , product messaging should include a tagline, the problem the product solves, a list of key features, a value prop, and a word positioning statement. Another way to promote your product and event is to write an article on your blog leading up to the event. Give prospective attendees an idea of what they can expect — from the entertainment at the event to a description on what type of product you are launching.

Write a follow-up article after the event to discuss what took place. Interview attendees, interview your product marketing manager, and describe the event experience. Kristen McCabe at G2 Crowd writes that the first step to finding the right event venue is to determine its cost. Ask the venue, What is your maximum capacity? Eventbrite suggests finding a venue that will provide the right atmosphere for your event. For example, if you are launching a new app for musicians, feature a live music performance at a small and intimate concert hall.

Messaging at and around your event should be easy to understand. This is done by using the following:. Feedback from the entire user base in gray drowns out the feedback from your target segment in blue. Like retention curves show how well you're able to retain users over time and deliver on the promised value.

Without segmenting your audience, this, too, can result in a slow validation process. Launching to everyone results in lower retention rates over time.

In reality and in practice, this is 10X more difficult than we actually think it is It's highly unlikely that you'll find that diamond in the rough in hindsight if you fill your system with needless data. The result is that it takes much longer to deliver on a product that meets the needs of the right segment of your audience. Users have only so much attention to give your product. It's in your best interest to be protective of their experiences and avoid bombarding them with irrelevant messages that test their patience.

Brian used the analogy of a fuel tank that can be filled with all the items users want. He explained that these are things that add value, meet user needs, and result in a positive experience. But fuel can also be removed from the tank — for example, irrelevant messages consume fuel. Standard, linear product launch strategies target all users, an approach that depletes the fuel tank and threatens successful future launches.

The goal for launches is to create a long-term, sustainable growth strategy. Reforge thinks about their sustainable growth strategy as a qualitative growth model grounded in strong communication.

This includes various components, like publishing and endorsements, categorized by acquisition loops that feed the system and by habit loops that manage retention. The problem is that a lot of time and energy goes into thinking about launches and little time goes into making sure the strategy behind them leads to medium- and long-term growth.

It's there to jump-start that engine and the sustainable system. So you do you improve product launches? Stop launching to the masses and start small. Instead of the standard product launch strategy, use a more detailed, five-part loop based on TBH's approach to growth: Launch a vastly different product experience to specific communities in order to reach critical mass.

Start by defining your target audience. Brian explained that instead of blasting your entire audience with your product or feature, you should use product development to build products and features for specific audiences. Once you've scoped out your audience, define it so that you're targeting the people most likely to have already had an experience with your products that exceeded their expectations. Next, get in front of these people. Use tactics like Hacker News, email, paid ads, press releases, a changelog to announce product changes , referrals, Medium blog posts, and Product Hunt to promote your product or feature to your audience.

Once you have your audience's attention, find the users most likely to appreciate and understand the beta version of your product or feature. Who are your early adopters? Brian explained that sharing your launch with your target group is a little like casting a net. You're going to find some people who fit the scope you've defined, and others who aren't an exact fit. Filtering helps you get to the right audience.

For example, their company, its size, their role, and the location. This includes information you gather from sales and support conversations if you're launching a feature within an existing product.

This offers good friction and helps you find your target audience. For example, use surveys, wait-lists, and special-access lists that incentivize the right people to join. Brian pointed out that narrowing down your target audience makes it easier to get to success signals than if you target everyone at once. If it doesn't, this means it is cannibalizing another part of the product. A better scenario is to introduce features that support the product and have a positive effect on the retention curve.