AON Invent is quickly becoming known as the "go-to" resource for both individual inventors and manufacturers of consumer goods, but did you know we also provide product innovation for retailers?
Every day your buyers receive calls from inventors, many of whom are your customers. Every caller is convinced they have an idea for the next hot selling product. Unfortunately, no one in your company has the time to sift through the hundreds of calls and emails necessary to find the occasional diamond in the rough.
Turning "great ideas" into "great products" may not be the business you are in, but it is the business that your company depends on to remain relevant. At AON Invent we call this the Innovation Paradox and have created a solution that is changing the way innovation goes to market by transforming those unsolicited calls into product innovations for retailers.
The process begins with our team of product experts fielding those unsolicited calls that no retailer really wants to take. We assess each concept on the basis of commercial merit, manufacturing requirements, and applicability for patent protection. Viable items are given "3 stars" and routed back to the merchandising team of the referring retailer in a 60 second video that can be viewed at their convenience.
Think about it: all the benefits of hundreds of hours of inventor interaction, condensed into 60 seconds. And when you see something you want on your shelves, you have the option of licensing the item and either sourcing it yourself or referring it to one of your suppliers as a line extension. In either case our in-house design and engineering team can help get the new item to your registers 6-12 months faster than conventional methods, while lowering the net product-development cost and driving sales... because in this digital age, there is nothing more important than innovation for retailers and "merchandise innovation" is the most important part of the e-quation.
Would you like to turn those unsolicited inventor calls into innovative products? Then let's talk about how your company can tap into the creative genius of the American consumer. CONTACT US
Meet The Minds Behind AON Invent
About Larry
Larry is the CEO and Co-founder of AON Invent. He has a proven track record across industries that include tech, retail, and financial services. While at Sam’s Club, Larry developed their first proactive sales strategy, which was credited with some of the largest same-store increases in company history.
He later teamed up with Ron Loveless to launch a product development firm that grossed $500 million in the first 3 years. He has vetted hundreds of individual product concepts and marketing strategies.
About Ron
Ron is the former SVP of hardline merchandise at Walmart, founding CEO of Sam’s Club, and author of “Walmart Inside Out.”
In 1979 Ron was named Assistant to the President, Sam Walton, and put on special assignments that included designing a new store prototype and writing Walmart’s Buyers Training Manual. As CEO of Sam’s Club, Ron led the company from inception to annual sales of $1.5 Billion in just 3 years.
His retail acumen made him a highly sought consultant for consumer product companies around the world. Ron was an original member of AON Invent’s product evaluation panel where he served until is passing in 2016
About Ben
Ben White has an extensive background in retail, infomercials, and media placement. He co-founded D2C Marketing, a company that provides low-cost testing of consumer products, and he also served in senior executive positions at Home Shopping Network. Under his leadership, HSN was the first to introduce entertainers to its sales programming, with celebrity appearances tied to select product lines for Susanne Sommers, Ivana Trump, Connie Stevens, Frankie Avalon, Tony Little, Vanna White, Dick Clark, WWE, NASCAR, and many others.
Ben is currently President of Star Shoppe Direct, LLC, a celebrity-driven and licensed-related product marketing company. He is also the owner and co-founder of Frankie Avalon Foods, a line of Italian products currently sold on QVC.
About Andrew
Andrew Bojie is the Co-founder of AON Invent and the founder of All Product Design, a consumer product development company located in NW Arkansas. He began his career with a mechanical engineering apprenticeship with the UK Ministry of Defense and spent the next 18 years honing his engineering and design skills within the retail industry, with a focus on packaging, display, and product design.
Andrew is also an inventor himself and holds a number of patents, which has given him keen insight into the challenges of taking innovation to market while fueling his passion to aid fellow inventors in kind.