Understand what the purpose of the product is, where it will be used, how often, and by whom. This detail may affect a decision lower on the list, such as budget, color,  delivery time, warehousing, etc.

If the product will be sold retail, will it be sold online through the store at DiscoverHealing.com or will it be sold only at live events?

Find out what the retail selling price will be. Generally it is best to set the retail price on products at least twice what we pay so we completely cover our upfront costs, plus the warehousing costs that will follow later on.

You will need to know some specifications on what the new product should have, such as:

Size, color, material content, logo placement, special instructions, artwork, ease of use, packaging, etc. Each product will have a different list, but this is generally what you need to know.

Find out if the company's DiscoverHealing logo will need to be placed on the product. Find out the logo size, color, finish and placement desired.

For information on logo artwork files, go to: https://discoverhealing.screenstepslive.com/admin/v2/sites/3030/manuals/77372/chapters/316122/articles/877161

Find out how many will be needed for this time.

Remember that sometimes printing and manufacturing errors occur, so plan on getting extras to allow for that.

Ask if it is likely that you will need to order more in the future? Knowing this will help you avoid choosing a product that is being discontinued.

From the Executive Team get the range of approved amount to spend on the project for the quantity desired. Be aware of extra set-up printing fees, shipping, tax, etc and include these in the budget.

Find vendors for what you need made. Be specific with your list of requirements.

Ask for samples. Get price quotes for different tier quantities. It is not unusual to get a discount when ordering large quantities. Ask for all discounts they offer for new customers, repeat customers, sales, promo codes, etc. Note their payment terms.

Create a google sheet to track this information to compare vendors. Update notes as you hear back from each vendor and be specific to easily reference later if needed. Note their sample quality and responsiveness to your questions.

Choose the best vendor by comparing those on your sheet. Use the criteria that matters most in making the decision. (It could be turn-around time, quality, price, etc.)

Here is a example comparing different magnet vendors that shows the kinds of info to track. On the magnet project, having top quality was the most important  consideration, so seeing all the samples was very important. The vendor we ended up choosing is marked in orange and they did a great job!

Find out when the product is needed and allow extra time.

There are sometimes delays with shipping carriers due to busy season, holidays, other circumstances beyond control.

Find out possible shipping carriers available and costs involved with choosing delivery time frames. Generally the faster something is needed, the shipping becomes more costly.

Find out where the product will be stored, whether it is at our warehouse or a staff member's office.

The warehouse we use to store and fulfill (most of) our physical products is at:

Selery Salt Lake Warehouse

720 Gladiola St Suite C,

Salt Lake City, UT 84104

Caution: Be aware of warehouse policies and requirements that must be met before they accept new products. Some items (such as T-shirts) must be individually wrapped and specifically labelled with a SKU and bar code for the warehouse to accept them. Confirm with the warehouse account manager that all requirements will be met.

Before any new products are shipped to the warehouse, you will need to:

1. Create new SKU(s) and possibly bar codes. Sometimes a warehouse will create the bar codes for you if they are required.

See info at: https://discoverhealing.screenstepslive.com/m/77372/l/1202630-how-to-create-a-new-sku-for-a-new-product

2. Enter product information into warehouse system (Item ID, Description, HTS Number, Country of Origin, Sales Price, Retail Price, Site ID, Status, Type, Category, Unit Measure, Weight, Width, Height, Length).

Look up HTS Numbers here: https://hts.usitc.gov/current

3. Inform our warehouse account manager to prepare shelf space.

4. Create an Expected Receipt in warehouse system to inform the receiving team that a product will be delivered.

Add the new product to the Google Sheet Product Information & Tax Codes found at: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PWI8JnDNntP9XXAr9iuci7DMScHODOL7XbUisCj2u8g/edit#gid=0

Add the product name, SKU, description, sales tax code, sales tax category, price, and measurements.

If the product will be sold though the online store, it will need to be added as a new product to WooCommerce.

Option 1: Add the new product by following instructions at the link here:

https://discoverhealing.screenstepslive.com/m/77689/l/1230229-how-to-add-a-new-product-to-online-store

OR

Option 2: Inform the IT Manager to add it to the store.

Before the product can be added to the store, you will need the official product name, product description, SKU, retail price, image, all variables (sizes, colors, styles etc. available).

Look up the Avalara Sales Tax Code for the product and add it to the description field.

For instructions on How to Look Up the Sales Tax Code for a Product, go to: https://discoverhealing.screenstepslive.com/admin/v2/sites/3030/manuals/77372/chapters/318024/articles/1203442