If you have a goal to invent something, here are some really fun opportunities for aspiring inventors, directly from Everyday Edisons newsletter . (Last year I pitched at Everyday Edisons and it was really fun! A great chance to hone a 2 minute pitch too.)
Summer Arrives this Weekend! Celebrate with a Live Product Search:
Lifetime Brands is Looking for Outdoor Cooking and BBQ Products
Just in time for grilling season, Lifetime Brands is looking for new outdoor cookware and innovative products for the BBQ.
Details on the Lifetime Brands Live Product Search:
Lifetime Brands, Inc. is North America’s leading developer, manufacturer and marketer for nationally branded kitchenware, tabletop and home decor products. Their core commitment to recognizable and powerful brands, a culture of innovation and global sourcing has made Lifetime Brands an established market leader inside the home and on major retail shelves.
Lifetime is currently looking for the next top barbeque products. The barbeque product category may include any utensils, food preparation gadgets, organizers, portables or grilling and serving aids that would be associated with barbecuing and related outdoor entertaining. Specific examples may include grilling tools or gadgets, presses, thermometers, serving utensils, carving aids, serving implements, storage containers, condiment dispensers and more. Products may be made of stainless steel, plastic, silicone, wood, or any other functional material for outdoor use. Eco-friendly materials are also encouraged.
With an in-house design and development team, Lifetime Brands holds a proven track record of innovation and new product introductions. In 2008, they launched over 4,000 new products, making them a natural fit with our tenacious Edison Nation members and their vast potential for major product ideas.
Lifetime Brands retail channels are mainstream, from high end to affordable, with distribution including mass market, department and specialty stores to home centers, supermarkets and national chains. Their leading barbeque and outdoor entertaining products are nationally branded as KitchenAid®, Farberware®, Hoffritz® and Sabatier® among others. Lifetime features more than 35 brands, many the key brands for their product category, including three of the top four kitchenware brands.
Our Biggest Live Product Search Ever: Walmart!
The world’s largest retailer is looking for sustainable or green products and they’ve come to Edison Nation to find them!
Details on the Walmart Live Product Search:
Walmart’s Live Product Search seeks sustainable/green and innovative products for their Home Division to add to their store shelves across the country. Walmart wants to introduce customers to an affordable and green lifestyle they can bring into their own homes. Innovative product ideas should feature sustainable elements that minimize impact or create a positive effect on environment and perhaps change consumer behavior.
Consider founder Sam Walton’s words: “There’s only one boss. The customer.” These sustainable home product ideas must appeal to the wide customer base Walmart attracts.
For this Live Product Search consider home product innovations that:
- May reduce energy consumption
- Operate more efficiently
- Feature improved recycling elements
- Reduce use of harmful, toxic chemicals
- Reduce or eliminate wasteful packaging
- Improve reliability
- Create less impact on our landfills
- Improve our environment
- Change consumer behavior
Walmart is looking for more sustainable versions of the following home product categories:
- Storage and Organization
- How to better organize your home, such as kitchen and living areas; laundry and closets
- Kitchen Products
- Cookware
- Kitchen gadgets
- Pots and pans
- Small appliances, such as can openers, blenders, coffee makers
- Table top items like plates, cups, glassware, silverware, etc…
- Home Décor Items such as pictures, decals, arrangements, artwork
- Indoor Furniture such as desks, tables and chairs, bookcases, TV stands, sofas etc
- Back to College products needed in the dorms such as furniture, appliances, décor, cookware
- Outdoor Furniture such as chairs, tables, umbrellas, replacement cushions, etc…
- Luggage
Click here to learn more about the Walmart Live Product Search
As Seen On TV II Live Product Search Closing Soon
If you’ve got a great idea for the As Seen On TV Live Product Search, it’s time for action! The search will be closing on July 1 so you have just under two weeks to submit your idea.
Edison Nation has partnered with some of the most successful names in Direct Response (As Seen On TV) Television (DRTV) - the same folks and producers who brought you Debbie Meyer Green Bags, Buxton Over the Shoulder Organizer, Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter, Bendaroos, Snuggie, Billy Mays Big City Slider Station, Auto Cool, Craft Lite Cutter, Floam, Smart Spin, Leg Magic, Pasta Pro, Grip ‘n Flip, Awesome Auger, Genie Instant Line Smoother, Mighty Putty, Cold Heat Soldering Tool, Gator Grip, and many more. Now they are turning to you to find the next great DRTV Product.
The best of your submissions will be presented to these partners for their possible selection as DRTV products in 2009 and beyond.
The world of DRTV has grown exponentially and we want to help you find your niche within this $24 billion dollar industry.
PetSmart is Looking for Ideas that Improve the Lives of Pets
PetSmart is looking for toy/product ideas that improve the lives of pets by keeping them active.
Details on the PetSmart Live Product Search:
PetSmart is seeking ideas for interactive toys and products that will help keep house pets of all sizes entertained!
Did you know that there are 75 million dogs in the United States, of which 30 million get a stocking with their name on it each Christmas? It’s true. In fact, Americans love their pets so much that they spent more than $40 billion last year on products for their pooches, 88 million cats, 16 million birds and millions of other small animals, fish and reptiles. But there’s a category of pet products that could use some fresh new ideas.
PetSmart, the largest specialty retailer of services and solutions for the lifetime needs of pets, has partnered with Edison Nation to find interactive toys and products that help keep house pets of all shapes and sizes entertained. Your favorite pair of shoes shouldn’t be Rover’s favorite chew-toy; and your sofa shouldn’t be Baxter’s first choice of attack when she’s feeling frisky.
PetSmart is all about keeping pets happy and healthy, and about finding innovative new ways pets and pet parents can enjoy life together. In more than 1,000 U.S. and Canadian stores and on their Web site, PetSmart carries more than 13,000 unique and useful products… and there is room for yours, too.
When pets get bored they can become mischievous and destructive, which is bad for you and your belongings. But more importantly, boredom is also unhealthy for animals and can lead to:
- Barking or other attention seeking behavior
- Chewing, digging or scratching
- Shorter life expectancy
- Separation anxiety
- Inappropriate elimination
- Begging
- Chasing
- Weight gain
- Biting
- Aggression towards people or other animals
We are not looking for ordinary litter boxes, treats or leashes. We want to see products that improve the lives of pets and pet parents. For this Live Product Search, identify a problem you are experiencing that is likely shared by many pet owners, and provide a solution. The product may be geared toward dogs, cats, birds, fish or small animals like geckos, hamsters or ferrets. The solution must have features that benefit both the lives of the pet and the pet parent, and safety is always a must!
Live Product Search: Yahoo! Make it Green
Yahoo! Make It Green is looking for do-it-yourself ideas that improve lives and help our planet.
This Live Product Search is a little different from our other searches. Yahoo! has built an entire site dedicated to allowing their members to vote on the best do-it-yourself green ideas. They’ve even subsidized the $25 entry fee so that it is only $10 per idea.
You have the ability to decide whether a snapshot of your idea will be considered for publication to the Yahoo! site. Ultimately, the best ideas will be presented not only to Yahoo! but our entire portfolio of retail and manufacturing partners, including a few who haven’t even launched searches yet.
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Goals to drive particular cars seem small in the big picture, but boy can they be rewarding!
