Table of Contents
Successfully Launching your IoT product is not easy. Read on to find out more on how you can maximise your launch's success.
How to Launch Your IoT Products Successfully?
Launching a product is always a challenge but establishing a new product in a crowded market is even more. Unfortunately, many companies make the mistake of assuming that their product is so innovative that it will automatically succeed in the market.
However, if you want to ensure your IoT product launch's success, there are several things you need to do before, during and after the launch.
What Are IoT Products?
IoT, or Internet of Things, is used for physical devices that can connect to the internet to collect and share data. Modern life is immersed in IoT products– innovations such as smartwatches, smart homes and mobile devices have revolutionised the way people engage with the world. But these technologies are not limited to personal convenience. They also have the power to transform and improve businesses. Once integrated into the workplace, smart products such as televisions, cameras, locks, Wi-Fi routers and more will facilitate positive change towards more efficient practises and business models.
For example, IoT devices have been developed to automate hazardous tasks in the mining industry, creating a safer workplace for employees. In the health and safety sector, IoT has been used to identify a user's proximity with a COVID-19 case and alert them.
These products will continue to affect the relationship between business and technology, so it is essential to understand how the commercial IoT landscape operates. Here is some important information you need to know to ensure your IoT product launch is successful.
1. Identify The Right Partner To Work With
If you want to ensure success in your IoT product, choose an EMS that has IoT experience, i.e.:
IoT devices often have a complex integration of hardware and software. Creating a high-quality and effective product requires more than simple plug-in modules or a bus interface. The complexity of IoT products necessitates a comprehensive manufacturing approach.
Choosing an electronic manufacturing service (EMS) that can produce your IoT device according to the highest standards and provide continual support will give your product a higher chance of long-term success.
The EMS provider you choose should have experience manufacturing similar devices to yours. It may seem obvious, but an EMS provider specialising in LTE-M technologies for an agricultural market may not be the best provider for your BLE-based product marketing towards the robotics industry. Instead, choose an EMS provider with relevant experience in your field to ensure your product is manufactured to a high standard.
When selecting an EMS provider, ensure that their design process incorporates practises from various disciplines. When producing your devices, there should be proper cyber security, supply chain management, PCB assembly, and effective testing methodologies.
Producing IoT devices with advanced capabilities at a high volume is slowly moving beyond the capacity of many electronic manufacturing companies in Singapore. Rather than outsourcing these elements to a handful of specialists, select a company that can streamline the process without compromising quality. This will make the manufacturing process simpler for you and your EMS provider.
2. Understand The Requirements Of Your IoT Product
When formulating and marketing your IoT product, make sure you understand and advertise the problem it is addressing. If you cannot articulate this, your product launch may be overshadowed by more competitive options.
When advertising your IoT product, identify the need it is serving. For example, will it cut costs long term for a local government? Will it limit on-site injuries? Will it make data collection more efficient? Ensure you understand what your audience needs, and then discuss the specifics of how your IoT product can solve it.
Identifying a need is not enough to sell your Internet of Things product. Instead, highlight how the device would address their needs better than alternatives. Get specific and delve into the advantages of your product. For example, an organisation may struggle with its costly and complex mechanical devices. An IoT device will assist with predictive maintenance to maximise performance and minimise downtime, allowing the company to perform their tasks more efficiently.
3. Have A Proper Design & Development Process
The design and development process is essential to the success of your IoT product. Effective design can ensure that high data and physical security is maintained in the device. In addition, businesses can assure clients that the IoT product will convey their data securely by expressing how security measures have factored into the design and development process.
When designing a product , consider the complications in the mechanical design, the RF design of an IoT product and low power and security. These factors can intersect in unexpected ways when innovating a new product. Effective design, testing and redesign will ensure your IoT device performs optimally.
Design an elegantly simple and effective device by testing, adjusting and re-testing. An effective design and development process will also ensure rigorous testing is performed on the IoT device. This allows the device to operate as designed and optimise these operations.
If you require assistance in the electronic design and manufacturing process, consider contracting an EMS to work alongside your organisation. PCI Limited is a reputable and long-established EMS with extensive experience developing novel IoT devices and re-engineering pre-existing devices to connect to the cloud.
4. Ensure Effective IoT Production Testing
IoT devices are complex and vary widely. Effective IoT production testing can assure potential clients and save you a headache later.
IoT production testing is part of the manufacturing process. The chips are first soldered onto the circuit board. Next, several tests are conducted to ensure the device functions according to its design. These tests are performed using reputable techniques, varying depending on the operation and design of the device. The electronics will then be placed inside their casings once testing is completed.
The first part involves testing the electronics to ensure that the circuits are connected correctly and that any buttons are directing information to the right place. This is followed by IoT production testing, which is more nuanced.
All IoT devices have a wireless radio built into them, but that is where the similarities end. IoT products have custom hardware components and behaviours that require innovative testing procedures to ensure the device operates as intended. IoT production testing will investigate the wireless radio component and any custom testing required.
Test the wireless radio link on three bases. First is the signal strength of the radio. If the signal is weak, it may indicate a manufacturing problem with the antenna, adversely affecting the product's performance. A tester will then ascertain whether the device can connect to the cloud to store and transmit information. Finally, the radio testing process concludes by ensuring that the device can update its firmware over the air.
These three factors are essential to a functioning IoT device and will be performed by any reputable electronic contract manufacturing company.
Why Do IoT Product Launches Still Fail?
Despite the best efforts of your organisation, your IoT product launch may still fall through. Examine some of the risks associated with your IoT and ameliorate them where possible.
Lack Of Security
Lack of security is the historical reason why IoTs have failed. Early devices did not have access to the infrastructure to institute effective cybersecurity measures. With modern hardware and machine learning technology innovations, it is now easier than ever to establish IoT device security.
Take advantage of the innovations in IoT security to ensure your device is well-protected. PCI Limited can help with the security of IoT devices, including secure boot and firmware update services, secure authentication and transmission of data, hardware and software tamper-proofing and engaging third-party vendors to help with penetration testing.
Complex Implementation & Lack Of Specialists
Organisations may struggle with complex and costly implementation, particularly when innovating a novel IoT. Alongside a lack of IoT skilled specialists in the field, the task of developing an IoT can become expensive and daunting. Account for both materials and innovation costs before the design to ensure the sale of your IoT device is sustainable.
Like most modern technologies,IoT has come under criticism as superfluous. As a result, some companies struggle to identify the value of IoT-generated data. This is where a thought-out marketing strategy is effective. First, emphasise how IoT devices that can process information in real-time will gain actionable insights for your target audience.
The obstacles your launch will face depend on the industry and technology that your device is designed for. Keep updated on innovations in relevant fields and ensure that your product is sustainable for your business and clients.
Launch Your IoT Products With Help From Experts in the Industry
When it comes to helping organisations develop high-quality IoT products, it is best to work with an EMS with a long history of effective innovation practises.
PCI Limited has experience helping IoT customers with edge devices to the gateway. We can assist customers with these devices and gateways, including integrating a customer-selected AI module into the products. We specialise in designing and manufacturing Radio Frequency, wireless connectivity technologies and enhancing the user-end experience of IoT devices. Other specialisations include embedding radio modules and bridging firmware applications into existing products to complete IoT solutions. We adhere to global standards, such as using LoRa, Sigfox, NB-IoT, LTE-M, Zigbee, RFID, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Cellular 3G/4G and GNSS. This makes your IoT device more ruggedised and improves its security and RF performance.
If you need a competent EMS to help develop quality IoT products, get in touch with our team of experts today.