Reinventing Aquascape; From the Pumps, Packaging and Pricing

Wow! That would be one word to describe my recent trip to our factory partners in China. So would excitement, perspective and ultimately appreciation. From my side of the desk, which resides in Chicago, what I see most often is the down side of what our team produces. That is the inherent challenges that come from innovation from pushing the envelope, from creating something cutting edge, or just plain new. But seeing how far we’ve come, how much we’ve been able to do in a fast four years, despite what the economy has thrown, is nothing short of inspirational if I do say so myself.

Testing, testing and more testing. Huge quality control systems in our factories.

Aquascape has a complicated business model with multiple product lines, catalogs and distribution models. Trust me; we are working to simplify this. It’s easy to lose perspective with so many parts and pieces. My China trip really solidified however just how much the Aquascape team has created and recreated when it comes to our offerings. From pumps to fish food, fertilizers to IonGens™, from a product stand point it’s fair to say that 75% of our line has been redesigned, modified, or created in just the last few years alone. Why, you might ask? Because if you want to be successful tomorrow, you have to do something different today. And frankly, after seventeen years of double-digit growth, we had grown complacent around innovation and improvement. Not anymore! Today’s Aquascape is a mean, lean, innovation machine. From game changers like the IonGen™ to hip features like variable speed pumps this is not your father’s Aquascape. But it’s not just the products that we’ve changed, it’s everything.

If you have the greatest product on the shelf but customers can’t tell it, does it really matter? Our packaging has been redesigned as well from the ground up to tell the story today’s new consumer needs to know. And if you want to succeed in the battle of business today your price needs to be right there to convey the best overall value for the customer’s hard earned buck. Hundreds of hours were spent looking at how to slot each and every product line, and individual product, to competitively compete with what’s currently on the market.

China cemented what I already knew. The Aquascape product development team, their support staff, the marketing department and business development have invested four years of labor to get us to the point we are today. It’s been a team effort and one I’m not sure has been recognized for the scope and magnitude of what it’s accomplished. I’m so excited to see the fruits of their labor coming to fruition. And I trust you will be more than happy as well.