Modere is a multi-level marketing (MLM) company selling products in over 20 countries around the world. As an older company having recently gone through a complete company rebrand including name change (formerly Neways) their household product line needed a revamp as well. Every product from laundry detergent to dishwashing soap was reimagined to fit diverse consumer markets and align with changing product preferences.
The majority of sales for Modere occur in Japan where living space is at a premium due to population concentration and geography constraints. This leads to a preference in smaller product packaging and more compact cleaning machinery than is often found in the rest of the world. In order to accommodate these unique consumer characteristics while maintaining cross market product appeal a revamped line of products were created. Featuring new on trend packaging and concentrated formulas these new products told a cohesive story of “Live Clean” (the new slogan for Modere).
New transparent and translucent packaging featuring easy to use designs differentiated the household products from competitors by conveying a message of cleanliness and a literal transparency in the ingredients used. All products were certified greywater safe further solidifying the ecofriendly and family safety attributes. Prices were lowered (margins lowered as well) as research showed a high price elasticity. The decrease in margins would be made up in the increased unit sales. All this resulted in Initial yearlong forecasts being sold through in just 3 months after launch.
Diverse Consumer Preferences
Universal product and packaging design was crucial for the success of this project. While Japan accounts for the majority of sales, other markets contributions were significant. One example of how this shaped product design was in the automatic dishwashing soap. Japan’s dishwashing machines are very small, only able to hold a few plates and eating utensils at a time. Dishwashing machines in the United States and Western Europe are much larger, oftentimes 4-5 times the size. The previous dishwashing product was a single use pod designed for larger machines. This product was not suitable for the smaller Japanese machines and was thus not sold there. This product was replaced by a dishwasher gel allowing smaller machines to use less product and vice versa. The replacement product capitalized on economies of scale and simplified messaging overall.
