It Looked Good on Me When I Bought It…What Happened?

Mary loved coffee…and so did her three sets of pants and shirts which she rotated wearing each week at the office. Mary was confident she would remove her coffee stains. Her new washer and dryer had just been delivered this morning, and with the just-purchased bottle of liquid detergent, her official work attire would soon look like new again. An hour later, when Mary opened the washer, she was no longer so confident. Her colored shirts had faded. Her pants had shrunk. Everything felt scratchy, and the coffee stains were staring back at her. What had happened? She had the state-of-the-art laundry equipment, the best and most advanced laundry detergent and the newest stain-resistant office wear. Mary didn't know whom to blame, but she was very frustrated and disappointed. Mary was no longer confident in herself, or in the products that had seemingly let her down.

A real situation? All too real, and such examples are on the increase as new technologies emerge rapidly and simultaneously from different sectors of the apparel care value chain. This paper, authored by Jon Jacoby, CCRC board member representing GE Consumer & Industrial, describes how CCRC is using open market innovation practices to improve consumer satisfaction with every phase of home clothing care.

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