July 09, 2011

Review: Shelf Solution

Description: A storage solution for closet shelves
Main Pitch: "Transforms hard-to-reach shelf space into a neatly organized showcase"
Main Offer: $19.99 for one
Bonus: 2nd one (just pay P&H)
Marketer: Merchant Media
Producer: Blue Moon Studios
Website: www.ShelfSolution.com
Prediction: Unlikely to succeed

When it comes to organization, the Merchant Media/Blue Moon team knows something other marketers don't ... including me. As I've blogged before, they surprised me with Swivel Store and some other great items in this category. Such unexpected hits make me smarter, so I don't mind having had to eat a little crow. But I'm also not ready to declare open season on this category quite yet. My new favorite catch-phrase applies here as well: 'One is an anomaly; three is a category.'

That said, this product has a lot going for it. It's not just about organization: It's about getting to that "hard-to-reach shelf space" quickly and easily. That's a great promise, but it also raises an objection. It's right there in the opening negative. When you dig around on your closet's top shelf, "everything fall[s] out of place" on top of you. The solution would seem to be a product that consolidates everything, so it falls on top of you in one block.

Joking aside, the commercial does a good job handling that concern with repeated demos and lines like "folds down right in front of you" (instead of right on top of you). But then it gets to the installation part and an even bigger objection pops up. This product uses "peel and place Velcro strips." Anyone who knows Velcro and/or "peel and place" glue knows neither is great at bearing weight, so it strains credibility to think this method will actually hold the heavy stuff shown in the commercial. It's one of those situtations where the "everything on this shelf" demo could actually be a negative as well as a positive.

If those problems were fixed -- and they may not be fixable -- I'd give this one higher odds of success.