WoodOX Sling Ergonomic Impact Study

In 2019 a team from Fairfield University's School of Engineering (CT) conducted an ergonomic impact study of the LogOX 3-in-1 Forestry MultiTool. The team used BioPac Electromyography (EMG) technology to measure the muscular strain caused by performing different movements, by comparing the muscle's electrical outputs with and without using the LogOX Hauler specifically, to lift and move log rounds. Their work was peer-reviewed and published in the October 2019 edition of the Journal of Innovative Ideas in Engineering and Technology . We would like to conduct a similar ergonomic experiment to serve as a proof of concept for our WoodOX Sling firewood carrying device, comparing its ergonomic advantages to both carrying the same amount of firewood by hand and with a typical firewood bag. The hypothesis to empirically quantify and then verify or reject is whether or not the WoodOX Sling reduces strain across the user's body when compared to bringing firewood indoors using these other methods. Like the Fairfield Study, we believe similar methodologies and equipment could be used to test this hypothesis. We will provide both a WoodOX Sling and standard firewood bag to test. Ideally, we would like to see the results in a final report suitable for submission to an academic journal for publication consideration.

LogOX Competitive Analysis

It’s important for us to have a better understanding of how our target audience perceives our brand and competitors. We want to develop clarity on our competitive advantages and optimize our marketing strategy. This project will include: Identification of our current competitors Identification of potential future competitors (eg. a large company in a similar industry that may enter the space) The creation of a matrix identifying features shared across the companies and those that are different. A summary of 2-4 paragraphs describing our competitive advantages and disadvantages relative to the competition identified. This could be done in the form of a SWOT analysis. We will give you access to organizational assets to support this project such as personnel, website analytics, sales and brand collateral, and more. We can suggest names of competitors to research. Objective We hope to gain a comprehensive understanding of the competitors in our space and how we can differentiate ourselves through our product/service offering, and our messaging.

Customer Audience Growth Research

We're a fast-growing, family-owned, American forestry and firewood heating accessory company based in Vermont. Over the past four years that we've been in business, we've developed a solid understanding of both our core customer base as well as our industry overall. When we expanded from primarily manufacturing the LogOX 3-in-1 Forestry MultiTool and its accessories, to introducing the ergonomic WoodOX Sling firewood carrier and Hearth Bin Firewood Rack in 2018-19 it further added to the complexity of our target market audience analysis and crossed over into a new (and larger) industry of firewood heating accessory products. For this project, we'd like to segment our B2C retail customers into two groups, one for the LogOX 3-in-1 Forestry MultiTool and one for the WoodOX Sling/Hearth Bin, and analyze their online behavior. While there is certainly the potential for overlap, not everyone who cuts down trees heats with firewood, and likewise, not everyone who heats with firewood cuts down their own trees. This article from industrial design magazine Core77 gives a good overview of the founding of our company and the impetus for creating the LogOX out of necessity. With assistance from LogOX co-founders and using prior sales and traffic data, students will be asked to consider the driving motivations, "pain points," demographics, geographic locations, and other characteristics of potential customers who would be most likely to purchase these products. In doing so, the student team will develop a detailed "customer avatar" or "dream customer" and put themselves in that customer's shoes. Upon defining the "dream customer" characteristics for these B2C segments, students will be asked to research and identify: 10+ top websites and forums they spend time on. 15+ active Facebook groups they participate in. 50+ influencers they follow on Facebook and Instagram 30+ podcasts they listen to. 20+ email newsletters they subscribed to. 20+ blogs they actively read. 25+ YouTube channels they subscribe to. The follow-up question to this part of the exercise is delivering recommendations for how best to also market to individuals who find themselves in need of LogOX products, but don't normally subscribe to niche information platforms (i.e. homesteading, DIY, etc). The intent behind this research is to identify not only a relatable customer profile with specific needs and other characteristics that we can tailor our message to, but also identify where they are most likely to congregate online and market our products directly to them in as cost-effective of a manner as possible. We are open to modifications and suggestions from the team and professor on the deliverables for this project in order to achieve the intent of these goals and build upon them.

B2B Marketing Strategy

As per course outline