Kmart Consumer Laptop Bags
This project began in 2008 during a conference call with Kmart executives to discuss the possibility of selling $30-50 laptop bags aimed at 18-35 year old trendsetting consumers. The product would be sold in Kmart’s retail locations across the country and through their online store. During our meeting, several ideas were proposed, and I sketched a thumbnail of each.
Initial Ideation
Research
I performed some market research in this category to determine which products were selling best and what fashion trends were emerging at the time.
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- Convertible bags (bags that could be carried over the shoulder, or as a backpack) were starting to emerge during this time, and remain popular today.
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- Convertible bag with backpack straps.
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- Bright contrasting interior colors on bags provide an element of individuality, and aid usability by making it easier to find things.
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- Mesh pockets provide security while simultaneously making it harder to lose things.
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- This purse, which employs recycled automotive seat belts were very popular at the time, but no one was making laptop bags in this style.
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- Stainless steel accents were replacing brass, bronze and painted hardware on bags such as these.
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- Removable laptop pockets made it quicker to get through airport security.
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- Bags with windows opened up some possibilities for exploring solar powered options.
Concept Sketches
After I identified the areas to explore, I generated eight concept renderings to review with my business partner:
Presentation Boards
We selected four concepts to present to the customer, and developed presentation boards for our meeting:
Dimensioned Drawings & Samples
Kmart liked three of the four concepts, so we contracted with a manufacturer in China to produce some samples. Here are the design drawings I sent them, and two of the three resulting samples:
Ultimately this project ended up not making it to market. Kmart was struggling financially at the time and abandoned most new product development, including these bags. The project briefly gained new life when we changed material specs and met with executives from Gucci to discuss an arrangement. Ultimately, we could not come to an agreement that satisfied all parties, so for now, the samples are the only products produced.
