It may sound cliché, but it’s true: As a consumer brand, your products speak louder than any marketing ever could. As Lindsey Kawamura, Head of Product Development & Production at Halfdays knows well, the product that arrives at your customer’s doorstep is your brand’s most influential touchpoint. This is why quality control should be a top priority for any product-based company. 

Below, Lindsey shares 3 key ways brands can build QC processes to ensure every customer loves their product enough to come back again and again. 

“As a product-based company, your product is the only thing that speaks to the customer. If it fails them, they won't come back. It's really important to implement quality control as soon as possible.” 

Tactic #1: Prioritize QC from day one

You’d be surprised by how many brands forget to think about quality control entirely. But simply thinking about who should be trusted to create and check your products is an essential first step. 

When it comes to the quality of your products, your trust should be hard to earn. In Lindsey’s case, she and the Halfdays team trust Factored Quality to be ethical, diligent, and reliable across the board. 

“You unfortunately hear a lot about people being paid under the table to just look the other way. Finding a company you can trust to be reliable and ethical as well is really important here.” 

Tactic #2: Don’t fear of trial by fire

In an ideal world, you could travel to all of your factories and tour them to understand their setup, meet with their business references, etc. However, if that’s not possible, there is nothing wrong with: 

1. Taking a chance on a solid factory
2. Gauging how their processes hold up
3. Pivoting away from them if you need to

It may feel clinical or cutthroat to test partners out, but the end product results are what matter to your customers. So, those results should be what matters to you, too. 

“You can work with a potential production partner for a couple of seasons and see how it goes. If they’re not getting you the results you need, then you clearly have to pivot.” 

Tactic #3: Test the product yourself

The Halfdays team goes to great lengths to examine product quality personally. For instance: 

• They hold weekly fittings on multiple body types to ensure their gear actually fits the wide range of sizes they promise. 

• They stress-test their goods on the slopes or the hiking trail to ensure their gear holds up under the conditions it’s made for. 

If your product can be put to the test and come out unscathed on the other side, you know you have reliable manufacturers and QC agents in your corner. That’s ultimately why Halfdays partners with Factored Quality: So they can ensure that their team (and, as a result, their customers) are confident wearing their products outside in the elements. 

“Make sure you're actually using your own products. Then, ensure your production is actually coming out the way you want it to. That is a huge part of the process for product-based companies.”