Minimum viable product: test it on your list before you buy the stock
The smallest version of an idea you can put in front of real customers. For a product brand that's a small batch or a pre-order, never a worse product.
- 083Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
- A product with just enough features to satisfy early customers and provide feedback for future development.
- Borrowed from
- Software, where a rough first version is cheap to fix
- For a product brand
- A limited run, a pre-order or a waitlist
- Tested on
- Your engaged customers first, through email and SMS
- Measured by
- Sign-ups, deposits and orders, not compliments
Why a physical MVP is a small batch, not a rough draft
In software, a rough first version is fine. You fix it on Tuesday and everyone gets the update. A physical product doesn't update. Your first customers keep the one you sent, and they'll judge the whole brand on it.
So for a product brand the minimum is in the quantity, not the quality. One flavour instead of four. A limited run instead of a full range. A pre-order instead of a warehouse full of stock. The product still has to be good enough to put your name on.
Testing demand on your own list before you order stock
Your email list is the cheapest test audience you'll ever have. They already buy from you, they'll tell you the truth, and you can reach them this afternoon without paying for a click.
- A teaser to your engaged segment, linking to a waitlist page
- One question in the email, which colour or which size, saved as zero-party data you can segment on
- A pre-order or a deposit for the people who said yes
- An alert to the waitlist the day it goes on sale
Watch what people do, not what they say. Clicks and sign-ups tell you about curiosity. Deposits and pre-orders tell you about demand, and they're the only signal that costs the customer something.
A minimum viable email programme for a new brand
The same thinking works for your email. A new brand doesn't need every flow in the library on day one. It needs the few that catch the most money, built properly, with the rest added as the list grows.
- Sending set up properly on your own domain, with consent recorded
- A sign-up form and a welcome series
- Abandoned checkout and abandoned cart flows
- A post purchase flow that asks for the second order
Get those right and you've got something to learn from. The flow library shows what comes after.
Related terms
FAQs
How do I test a new product idea with my email list?
Send a short teaser to your engaged customers and ask them to join a waitlist or answer one question. Then offer a pre-order or a deposit to the people who said yes. Sign-ups show interest, but money down shows demand, so size the first run on deposits, not on compliments.
Is a pre-order a minimum viable product?
It's one of the best versions for a product brand. You take money for something before you've made much of it, so you learn whether people will pay without risking a full production run. Be honest about the delivery date in every email, because a late pre-order spends trust you'll need later.
What's the minimum email setup for a new ecommerce brand?
Proper sending setup on your own domain, a sign-up form with a welcome series, abandoned checkout and cart flows, and a post purchase flow. That covers the moments with the most money in them. Add browse abandonment, winback and the rest once there's enough traffic and enough customers to make them pay.
Rather we explained it on your own account?
Bring your Klaviyo account to a growth consultation. We'll walk through what this means for your numbers, in plain English, and what we'd fix first.
Half an hour with Theo, our founder.
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