Who We Are
Impact Products is an American-owned company based in Hong Kong that specializes in product development and supply-chain management for the direct-response television (DRTV) industry. Also known as the “As Seen on TV” business, this industry has many unique challenges that require specific expertise. This includes experience in high-volume manufacturing, the ability to support a speed-to-market strategy, complete confidentiality and careful quality control. Impact excels in each of these areas.
Our team of American and Chinese professionals is fluent in English, Mandarin and Cantonese. As Americans, we understand US standards of quality and the rapidly changing demands of the American marketplace. As experts in Asian business practices, we know how to negotiate to price, build relationships of trust and get things done in the most effective and efficient manner possible. As a result, we offer our clients a powerful and unique advantage over their competition.
Most importantly, we understand DRTV because we come from DRTV. Our founder began as a procurement manager for one of the oldest and most respected “As Seen on TV” companies, and our team has more than 20 years of experience supplying some of the biggest hits in industry history.
How we started
Our founder, Bill Quarless, started his career as a procurement manager for one of the oldest and most respected DRTV companies in the business. He experienced firsthand all of the problems and frustrations companies face when buying products from China. At the time, there were few factories that understood the DRTV industry and its unique requirements for success: speed to market, fast ramp-up times and high-volume production. Knockoffs were rampant and corruption ever-present. Few valued secrecy or cared about intellectual property. No one was on the ground looking out for the American company’s best interests, and none specialized exclusively in DRTV production.
With the unique advantage of both coming from a top DRTV company and being a buyer/procurement manager dealing with the problems in China, Bill founded Hong Kong-based Impact Products in 2002. He specifically created and built Impact to be the ultimate sourcing and supply company to the DRTV industry.
Our Mission & Key Principles
Our mission is always to remain a top supplier to the DRTV industry.
In order to accomplish this, we focus on the things that matter most to DRTV companies:
Fast ramp-up times
As an industry leader and longtime client always says: “You can’t sell from an empty shelf.” This is especially true in DRTV where the clock starts ticking as soon as the initial test is successful. Speed to market is critical, which is why we excel at delivering a large volume of goods in a short period of time.
High-volume production
We understand that retail commitments must be fulfilled no matter what. As a result, we developed the ability to replicate molds quickly and expand production as needed. All of our product managers are also engineers with unique experience in meeting high-volume needs.
Integrity and confidentiality
In Asia, trust goes far beyond mere pieces of paper (which are typically useless anyway) to creating long-term, personal relationships. Yet as a great American president was fond of saying, it’s prudent to “trust but verify.” We have built high-integrity relationships with all of our partner factories but also maintain a constant presence on the ground in order to safeguard production. We also covertly mark molds, split the production of components between factories, use outside printers for packaging, conduct most product development in-house and use many other methods to protect our clients’ confidentiality.
Competition-based pricing
Because we understand DRTV, we’re aware that retail margins are tight and running a sustainable DRTV campaign is a significant challenge these days. We also recognize that DRTV is a volume business. Our pricing reflects that understanding. In addition, over the last two decades, we have developed advanced sourcing strategies and a competitive bidding model to ensure factories constantly work toward the lowest cost of goods possible. All things being equal, we guarantee the best prices in the industry.
Multi-layer quality control
We recognize that a single defective issue can cripple a DRTV campaign and that negative online reviews can snowball and lead to the failure of what otherwise would have been a successful project. With this in mind, we employ multiple layers of quality control. We have our own QA department with a team that does nothing else but ensure all products meet or exceed required standards. We also have our own product-testing facility and review online consumer reviews on a weekly basis to preemptively address potential issues. We believe that product improvement is an ongoing process, so our engineers and QA specialists continually work together to ensure our products are the best they can possibly be.
“We understand the unique needs of the DRTV industry because we come from the DRTV industry and have spent more than 20 years serving its needs.”
Bill Quarless, Founder and CEO
Management Team
Meet the key executives in charge of bringing products to market.