In this article, we share our experience of sourcing a high-quality SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) therapy light for one of our long-term customers. Having collaborated successfully for three years, there is a strong foundation of trust and mutual respect between us. This story highlights how we met their needs through careful planning and market research. Whether you are considering sad light therapy lamps or simply interested in our process, we invite you to read on and discover the value we bring to our clients.
Initial Inquiry of SAD Therapy Light
The customer asked me to help him find some SAD THERAPY LIGHT products in June 2023, and she was interested in purchasing them.
I quickly looked for such products and learned that with the accelerated pace of modern life and the increase in work pressure, more and more people are suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder. SAD Therapy Light, also known as phototherapy light, has become an effective tool to alleviate this emotional disorder. Phototherapy light simulates natural daylight to help regulate the body’s biological clock, improve mood, increase energy and concentration. In recent years, as people pay more attention to mental health, the market demand for phototherapy light has grown rapidly, becoming a common health aid in homes and offices.
Then I learn about the best-selling products on some retail platforms and also find some factories in the market, about 3~4 of them, one of which is large in scale, and several others are smaller but have their own production lines. I contacted the sales staff of these factories and learned the recommended their best-selling products. I found that most SAD THERAPY LIGHT had basically the same functions.
- POWER SUPPLY: Most products require a converter, some products can be connected to a USB cable (the manufacturer does not provide a converter), and some products are rechargeable. This obviously causes different costs.
- Color temperature: Products on the market usually have three color temperatures (about 3000K~6500K): warm yellow, warm white and cold white, which is also the color temperature range of natural light.
- Brightness: Most products have two adjustment methods, one is to adjust several levels through buttons, and the other is stepless adjustment, which can be achieved by long pressing the button.
- Timing: The timing function is a standard configuration, with 10 minutes, 15 minutes, or 20 minutes as a level, usually 3~6 levels, and the longest time is one hour.
Later, I sent the customer a quotation sheet, with a total of 4~5 models, the products are as follows:
2023 Popular SAD Light--R30
2023 Popular SAD Light—R22
2023 Popular SAD Light—Round
2023 Popular SAD Light—Low Cost
Second Inquiry
Time flies. In May 2024, the customer told me that he planned to continue this project this year and gave me a picture like this:
I searched the picture and found that this is one of the best-selling products of Happy Light, covered by patent pending. So I immediately told the customer that we can’t provide this product, and it’s better not to purchase it, because it may cause unnecessary trouble. After receiving the email, the customer replied soon:
“We are very open to seeing other designs, we don’t want to be the same as the mainstream design, and we don’t want to conflict with other companies because of patent issues inadvertently. Can you recommend some other products? New products with good functions or advantages? Products that can make us stand out in the market?”
I realized that the customer gave me GREAT TRUST! How can I recommend a suitable sad therapy light?
Sourcing SAD Lights with New Features
I reviewed last year’s quotations, checked related products and retail platforms, and further clarified that the differences in this type of product are mainly reflected in the lamp’s shape and the bracket’s style. Most factories develop lamps in rectangular or round shapes, and the brackets are either included with the product or separate.
These functions are not very different in sad therapy light products, so they are not the fundamental reason to choose. How do you stand out in the market? In addition to the appearance, are there other factors? For example, new functions?
I asked all the previous suppliers one by one to see if there were any new products this year. Soon, I learned the following information
- White Noise: Some music is added to the product, such as streams, thunderstorms, waves, birds, etc. There are a total of 10 pieces of music, and customers can also customize the music they want. This is an innovation and seems to be good.
- Mobile Phone Wireless Charging: At the bottom of the lamp, the mobile phone can be placed on it for wireless charging. This is very suitable for modern people’s living habits and seems to be okay.
- Color of Light: There is a product that can display blue light. The wavelength of this blue light is 475~480nm. I checked the information and some studies have shown that this type of blue light has an inhibitory effect on the secretion of melatonin. Moderate exposure during the day can improve mood and improve work efficiency. But there is still some controversy about the benefits of sad blue light therapy.
- Display Screen: Some manufacturers set up a screen on the product to know how much time is left. I thought to myself that this function is not an innovation, it can only be a supplement, right?
So I recommended the main products with the above three functions to the customer, and described each product in detail, including its function, parameters, packaging, etc. Of course, I also mentioned that some new products had display functions, but I didn’t explain them in detail. It took me two days to complete a quotation form.
Sourcing SAD Lights with Unique Designs
The customer did not reply. Two days later, I checked the recommended products again, as well as some best-selling products on various retail platforms (Amazon, eBay,…). Ah, there are many new product appearances! In the previous email, I gave the customer only new functions products but did not provide those with unique appearances. So, I started new sourcing and then gave the customer the following pictures of new products:
Oval SAD Therapy Light
Rotatable SAD Therapy Light
Circle SAD Therapy Light
These products have very distinctive appearances and look good. They have won the favor of many consumers on the retail platforms. I told the customer that it would take some time to complete the quotation sheet, these pictures are just for your reference.
Sourcing SAD Therapy Lights with Digital
At this time, I received a reply from the customer “Do you have any recommendations for products with display screens?”
It seems that the customer is not satisfied with the current styles. I need to learn the market more deeply. This time I only look for products with display screens. I found two other models as shown below.
- The first one is just an ordinary display screen, there are not many highlights:
- The second one is really a good design, with sunrise and sunset functions! We know that the SAD LIGHT product imitates sunlight to obtain energy. If I wake up at 7 a.m., then the sunrise model will turned on at 6:30 a.m., the light will imitate the light change of the rising sun, from dark to bright in half an hour, and there will be a dripping time signal at 7 o’clock, so I will definitely get up at this time. Similarly, if I go to bed at 11 p.m., then the sunset mode will be turned on at 10:30 p.m., and I will fall asleep when the light goes out at 11 o’clock. Well, this function is perfect! In addition, this light can be also taken as a clock. Dear readers, you can view the below video to know the product well.
The customer sent us a quick reply and was very interested in the sample with the sunrise / sunset function! I knew this recommendation was successful! This product may not be the best sad light therapy lamp, but this customer is satisfied with it! Then one sample was sent out soon.
Summary
In this case, I think the following aspects are very important：
Trust & Cooperation: The customer is usually very busy and she gave us great trust, so we can recommend new products and develop new cooperation. I appreciate! Our primary goal was to meet our customer’s needs and find a product that exceeded their expectations. This commitment to customer satisfaction drives our ongoing sourcing efforts and is what keeps us going.
Industry Awareness: Last year we had a general understanding of the products and factories on the market and had a certain knowledge of this industry, which is the foundation but not enough, the market changes endlessly, and many factories have product innovations every year. We must understand these changes promptly. For newcomers, this may be a little difficult, but continuous attention to the market will pay off.
Professionals: When recommending a certain type of product, we need to have a full understanding of the products on the market in a short period. This requires a lot of time and energy, but only in this way can we make valuable recommendations or suggestions. Therefore, only salespeople/companies with many years of experience in a certain industry can be called professionals. This article does not cover the sales status of existing products in the customer’s local market and competitor surveys, so it is relatively easy.
Anyway, if you are also looking for SAD therapy lights or other home beauty tools/machines, and hope to get recommendations or quotes, welcome to contact us!
