Bottom Line
Portable Jet Spray
Year
2019
Client
Bottom Line
Project Type
Commercial product, co-owned startup
Bottom Line is a portable jet spray/ bidet designed specifically for individuals who face the discomfort of using toilet paper where a bidet/ health faucet is unavailable. The currently available products are inconvenient to carry and use. Bottom Line is an innovative product, developed to be as compact, light, and familiar to the user. It is also a hygienic and sustainable alternative to toilet paper and health faucets.
Bottom Line was commercially launched on 8th June 2019 under Umber Earth LLP. The partnership firm is co-owned by two partners, Prathana Shah (Entrepreneur) and I. It has around 12,000+ customers and counting!
CONTEXT
What problem are we solving?
Indians only find comfort in cleaning themselves with water in the toilet. This is done either using a Jet spray or a mug, which is part of the bathroom infrastructure in India. But they don't find it when they are elsewhere, as many Western countries do not have this plumbing infrastructure but just toilet paper.
The situation when Indians are abroad
01
02
Using toilet paper alone causes discomfort
Stringent Rental agreements restrict the installation of bidets/health faucets
03
It is expensive to install a bidet infrastructure
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Jet spray in an Indian toilet
MARKET ANALYSIS
Existing solutions are not adequate
What are the existing products available in the market (online)?
Method: Online keyword search; portable jet spray for travel, portable bidet, and travel bidet. The most commonly available products have been compiled below:
What is currently used by international travelers? What do they think about it?
Method: Survey with 103 participants (who traveled internationally often/ lived there) and the results showed:
DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT
What did we do about it?
It was a constant process of ideation and implementation through sketching, rapid prototyping, and testing. Based on the market and all the pain points identified during user research we charted out the main criteria that we abided by during the process. This truly helped us solve the actual problem and make the lives of Indian travelers that much better.
Ideation and sketching
Challenges faced
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The design could not be directly translated as working with preferred materials required high-cost molds, and most manufacturing techniques were unavailable locally.
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With a low initial quantity, industry leaders would not entertain us, especially as our product required levels of customization. Our budget restricted us to start with 1/10th of the expected MOQ.
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Our budget limited us to smaller manufacturers, whose quality was inadequate.
Product criteria
01
02
03
Compact and lightweight
Easy to use and carry
Affordable
04
05
Visually appealing
Sustainable; durable, modular, serviceable, recyclable, primarily produced locally.
Prototyping and testing
How we overcame them
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We designed to have several smaller components, which could then be outsourced to different vendors with specific expertise.
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The design was altered to fit with existing components, in order to produce with little customisation.
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We created hand moulds over machine moulds where required. Making it cheaper to produce in low quantities but still enabling us to customise shapes and colours.
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We worked closely with cottage industries, to train them to provide the required quality.
THE SOLUTION
Providing the comfort of home, away from home
BOTTOM LINE
Designed to simplicity
Bottom Line is extremely lightweight and compact. It has been designed in a way that the water pressure solely results from gravity and has no electrical components. It is easy to use and familiar (similar to home jet sprays).
It comes in a smart waterproof pouch that consists of:
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Bottom Line
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Two reusable hooks; to enable hanging on any surface
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Product manual
The benefits of using Bottom Line
BRANDING
Creating the Identity
MARKET SIZE
How big is our market?
Primary target audience
01
International Students from India
02
Short-term travelers from India for vacation/ business
03
Indian expats and immigrants
Alternate target audience
01
02
Adventure travelers
Immobile patients and seniors
03
New mothers for infant care
04
Users from other regions where bidets are also prominent
MARKETING AND SALES
We are available internationally!
Get your very own Bottom Line from:
Etsy ↗
How do we sell and market?
Other marketing and sales channels
We have used humor as a medium to address this taboo topic. Our digital marketing ad campaigns involve a Bottom line character and we play with pop culture references and memes .
We are available all around the world
See What customers say about us!
PRODUCT REVIEWS
12000+
products sold as of January 2024
and people seem to be loving it!
We were on National Television!
BOTTOM LINE WAS FEATURED ON SHARK TANK
Want to know more? Have any suggestions or feedback?