Bruce Palmer can remember the exact moment when he knew he had a winning product with his unique sunvisors. “It was 1997, and I had just introduced my sunvisors at a street fair,” Palmer remembers. “The thing that grabbed me was when I looked up and had women five-deep in front of my tent, actually elbowing each other to get to the last few that were left. I had a regular job at the time, but I quit it and jumped into sunvisors with both feet.”
Almost 7 million sunvisors later, the “Incredible Sunvisor” is still just as popular with consumers as it was years ago. The secret, says company owner Palmer, is surprisingly simple. “This is a no-headache sunvisor,” he says. “When most people wear the regular styles that you slide on from the front, the pressure from the side bands causes a headache after a while. Ours have no pressure, so no headache.”
Made from a durable EVA foam rubber, it also helps that the visors are lightweight, dishwasher safe, have a fully adjustable band, and come in more than 600 designs. Palmer credits his wife with giving him the original concept. According to Palmer, the sunvisors are the perfect product wherever people spend time outside in the sun. “Anywhere there’s a beach or resort area is perfect,” he advises. “We even sell to zoos, because we have a lot of animal prints.”
Palmer notes that the backbone of his company are the mom ‘n’ pop shops and independent retailers who have enthusiastically backed the product since its early days. “They built us,” he explains, “and they sell a lot. One of the great things about this product is the loyalty. Most people who order once will reorder two, three, five, or six times every season.” It’s also fun for Palmer to keep introducing new designs and patterns to see what buyers will respond to, because, “everybody is different.”
Ordering and pricing
Wholesale ordering is available through the company’s website, by email, or by phone. The minimum order is 36, but Palmer strongly recommends aiming for multiple sales. He offers a display for 36 visors, and a larger 5′ floor display that holds 144 visors. The suggested retail pricing is $5 per unit, or three for $12. In Florida and Arizona, the recommended pricing is three for $10. Palmer suggests it’s best to have a wide selection of available colors and patterns. Up to a quarter of buyers will purchase in multiples, so retailers should aim to capture as much of that business as possible.
The Incredible Sunvisor, Inc.
1109 Diplomat Dr. #J-104
Debary, Florida 32713
Toll Free: 866-644-6044
Website: theincrediblesunvisorinc.com