SCAMPER — Business Idea Creation Made Simple

In 1971, Bob Eberle released a book called SCAMPER: Games for Imagination Development. The creative technique he described there has since been of huge value to people called on to generate new and innovative ideas. In this episode, James Schramko breaks down the SCAMPER technique and how you can apply it as an entrepreneur.

In the podcast:
02:20 – What can you replace?
03:46 – Consider combinations
05:04 – Learning to adapt
05:46 – When change is good and bigger is better
06:29 – What else is it good for?
07:21 – Is there something you can remove?
08:04 – Upside-down and inside-out

Today, I would like to share with you the concept of the SCAMPER technique. Using SCAMPER, you can come up with fantastic business ideas with a very simple process. I used this technique early on in my online career to come up with an incredibly creative bonus that helped me sell website software, and it gave me an advantage. I was able to come to the market and fairly quickly dominate using the SCAMPER technique.

So what is the SCAMPER technique? SCAMPER is an acronym, representing seven prompts for you to consider an existing object in order to come up with new possibilities. In other words, it’s a creative thinking technique.

S stands for substitute, C for combine, A for adapt, M for modify or magnify, P to put to another use, E to eliminate, and R to reverse. We’re going to explore each one of these in more detail.

As an entrepreneur, you’ll often find the requirement to come up with creative ideas, whether it’s for existing products that get stale, whether you want to add a new service to your business, or if you’re just looking for innovation. And innovation is one of the two things that you need for business success, according to Peter Drucker. He was very keen on innovation and marketing.

To apply SCAMPER, you simply take your existing product, service or process and you use that as a starting point. And by yourself or with the collaboration of others, you ask questions about your starting object based on the seven areas indicated in the acronym.

S – Substitute

S for substitute – what can you take away from the object and replace with something else? Might be a physical property, a step in the process, or someone involved, an attitude towards the object. Some simple questions could be: can you use other materials or ingredients? Can you make it look, smell or feel differently? Can the time or the place be replaced? Can someone else do the task? Can it be sold someplace else or to a different consumer?

The classic example here is Vegemite, which is a black spread that people put on their toast in Australia. It came from the English Marmite and is actually the by-product of the brewing process to make beer. But they said, why don’t we just stick it on toast? Hey, it’s a great source of vitamin B.

Here’s another example – by offering a product, say a laptop, in different colors, you can appeal to different customer tastes. Remember those iMacs from Apple? They were all different colors, like tangerine orange, green and blue.

C – Combine

C is for combine. Combining two objects can result in something fresh and exciting that functions better than either object on its own. Consider taking your base product, service or process and merging it with some other element that will improve the original. Some things you can ask are: would combining this product or service with something else give it extra value? What purposes or objectives can be combined? Can talents and resources be combined for better results?

Here’s an example: bundling several info products with a subscription membership and some coaching could result in a fantastic business that you can charge a higher rate for.

A – Adapt

A for adapt. Consider adapting or adjusting your product to serve a purpose other than originally intended. Look to similar solutions to generate ideas you can borrow and incorporate. Some questions you might ask: What else is like this in the market? Is it similar to something in a different context? What features can you copy from other sources? Are there new ideas outside your field that you can use to enhance your product, service or process?

For example, if your e-commerce site is not already mobile-friendly, adapting it for mobile viewing will greatly extend the reach of your business.

M – Modify/Magnify

Modify or magnify. Changing some quality of an object or magnifying parts of it can enhance its perceived value or improve its function. Here are some things to consider: can you change a feature or step of a process, product or service to improve it? Will adjusting the physical qualities of an object give it more value? Can you increase the size, duration or pricing of an object? Can frequency be increased?

Here’s an example – by making a service subscription-based, you can increase the frequency of payment and make your business far more sustainable with predictable cash flow.

P – Put to Another Use

Put to another use. Existing products or processes may have other possible applications for which you are not currently using them. Think about this: Who else can benefit from your product? Can people outside your target market use it? Are there other problems your product or process can solve? Would the same product work as well somewhere else? Could it be modified to suit another purpose?

Here’s an example: When asked to be a guest on someone else’s podcast, you might record your half of the conversation, have it summarized into key points and then use that as material for your own podcast.

E – Eliminate

Eliminate. Streamlining a product or process by removing excess elements can improve function, increase efficiency and result in more elegant or innovative solutions. Ask these questions: how can this be simplified? What parts are non-essential to its function? What features can be removed altogether? Can it be made smaller? How can you reduce the cost, the time or the effort?

Here’s an example: Apple products are admired for the pared-down simplicity of their design. Take for instance the one-button iPad or the buttonless mouse.

R – Rearrange/Reverse

Rearrange or reverse. What if part of the product or process was reversed, done in another order or made in a different orientation? Dare to consider things upside-down, interchange components, backwards or inside-out. Here are some questions you could ask: can components be interchanged? What other order can you use? What if everything was reversed? Can schedules be modified? Would another arrangement be better?

Uber has turned the way people get a taxi ride on its head. Instead of searching for a taxi, they simply have the ride come to them.

When using the SCAMPER method, it’s really important to do one thing in particular: aim for quantity of new ideas first over quality. Just let them flow. Put a timer and write down as many ideas as you can, and then analyse the results afterwards. Almost never is the very most obvious first idea the best idea. Further develop those interesting ideas that seem practical or feasible and start your prototyping with low-resolution prototypes.