Product development of branded, packaged household goods in Britain, 1870-1914: Colman's, Reckitt's, and Lever Brothers

The three companies whose history forms the subject of thisarticle became leaders in a sector of the British economy—consumergoods—generally regarded as one of the most successfulin the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Productinnovation and development, achieved internally or through acquisition,enabled these firms to become market leaders. We therefore analyzethe processes of product development within the three firms,using a systematic framework that allows us to offer generalizationsabout the process of product innovation and development in theconsumer goods sector in Britain. We conclude that gradual modification,rather than revolutionary innovation, was characteristic ofproduct development in the household goods trade, and that technologywas less important for success than marketing skill.