HN Explorer

Ask HN: would you pay $199 to survive the zombie apocalypse?

7 points by nooron ↗ HN
My friends and I like to build full-stack (food, tools, aid, the works) emergency kits for ourselves.

Now we'd like to bring emergency preparation to folks beyond your crazy but well-intentioned uncle. We'd like to start by offering a 2-person, 3-meal-a-day, 1-month kit for $199.

I'd really appreciate your feedback below. If you're feeling generous, we'd graciously accept your email on our landing page:

www.prep4.us

Thanks a bunch, HN.

16 comments

[ 3.4 ms ] story [ 39.5 ms ] thread
fadiyahya
Cool idea. Yet, needs a better positioning. There is a Domain problem :(

Double check

nooron
Thanks for your input. It's back up now! www.prep4.us.
mattmoss
$199 to survive fiction? More seriously, website doesn't load.
nooron
www.prep4.us-- sorry for the trouble, and thanks for letting me know!

Not actually expecting a ZA :). But a serious natural disaster or transient supply chain disruption instead.

sp332
Zombie apocalypses are allegorical. They're allegorical for different things at different times, so it's like a variable name for $DISASTER. The website doesn't mention zombies either.
wikwocket
I think you'll have much better success pitching this as a readiness kit for natural disasters, or even to paranoid readiness nuts, than to zombie fiction fans.

There is clearly interest in products like this, based on big ticket items I see like home generators, canned food collections, solar-powered appliances, etc. Not exactly mainstream but for the right price point, you could pitch it as a cheap insurance policy.

I think what would be key would be clearly communicating all the cool stuff you include in the kit, what disasters it would enable you to survive/thrive in, and how, like a life insurance policy, this allows you to simply not worry about $RARE_EVENTUALITY_X.

Also important will be getting this in front of the right people. Find out where preparedness junkies congregate online, observe their discussions, and ask them what they think.

nooron
Thanks for your branding suggestions. I really appreciate it!
dandrews
Natural disasters, yes. Many of us in hurricane-prone areas stock up on batteries, LP gas, water, easy food before the season starts. One or two-week power outages are no fun.

A friend of mine in SoCal keeps earthquake supplies in multiple closets in his home, to improve the odds that he'll at least have water in case of a partial collapse. He takes earthquake preparedness very seriously.

You can sell to us.

[dead] gordian
Consider adding some makeup so survivors can make themselves look like zombies in the hopes the actual zombies will leave them alone. Otherwise for $199 this kit better come with some serious armaments and ammo or it's useless.
lifeisstillgood
I was about to come in with some dumb answer about expected value, but I actually think this is a neat idea.

I often worry (not a lot) about letting my family down being unprepared should there be some real bad disaster, and so I would be interested in a couple of packages like below:

* Holiday first aid and disaster kit and training My son recently cut his chin open in Greece and I realised I knew nothing about stitches, keeping them dry, had not got steri strips or bandages. Most people would pay decent cash for a holiday specific package (going to this country? You need these injections, got children of three years old - have a selection of these sterile what nots) Throw in a private YouTube showing how to use them and I would pay up (of course too late now but that's the market to go for :-) maybe insurance companies sell my data?)

* the civilisation collapses at home package - I don't have enough tinned goods and stuff to last. Not do I have enough water or first aid. Sell me big box to go in the garage that lasts three months (which is what I think you are doing) and I might be interested.

* sell me some sensible prep - like where to meet if the local oil refinery catches fire and we cannot get to our house, evacuation kits that are stored at some place sensible. Seems a bit odd

I like the idea of being prepared - and would pay for a book to tell me how, and a weekend to do it. Being prepared on holiday is a much more realistic market and I think worth investigating - but as for zombie apocalypse - nice selling point, but I think it's going to be a loss leader to establish credibility

RogerL
No, I wouldn't.

Why? Because I already can do this, and I haven't. The internet is full of survival gear/food packages, and I haven't bought any of them. Therefore, the odds of me doing it with your company is about zero. I suspect this holds true for most people; if so, what is your acquisition cost for a customer?

And then I wonder about your margins. You are selling 180 meals for $200, which means your food price must be somewhere around 50 cents/meal for this to be viable to you (and I think I'm being generous; I suspect the price has to be lower - see acquisition costs above). How are you providing all those calories for so little money? Your website offers to harvest my email, not inform me, so I am admittedly in the dark here.

Do I just throw the food away at the end of the year? What is the food - is it something I'd want to eat? Is this not a problem I can solve by going to Costco and buying a bunch of boxes of pasta and tinned tuna? These are the questions that run through my brain.

In a real disaster, my problem is going to be potable water.

[deleted]
(comment deleted)
coralreef
A lot of great points in this thread. Definitely a good idea to find a niche, as your biggest differentiator will be marketing.