ShapeShift Starter Kit Renamed To The ShapeShift Core Carry Pack

Alien Gear Changed The Name Of Its Most Popular Product, Here's Why:

The ShapeShift Core Carry Pack has a new name. It is now the ShapeShift Core Carry Pack.

It wasn't an easy change.

A lot of resources went into developing an identity for our most popular holster kit, which includes the four most popular carry styles on the waistline.

The reason for the change is simple: we got a lot of feedback that the name didn't describe what the holster kit offered, so we listened to our customers and changed it.

What Changed With The ShapeShift Core Carry Pack?

Nothing. The ShapeShift Core Carry Pack includes the same product at the same price with the same warranty.

OK. The package changed.

And our website.

And all social media.

And internal documents.

But the holsters, materials and designs remain the same.

It was mainly a battle of logistics, but the justification was clear:

Our popular box of holsters needed a new name.

So ... Why Did We Change The ShapeShift Core Carry Pack Name?

In order to fully explain why we changed the ShapeShift Core Carry Pack name, we need to go back to this time last year.

In July of 2017, after years of engineering and machining and prototyping (we're talking millions of dollars invested), we released our most ambitious product yet: the ShapeShift Core Carry Pack.

It was the first release in the ShapeShift Modular Holster System -- around a dozen separate holsters that could be reconfigured into one another.

It hadn't been done before. Not to this degree.

As carry styles were developed based on community demand, they would be added to the ShapeShift Modular Holster System.

The "Core Carry Pack" was intended to represent the essential carry styles that most would be starting with in the ShapeShift Modular Holster System.

They were the most popular carry styles on the waistline -- the core essentials of everyday carry.

And as we developed more niche carry styles to support various demographics in the gun community, they could pick up expansion packs for various carry styles.

The ShapeShift Core Carry Pack included the carry styles most customers first invest in within the system.

Now, fast forward to 2018.

The name didn't translate.

Why?

People were confused by the identity of the product.

We were consistently asked a couple questions:

Are these holsters in the "Starter" Kit for new carriers?

No, these holsters were designed for seasoned gun owners and new gun owners alike.

Are these holsters required to be purchased before any of the others in the system?

No, every holster in the ShapeShift Modular Holster System was designed separately. They function just as well separately as they do together.

So, we had to do something. The decision to rename to the Core Carry pack wasn't easy. Marketing was bummed. Our copywriters were especially bummed. Our ad buyers were even more bummed.

But, the ShapeShift Core Carry Pack better describes that the system includes the most requested, core carry styles offered by Alien Gear Holsters.

Designing equipment for others requires companies to let go of their egos. That was the case here.

People asked. We delivered.

About The Author

Jake Smith (@notjakesmith) is a copywriter and photographer based in the pacific northwest. He graduated from the University of Idaho with degrees in public relations and apparel.