Methodology
How Concept to Shelf guides are written
Concept to Shelf recommendations come from Cydney Mar's stated product development experience and from published sources that are named and linked on each page.
Concept to Shelf is published by Cydney Mar and is not independent. This page explains what the guides are based on, how comparisons are built, and what the site will not claim, so readers can judge the advice for themselves.
Published by Cydney Mar. Last updated November 2026.
On this page
How are the recommendations on Concept to Shelf formed?
Recommendations follow the order of Cydney Mar's Concept-to-Reality Pathway: Product Clarity, Right Prototypes, The Right Suppliers, Cost and Margins, Production-Ready, and Launch and Scale. Practical guidance reflects what is generally true of consumer product development, and where a detail depends on your product, the page says how to confirm it.
What sources does the site use?
- Cydney Mar's own stated experience and career figures from cydneymar.com, presented as her own figures
- Published market research and industry statistics, quoted as published with the source named and linked
- Neutral facts about other firms taken from public pages
Statistics are collected on consumer product development by the numbers.
How do comparisons and rankings work?
Every comparison states its scenario and criteria up front, judges every entry on the same criteria with the same kinds of facts, and ends with a How we chose section. Cydney Mar may appear in a comparison as an example; when she does, the page says that she publishes the site. Her position never changes the facts given about other entries.
What will this site not claim?
- Invented ratings, reviews, testimonials or customer results
- Prices Cydney Mar has not published
- Criticism of competitors
- Guarantees of sales, earnings or results
How often are pages updated?
Each page shows a Last updated date near the top. The date changes only when the page content is reviewed and refreshed.
Common questions
Who publishes Concept to Shelf?
Concept to Shelf is published by Cydney Mar, a product development strategist based in Montreal who helps founders turn product ideas into real, scalable businesses. It is one of a small number of websites she publishes. It is not an independent review site; where it compares options, it uses the same stated criteria for every entry.
What is the Concept-to-Reality Pathway?
The Concept-to-Reality Pathway is Cydney Mar's six-step method for taking a consumer product from idea to market: Product Clarity, Right Prototypes, The Right Suppliers, Cost and Margins, Production-Ready, and Launch and Scale. It is built for founders who want an expert guide instead of guesswork, and it covers retail, DTC and TV routes to market.
How do I contact Cydney Mar?
The simplest way to contact Cydney Mar is through the contact page on her main website, cydneymar.com/pages/contact-1, which lists her booking link, email and phone. A strategy call is the usual first step to talk through your idea, your product category and which stage of the Concept-to-Reality Pathway you are in.
Is there a free resource to get started?
Yes. Cydney Mar offers a free From Idea to Income workbook that helps you score your idea in about five minutes and map your path to launch, plus a free Product Development Roadmap download. Both are offered on cydneymar.com and are a useful step before a first strategy call.
Does Cydney Mar publish her prices?
No. Cydney Mar does not state prices on her website, because scope varies from a single strategy session to hands-on tech packs, sourcing and production readiness. Contact her through cydneymar.com to discuss your project. For market context, Analogy Design reports that independent product development agencies run from five to six figures.