Gartner Research

3 Mistakes to Avoid in Product Differentiation

Published: 17 July 2023

Summary

One of the constant pressures on product managers is increasing differentiation of their product in the market. By understanding and avoiding three common pitfalls, product managers can effectively differentiate their products while remaining focused on customer value.

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Overview

Key Findings
  • Continued, effective differentiation in a given market is often an afterthought rather than an express goal of product teams and is heavily influenced by short-term concerns from the business.

  • Many product managers base differentiation decisions on an assessment of competitors’ capabilities, without considering customer value.

  • The larger and more successful a product is, the more a company may drift away from those activities, characteristics or features that rely on and further their distinctive competency.

Recommendations

Product managers seeking to better differentiate the value they are delivering in their market must:

  • Look broader than the in-the-moment opportunity at hand and focus messaging value

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Analysts:

Clifton Gilley

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