Reasons to Simplify Product Positioning

 
This may sound counter-intuitive. But, maybe we sometimes need to offer fewer product benefits/uses.rather than more.. Today, we look at reasons to simplify product positioning. Not always, in some instances.

Before reading below, review these articles for other insights on product positioning:

• Apple Is the First 2 Trillion Dollar US Company
• 2020 Global Most Valuable Brands
• Coca-Cola Seeking to Turn Things Around 
• How to Foster Brand Affinity

Note: This post also relates closely to the concepts of product differentiation, market segmentation, and consumer benefits.

There Is Another Way: Reasons to Simplify Product Positioning

To learn about this option, consider these observations from Kurt Bittner, writing for Pragmatic Institute:

Many organizations struggle to define their products. They have products that do a lot of different things for a lot of different people. Thus making it hard to say what the product really is, as well as what value it delivers and to whom. Why is this bad? In a word, focus.

The more things a product does for more people, the more complex it becomes. The harder it is to use. And the harder it is to deliver. Complex products burdened with features no one understands—but no one can kill—create organizational complexity, increase costs, and result in baffling products that frustrate customers.

The best products deliver a relatively small set of positive outcomes to a group of people with a common set of needs. To illustrate the importance of simplicity, consider when you’re preparing dinner and you need to cut some vegetables. Which will better meet your needs: a multi-tool pocketknife or a chef’s knife? And which knife would you prefer if you’re hiking in a wilderness of unknown conditions?

Rather than trying to figure out how to scale product development, first try simplifying a complex product into two or more simpler ones. 

Take a look at the image that follows.