When aspects of their products address the issues of their clients, companies succeed. Before you can create and specify product features, you have to know what problem has to be solved. Following problem identification, you may look at potential solutions. Ultimately, you will try to determine how best to explain to your consumer the operation of that feature.
Features of your products should be the main focus of your company plan. Creating features that meet consumer wants will enable you to accomplish the strategic and business goals of your organisation.
What is a feature of the product?
A feature of a product is one that adds value for consumers. Function and design are two of the many aspects that add value to a product and make it stand out and please prospective buyers.
Product benefit versus feature
Even though they are connected and both lead to client satisfaction, features and benefits of a product are not the same. The former are particular, material characteristics that give the thing additional worth or usefulness. The advantages your buyer receives from utilising the product, however, are its perks. Knowing this important distinction will enable you to explain to prospective buyers the benefits of your product.
Assume, for instance, that you market a portable audio recorder. Long battery life is one of the new major characteristics of the device in response to user input. If the battery life is the unique selling point, the advantages list how the consumer may use the device longer without having to charge it. The capacity of the end user to capture lengthier audio segments can be another advantage. Once more, the benefit captures the user experience with the product, whereas the feature captures something about the product itself.
Features of products of different kinds
These are common categories into which product characteristics fall:
Quality
Durability and reputation of a thing may both be considered as its quality. Good things work as they should. They could be built of durable materials as well. Developing a reputation for a high-quality product benefits company as it can increase client loyalty. The alleged worth of a certain product may also be seen as quality; many consumers are prepared to pay a premium for something that is regarded as good quality.
The product’s tactile and visual qualities—aspects intended to improve a user’s relationship with the product, whether that be through its appearance or feel during use—make up its aesthetics. Take an attractively basic kitchen equipment or a pen with a pleasant weight and form.
Application
Practical features solve a customer’s problems and provide utility. The basic features of a product allow it to satisfy the demands of its users. A garment with pockets, for instance, is utilitarian, as is a blender with several replaceable blades.
Feature of a product example
Vicky Pasche started the body inclusive and gender-neutral apparel business Dapper Boi in 2015. Vicky founded the firm on giving product characteristics that would satisfy a demand that few other businesses were meeting at the time top priority.
Vicky claims that because so many consumers were dissatisfied with garments that featured ornamental pockets rather than deep, usable ones, her product vision focused on functional pockets—a concrete feature—in her product offering. She made sure the qualities of her items matched the demands of her clients in an obvious manner.
As she explains in a Shopify Masters interview, “Having functional pockets shouldn’t be revolutionary.” The creator found a method to provide a solution that addressed that issue with a straightforward feature add. After determining a demand from the market, Dapper Boi gave product characteristics that would help the consumers top priority.
The firm next concentrated on other aspects to make sure the qualities of their products reflected the wants of their customers. Seeing that other firms were not providing sizes that fit a range of body types, Vicky decided to create a body-inclusive fashion brand to address the demand for a larger range of sizing options.
Gender-neutral attire was a third element Dapper Boi provided. Item gendering in more conventional fashion labels is sometimes rather obvious. Dapper Boi saw a market of people who would like to have access to gender-neutral apparel. Giving features that addressed a need of the client priority helped the business close a gap in the market.
Approach to creating product features
Look into the market.
Recognise demands of customers
Build your thing.
Promote the good.
Even although there are many approaches to create product features, they all need some fundamental product planning, such as knowing your target market, your present clientele, your rivals, and the industry you want to penetrate. You may produce useful product features in four main stages:
Research the market.
Finding market trends and learning what your business can provide that no other business is can be done through market study. To find market gaps, analyse competitors. Study your rivals, then compare product characteristics to determine how to set yours apart. Which problems are not being handled for customers right now? How could features be matched to the demands of the customer?
Use of stronger, more lasting materials is one product feature you may create if you sell sunhats and discover that consumers are unhappy with the quality of materials your rival is utilising. Knowing what your clients need is really crucial. You’ll include these features into your product when you’ve done that.
2. Recognise requirements of the client
Knowing what your consumer wants is essential to creating product features. This may begin by seeing one consumer struggle with a particular component of a current product. After that, do user research, pay attention to user comments, and interview a prospective consumer in-depth one-on-one. One may then create a user narrative from there. User stories assist understanding of the requirements and wishes of the user for your product.
Design your product.
Following your market research and user data collection, you may now add features to your product design that were not there before. Before deciding on a finished product, you will build and test prototypes and run user testing. Working with your manufacturer, you will then produce your product at scale.
Market your goods.
Having established the special qualities of your product, you will hone your marketing plans to explain how it satisfies the demands of your target market. Creating features that address consumer issues in novel ways might help set your product apart even if it is somewhat similar to another.
Product features FAQ
Do features of a product include price?
Though it is not a characteristic of the product, determining the ideal pricing should be a major component of your marketing plan. The proper pricing calculation will rely on the research of product managers and need some strategic thought. Knowing who your target market is, who your rivals are, and how valuable the product is seen are all critical.
Which distinguishes needs from characteristics of a product?
While linked, product features and needs are not the same. A technological capability that enables you to develop a product feature is called a product need. Four clearly marked buttons that notify the user when the function is completed, for instance, would be a requirement rather than an essential product feature. Knowing your customer and their needs will enable you to determine what specifications are required to create the essential components of a feature that will eventually satisfy that need.
How are features of products ranked on product roadmaps?
Your product roadmap is its overall plan. It covers the ways you intend to communicate the way your product will address a problem for the customer. This covers your product strategy as well as how the development team and the product fit into your overall business plan and how it might change with particular features.