What is Product Market Fit and How to Achieve It

10 May 2023

Almost all business or business owners will be happy if the products they sell are well received by the wider community. Especially if the product can answer customer problems.

This condition is usually referred to as product market fit. Product market fit is achieved when the product being sold can match market demand or needs. To achieve this condition, of course there are many processes that must be passed.

What is Product Market Fit?

Product market fit is a condition when a company has a business product or service that can answer and meet customer needs by connecting certain market segments and marketing channels.

Simply put, this concept is very important to identify whether a company will or is developing a product that solves customer problems, or perhaps achieves the most optimal point of customer satisfaction.

The concept of product market fit was originally created and developed by an entrepreneur and investor from the United States, Marc Andreessen, in 2007. At that time, Andreessen defined product market fit as a condition when a business has found the right market with a product that can satisfy that market. That way, customers are satisfied and want others to try it too.

How to Achieve Product Market Fit

Even though the concept of product market fit seems simple, in practice it is quite difficult to create superior products that truly understand customers. Therefore, it is important to understand the most appropriate product market fit strategic steps by reading the following explanations!

1. Determine the target customer

The key to developing products that customers love is knowing who the main customers of a business are. To find out, do market research and competitor analysis to get an idea of what customers need and what solutions they are currently using.

After analyzing and understanding who the business's main customers are, determine the buyer persona by identifying psychographics, demographics, purchasing capacity, customer experience, and customer purchasing history.

2. Understand customer needs

Defining the customer's buyer persona is not enough. To build a product that the target audience will like and want to buy, companies must identify the most significant customer needs with the aim of creating a product that the audience will like and buy.

Identify the ideal customer pain points and build solutions to address those problems in the marketplace. You can do this by interviewing customers, conducting product research, conducting offline or online customer surveys, and analyzing customer behavior.

3. Identification of Value Proposition (VP)

Next is to determine the value proposition or unique selling point in order to differentiate the product or business service and the company's brand image from competitors. In addition, value propositions are also created to give customers significant reasons why they should buy similar products or services from that brand.

The best way to determine a value proposition is to offer products or services that customers haven't gotten from other brands. The goal is that the product or service can significantly improve the customer's quality of life.

4. Release Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

Minimum viable product (MVP) is a product that simply meets minimum eligibility standards. Even though it's only a standard product, MVP has a very important role to help companies get fast user response. Through MVP, companies can also find out the user experience (UX) and test solutions to customer problems, before finally releasing the final product.

MVP can be far from the actual product. It may even be, everything is still totally manual. But the most important thing is that MVP can help find out whether the idea or product can be used by users or not.

In addition, MVP can also answer questions such as: how fast can users learn about the product and use it? Is the product useful for users? Is this product able to quickly solve problems users? If so, how effective is the product in solving user problems?

5. Receive any feedback from customers

To understand the needs of users, a brand must listen to input from customers. Take advantage of this feedback for product development to match the wishes and expectations of customers.

Listening to feedback is very important if a brand wants to offer products that require more education. In this way, the brand can know which parts need to be improved so that it is easier for customers to use the product.

To get customer feedback, try asking users to try the products or services offered. After that, ask them to share their experiences when using the product.

6. Flexible in product development

Apart from feedback from customers, product development also has an important role in achieving product market fit. It is called that, because through product development the company can present products that are more relevant to today's market needs.

In carrying out product development, companies must be flexible. That is, companies should not fail to follow current market needs.

7. Develop Power Users (PU)

The last way is to develop power users (loyal customers). This step can be done by expanding the segment by producing new products or features according to customer needs.

The tips, try to find out what are the main reasons power users choose brands and make repeat orders. By understanding this, brands can achieve product market fit and strengthen their loyal customer base.

That's how to achieve product market fit in a business. Basically, the purpose of understanding product market fit is so that companies can make products that are of value to consumers, increase market share, drive business growth, and increase profits.

Almost all business or business owners will be happy if the products they sell are well received by the wider community. Especially if the product can answer customer problems.

This condition is usually referred to as product market fit. Product market fit is achieved when the product being sold can match market demand or needs. To achieve this condition, of course there are many processes that must be passed.

What is Product Market Fit?

Product market fit is a condition when a company has a business product or service that can answer and meet customer needs by connecting certain market segments and marketing channels.

Simply put, this concept is very important to identify whether a company will or is developing a product that solves customer problems, or perhaps achieves the most optimal point of customer satisfaction.

The concept of product market fit was originally created and developed by an entrepreneur and investor from the United States, Marc Andreessen, in 2007. At that time, Andreessen defined product market fit as a condition when a business has found the right market with a product that can satisfy that market. That way, customers are satisfied and want others to try it too.

How to Achieve Product Market Fit

Even though the concept of product market fit seems simple, in practice it is quite difficult to create superior products that truly understand customers. Therefore, it is important to understand the most appropriate product market fit strategic steps by reading the following explanations!

1. Determine the target customer

The key to developing products that customers love is knowing who the main customers of a business are. To find out, do market research and competitor analysis to get an idea of what customers need and what solutions they are currently using.

After analyzing and understanding who the business's main customers are, determine the buyer persona by identifying psychographics, demographics, purchasing capacity, customer experience, and customer purchasing history.

2. Understand customer needs

Defining the customer's buyer persona is not enough. To build a product that the target audience will like and want to buy, companies must identify the most significant customer needs with the aim of creating a product that the audience will like and buy.

Identify the ideal customer pain points and build solutions to address those problems in the marketplace. You can do this by interviewing customers, conducting product research, conducting offline or online customer surveys, and analyzing customer behavior.

3. Identification of Value Proposition (VP)

Next is to determine the value proposition or unique selling point in order to differentiate the product or business service and the company's brand image from competitors. In addition, value propositions are also created to give customers significant reasons why they should buy similar products or services from that brand.

The best way to determine a value proposition is to offer products or services that customers haven't gotten from other brands. The goal is that the product or service can significantly improve the customer's quality of life.

4. Release Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

Minimum viable product (MVP) is a product that simply meets minimum eligibility standards. Even though it's only a standard product, MVP has a very important role to help companies get fast user response. Through MVP, companies can also find out the user experience (UX) and test solutions to customer problems, before finally releasing the final product.

MVP can be far from the actual product. It may even be, everything is still totally manual. But the most important thing is that MVP can help find out whether the idea or product can be used by users or not.

In addition, MVP can also answer questions such as: how fast can users learn about the product and use it? Is the product useful for users? Is this product able to quickly solve problems users? If so, how effective is the product in solving user problems?

5. Receive any feedback from customers

To understand the needs of users, a brand must listen to input from customers. Take advantage of this feedback for product development to match the wishes and expectations of customers.

Listening to feedback is very important if a brand wants to offer products that require more education. In this way, the brand can know which parts need to be improved so that it is easier for customers to use the product.

To get customer feedback, try asking users to try the products or services offered. After that, ask them to share their experiences when using the product.

6. Flexible in product development

Apart from feedback from customers, product development also has an important role in achieving product market fit. It is called that, because through product development the company can present products that are more relevant to today's market needs.

In carrying out product development, companies must be flexible. That is, companies should not fail to follow current market needs.

7. Develop Power Users (PU)

The last way is to develop power users (loyal customers). This step can be done by expanding the segment by producing new products or features according to customer needs.

The tips, try to find out what are the main reasons power users choose brands and make repeat orders. By understanding this, brands can achieve product market fit and strengthen their loyal customer base.

That's how to achieve product market fit in a business. Basically, the purpose of understanding product market fit is so that companies can make products that are of value to consumers, increase market share, drive business growth, and increase profits.

Prasetiya Mulya Executive Learning Institute
Prasetiya Mulya Cilandak Campus, Building 2, #2203
Jl. R.A Kartini (TB. Simatupang), Cilandak Barat, Jakarta 12430
Indonesia
Prasetiya Mulya Executive Learning Institute
Prasetiya Mulya Cilandak Campus, Building 2, #2203
Jl. R.A Kartini (TB. Simatupang), Cilandak Barat,
Jakarta 12430
Indonesia