Is Product — Market Fit Improvable?

You know, Product-Market fit is one of the most crucial factors for the success of a product — and, in my opinion, it’s the most important one. Because this topic has piqued my interest a lot, and when I realized that one of the startups I founded in the past truly lacked Product-Local Market Fit, I started thinking more deeply about it.

Note: When I say Product-Local Market Fit, I actually mean that the product I developed had significant global potential but was premature for the Turkish market. For those curious about the product, it was an Electronic Procurement tool, and at that time, digitalizing the procurement sector in Turkey was a bit ahead of its time.

Anyway, let’s get back to our topic. Can Product-Market fit really be developed?

I’ll express my own views on this, which may contradict some general opinions.

If I need to give a short answer, no, it can’t be improved.

But if you read elsewhere, there are many people who generally argue the opposite.

Some say that the product can be transformed with feedback, new features can be added, and thus, this fit can actually be achieved.

However, I believe there is a significant difference between a product’s Feature-Market Fit and Product-Market Fit. Product-Market Fit is a much broader concept, and I don’t think adding new features will be very effective if this fit is not achieved.

For example, if your product — with a really good Go-to-market strategy — does not find a response in the market, has low usage, and doesn’t improve over time, then there is a problem.

(A bold example) For instance, if people don’t really need the Metaverse, and you can’t create that need, it doesn’t matter how many features you add. At the end of the day, you’re still providing a slightly modified solution for the same need.

It’s essential not to confuse this with releasing your product, having good marketing activities, and gradually attracting and retaining users. This should not be confused with people leaving the product after trying it.

I think one of the best ways to understand Product-Market Fit is whether your customers are giving you feedback. Think about it, if you download an app that closely meets your needs, you’ll give feedback right away because the product caters to your needs.

What I’m talking about is exactly that. If the app you downloaded has nothing to do with your needs, you won’t stay there.

In conclusion, Product-Market Fit cannot be improved; what can be improved is Feature-Market Fit.

Until the next post!