PRODUCT ADOPTION USE CASE

 

About six years ago, I had the opportunity to work with one of Africa fastest-growing fast-food chains. My assignment was in the Island region, where I worked on a remarkable transformation in the fast-food eco-system. We dominated the market as t
here was massive adoption of our products rails by the working class (middle and low-income earners), and they made purchases due to the level of hygiene, speed of service, ease of purchase, great ambience, and the wow factor Nice! Nice! which was peculiar to the brand.  

During my time there, I was struck by a significant observation ‘the store was filled with hundreds of pizza wrappers”! As a Product Manager, I often see how prioritization is driven by stakeholders' perspectives, often overlooking the importance of a lean agile process, and focusing solely on visible market gains.

I recently had a session with @setsquared-Partners
and I also observed that this is not limited to local contexts. Stakeholders globally tend to focus on the bigger picture. Inspired by this insight, I decided to share my thoughts on product adoption with product teams, leads, and stakeholders, using a case study of a FMCG company.

The striking realization I mentioned above was because I had a “pre-admonition” that our products were entirely thought out and the process of decision had been agile from onset. I mean it was what a newbie operations Manager perceived!

 The brand appeared to have started with a MVP (Rice and chicken) and the entire business model was responsive to customer behavior and they aligned their product packages, layout, processes and resources in that direction but I was completely shocked that we had moments of generalist business!

Product prioritization is essential to ensure that the development team focuses on delivering high-value features in an iterative and efficient manner. Stakeholders in a new business Enterprise without agile teams or innovation leads, most often fall into the product pilot trap by making product decision based only on stakeholder interest, market trends or existing competition (loud noises). This is prevalent in the tech industry as most product adoption has a low score (churn rate). This is a significant challenge in getting consumers to adopt innovative offerings.

To address this, it is crucial to understand that customer discovery and acquisition is a journey and must be unlocked via design thinking approach. Deep insights into consumer preferences, pain points, and aspirations are gained through the "journey of customer discovery" to determine what to build and what not to build.

Referring to our use case-; they understood the importance of empathizing with their target consumers to develop products that truly meet their needs. Armed with valuable customer insights from their innovation package i.e., CRM-Tilling machine, they adopted a lean approach, enabling them to iterate and refine their products rapidly. Companies that prioritize product development in this manner tend to outperform others by at least 70%. (ProdOps)

Product adoption is challenging. I remember a pilot partner courier service –with over 20k users couldn’t scale with the projected solutions for the inherent business phase of CR and another competitor developed a catalytic marketing app to create a shift in consumer behavior. This transition was not as smooth, but it quite doubled product penetration by double digit across the covid-19 period and with rapid iterations grossed over a billion in sales.  

the case study company employed a combination of lean approaches. Internally, there is clearly defined product vision and smart goals. We assessed the value of each user story or epic (product) in terms of its impact on customer satisfaction, revenue generation, and strategic alignment. We conducted a value versus effort analysis, considering factors such as development time, resources, and dependencies, using the RACI/KANO prioritization framework. The rapid innovation and customer centric approach led to increased product adoption, resulting in improved customer retention rates.

Notice how we didn’t priorities stakeholders’ involvement over processes.

As a matter of fact, business meeting was held to provide strategic direction. By the time other market entrants and oldies became aware, close competitors had begun to shut down. Recently they also fine-tuned their innovation package to make it more convenient and more economical with their egg-star move! With regular product testing, incorporating customer feedback to enhance taste, texture, and nutritional profiles they have remained relevant.

In conclusion, as a product manager you have a responsibility to provide clarity to the entire team as well as business leaders. This is why in situation that seems to have stakeholder tradeoffs or interests. It always good to share primarily solutions that align with core business values. Chicken Rep's journey exemplifies the power of a lean agile process, design thinking, rapid innovation, and effective product prioritization. Through their strategic approach and relentless pursuit of customer satisfaction.