Why won’t they use it?
This was the question we found ourselves asking again and again, almost a hundred times a month. After launching a demo of our digital stylist widget for e-commerce websites, we were shocked by the user engagement or rather, the lack of it. Our state-of-the-art AI stylist sat patiently at the bottom right of the screen, ready to assist, but users barely gave it a try. Instead, they were focused on the search bar, they have used since the beginning of e-commerce or the moment they met with it.
Determined to fix this, we added feature after feature, convinced that the next one would finally make the difference. Yet, nothing changed. Each time, we’d tell ourselves, “This is it,” only to see the same result: users simply weren’t engaging with the digital stylist. Our frustration grew as we tried to figure out why our “once-in-a-decade” innovation was being overlooked.
After reading John T. Gourville’s Eager Sellers and Stony Buyers, it was easier for me to put this experience into words. It was the classic trap. As Gourdille explained, you can’t disrupt habitual usage patterns too drastically, and no amount of new features will fix a product if the core functionality did not lead the product to product-market fit.
Understanding Buyer Resistance
Gourville’s insights on the psychology of buyer resistance now clarified for me why our users weren’t responding to the innovative product we introduced. Consumers stick to familiar behaviors because they instinctively value what they already know over something new. This is rooted in what psychologists call loss aversion. As clearly stated in the text, people overvalue what they have, even if the new alternative is objectively better. While DVD players are better technologically in nearly every way than VCRs, consumers experienced a feeling of loss when their videotape collections became obsolete, even though switching to DVDs meant better quality.
How to Overcome Resistance
As hinted by the text, product managers also seem to face this dilemma frequently: how do you introduce innovation without separating your users who are set in their ways? The key is to respect the existing habits and behaviors of your users. I think product managers should not be a Jacobin (French revolutionaries believing the ideal “for people against people”) in their approach to customers, forcing radical changes that disrupt their experience. However, slight improvements wouldn’t make a great product either. So, what should we do? Here is what I learned from text:
1- Make sure your product is a painkiller not a vitamin pill on top of the previous one: Before introducing any new features, ensure the core function is 10x the other alternatives. Thus, the losses by not using the incumbent product is outweighed by the new one, preventing loss aversion.
2- Minimize behaviour change and respect your user: As indicated in the text, people are far more likely to adopt new tools when they don’t have to drastically alter their current routines.
3- Don’t fall into trap of feature creep: Adding more and more features doesn’t solve the problem if the primary feature isn’t already a fit (a lesson I learned the hard way!). New features should enhance the experience not clutter it.
So, the Lesson?
Balancing innovation with user psychology is key. Falling in love with our products might blind us to the fact that users aren’t ready to embrace change as easily as we think. Therefore, product managers should be stoic and limit their vision to what they can change, and not try to change external factors, especially the user habits. By focusing on the user’s core needs, minimizing disruption to their habits, and ensuring the product’s main functionality is a market fit, we can encourage adoption more effectively.
The lesson? It’s not about how innovative your product is, it’s about how well it fits into the lives of those who use it.
