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I'm not sure about this one: People rarely buy on the basis of “most features.” Not most features, but they do compare feature lists and prices to see what

by vaksel 17y ago

I'm not sure about this one: People rarely buy on the basis of “most features.” Not most features, but they do compare feature lists and prices to see what the best deal for them is.

lhuang 17y ago
True, but not all features have the same value. Not to mention "whats the best deal" is highly variable across user profiles and needs. Veblen Goods are good examples of how twisted definitions of value can be.
jacquesm 17y ago
It very much depends on the market. If people buy an 'object' then sure, they'll compare lists and figure out 'value for money'. Cars are a good example where that goes. If they buy in to a service it changes. For instance, when shopping for web hosting you take for granted that the 'basics' are all there (bandwidth, power, AC, a working server with X ram, HD and CPU) the differentiation then sits in things like support quality and other intangibles. The 'feature' list is exactly the same, but the quality of some of the features will be what will swing a customer one way or the other. For instance, I pay a significant premium on some of my hosting simply to get peace of mind, 24x7 instant help. And other parts are not that critical so those go to cheaper providers. On paper the 'features' are exactly the same, but in practice you find out that 24x7 support can be two very different things. And if it is a web service that is essentially free the whole thing changes once again. You are no longer 'selling' anything, you can't compete on price (unless you start giving money for signups ? (it's been done)), so you have to compete in a different arena, such as ease of use. It's hard to make sweeping statements like that and not have a whole pile of exceptions, it probably would have been better to say these things with some context. But the essence is valid for the target audience, which I interpret to be for-pay services either b2b or b2c.

by vaksel 17y ago

I'm not sure about this one: People rarely buy on the basis of “most features.” Not most features, but they do compare feature lists and prices to see what the best deal for them is.

lhuang 17y ago

True, but not all features have the same value. Not to mention "whats the best deal" is highly variable across user profiles and needs. Veblen Goods are good examples of how twisted definitions of value can be.

jacquesm 17y ago

It very much depends on the market. If people buy an 'object' then sure, they'll compare lists and figure out 'value for money'. Cars are a good example where that goes. If they buy in to a service it changes. For instance, when shopping for web hosting you take for granted that the 'basics' are all there (bandwidth, power, AC, a working server with X ram, HD and CPU) the differentiation then sits in things like support quality and other intangibles. The 'feature' list is exactly the same, but the quality of some of the features will be what will swing a customer one way or the other. For instance, I pay a significant premium on some of my hosting simply to get peace of mind, 24x7 instant help. And other parts are not that critical so those go to cheaper providers. On paper the 'features' are exactly the same, but in practice you find out that 24x7 support can be two very different things. And if it is a web service that is essentially free the whole thing changes once again. You are no longer 'selling' anything, you can't compete on price (unless you start giving money for signups ? (it's been done)), so you have to compete in a different arena, such as ease of use. It's hard to make sweeping statements like that and not have a whole pile of exceptions, it probably would have been better to say these things with some context. But the essence is valid for the target audience, which I interpret to be for-pay services either b2b or b2c.