Battling High Product Adoption Cost: What & How

In an ideal world, there would be just two steps to business.
A. Find what people want.
B. Give it to them.
However, in the real world, there is a third and most crucial step. 
C. Tell them that you gave it to them.
Even if your app is the ideal solution to your customers’ problems, it takes a lot of teamwork and perseverance to convince them so. This is where product adoption strategy comes in.

Product adoption or user adoption strategy, or the process of converting prospects into users by educating/training them about your product, is a high-priority consideration for tech companies today. Moreover, in the age of CX, any touchpoint with the consumer carries a lot of significance. Apps, gadgets, and other tech products leverage their UX for better user adoption, which we will study further in this article. But before that, let’s delve into the process and investments of product adoption itself.

Product adoption journey curve

The product adoption curve theory, pioneered by Prof. Everett M. Rogers in 1962, is the cornerstone of product adoption strategy. Moreover, he proposed that all individuals in society fall in one of the 5 adopter groups based on when they adopt a new product.

1. The innovators (2.5%):

These are the tech geeks, the ones always ready to jump onto innovations and are proud of being the first ones to do so. They constitute only about 2.5% of the total sample size but are crucial because they’re the product’s initiation into the minds of consumer groups. This is why tech companies spend on free products for influencers.

2. The early adopters (13.5%):

These are another small group of enterprising people who adopt products right after the innovators do. And, they’re opinion leaders in their circles and ought to be kept happy at considerable costs.

3. The early majority (34%):

This is the smarter bunch of the masses. They want to innovate but are also careful. So, they wait for the innovators and early adopters to try tech first and review it for them. If they find it any worth, they instantly adopt it.

4. The late majority (34%):

These wait even longer for products to be tried and tested. They might give in to peer pressure and buy products as well. It is imperative to spend on product reviews and benefits illustrations in order to hold this group.

5. Laggards (16%):

This group either has less exposure to the media you’re trying to reach them through or is just unwilling to adapt and change. They’re the toughest of the lot.

Product adoption journey map

This is a rough map for the consecutive touchpoints in youproduct adoption strategy. It works pretty much the same for all kinds of products including apps.

1. Awareness stage:

This is where you invest in your website and marketing collateral to make customers realize the problem that your app is solving. This stage is all about streamlined onboarding, special features, sales, and etc.

2. Interest stage:

This is where the aware customer is attracted to your product. It’s your time to invest in segment-specific communication such as emailers.

3. Evaluation:

At this stage, the customer compares your product with that of competitors. That’s why. easy-to-access product information material, buying guides, and other product-specific marketing will help.

4. Trial:

The customer might get a free sample or a small proportion of your product in order to try it out. Deals, offers, and free subscriptions are crucial at this stage. Moreover, products that nail the onboarding process at the trial stage tend to succeed more in the actual purchase stage as well.

5. Adoption:

This is what user adoption strategy boils down to. After-sales and marketing have done their jobs and gotten customers to buy your product, your app, or your software, it is the product team’s job to keep them engaged and satisfied with a smooth and engaging onboarding process. This is also where UI UX becomes significant.

Role of design in enhancing product adoption

In the age of design thinking, design can pervade all areas of not just product development but also product adoption, sales, and marketing. Let us look at all the factors influencing user adoption strategy, and know the role of UX for better user adoption.

• Relative advantage:

  The advantage of using your product over not using it or using a competing product can be greatly accentuated through UX design, the foremost touchpoint of your product/app with the consumer. You must’ve heard a lot of people preferring one music app, for example, over another just because they like the UI/UX of the preferred app.

• Compatibility:

  This refers to the compatibility of your product with your customer’s technological environment as well as their values, culture, etc. With adequate research, you can design your product in line with these values and strategically leverage UX for better user adoption, especially at the awareness stage.

• Complexity:

  The perceived complexity or efforts required for the adoption of a product greatly define adoption rates. UX plays a crucial role here. A cluttered UX is the first sign of repulsive complexity, while a clean and appealing one that of ease and authority.

• Trialability:

  This is a very popular feature nowadays, especially with SaaS products such as Netflix. The trial period is the most significant window you have to win your customers over with a thorough UX. If you get that one factor right, you needn’t spend more on outward tactics.

• Observability:

  Observability refers to the ability to evaluate the benefits of a product or innovation. If your UX provides concrete benefit illustrations to customers in the form of, say, interactive reward dashboards, then you are taking a leap forward in making your product/app a habit in their lives.

It is noteworthy that using UX for better user adoption is an underrated strategic measure. Once you get this right, you have hit all three spots- product, experience, and adoption at once. It is not a separate adoption cost, but an overall investment in development, adoption, and sales. Your UX, thus, needs to take into account the entire product adoption curve and offer visible value to all kinds of customers from laggards to innovators.

Final thoughts

Cracking the right UX strategy for achieving user adoption is a full-fledged strategy, implementation, and sustenance task. However, it needs collaboration between the product, UI UX, and sales teams. Additionally, it needs a cohesive unit that makes the best out of all of the abilities.

To avail of professional and specialized services which can accomplish this cohesive strategy for you, check out Divami’s portfolio and contact us right away!