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How to Revive a Failing Product: Proven Strategies to Turn Things Around

Product failure is a difficult pill to swallow, but it doesn’t necessarily mark the end of the road. By analyzing the root causes, making strategic adjustments, and even seeking external support, you can turn a product around and restore its market relevance. In this article, we’ll explore actionable steps to help you save a product that’s struggling to gain traction, along with real-world examples and expert advice.


failure

1. Identify Why the Product is Failing


Before rushing to make changes, it’s essential to identify the reasons behind the product’s failure. Is it a lack of product-market fit? Poor user experience? Inadequate marketing? To make the right adjustments, you need data. Facebook’s pivot from its early days as a university-only platform to a global social network was born out of the realization that its initial target market was too limited.


Key Actions:


  • Customer Feedback: Conduct in-depth surveys or focus groups with existing users.

  • Analytics Review: Examine user behavior to identify key points where engagement drops off.

  • Competitive Benchmarking: Compare your product’s features and performance with competitors to find gaps.


“When a product isn’t working, it’s usually because you’re not solving the right problem for the right customer. Fix that, and everything else falls into place.” — Ben Horowitz, Co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz.

2. Reevaluate Your Target Market


Sometimes, the product is solid, but the audience is wrong. A famous example is Slack, which started as an internal communication tool for a gaming company. When the game failed, they repurposed the software for team communication in a broader market—now Slack is used by millions worldwide.


Key Actions:


  • Redefine Personas: Update or develop new customer personas based on actual user insights.

  • Explore New Markets: Test your product in a different industry or demographic. What works in one niche might perform better in another.

  • Validate with Pilot Testing: Run small-scale campaigns targeting new audience segments and gather feedback.


“If the market isn’t reacting, change your market. You may have built something great, just for the wrong audience.” — Marc Andreessen, Venture Capitalist.

3. Pivot the Product or Introduce New Features


Sometimes, a product needs a shift in direction to better meet market needs. A well-known pivot story is Instagram, which started as Burbn, a location-based check-in app. Once the founders realized users were mostly engaging with the photo-sharing feature, they streamlined the app into the Instagram we know today.


Key Actions:


  • Feature Adjustments: Consider removing unnecessary features and focusing on the core value of the product.

  • New Use Cases: If your product solves a different problem than originally intended, embrace that. Rebrand or position it accordingly.

  • Beta Testing: Launch a beta version of your revamped product with key changes and gather real-time feedback.


“The best products are those that adapt based on user needs. If users show you what they want, give it to them.” — Stewart Butterfield, CEO of Slack.

4. Improve Product Experience


A poor user experience can be a silent killer. Even if a product offers value, if it’s hard to use, users will abandon it. Spotify’s success comes in part from its constant focus on UI/UX improvements, making it easy for users to discover and enjoy music effortlessly.


Key Actions:


  • UI/UX Audit: Conduct a detailed review of your product’s design, navigation, and user flows.

  • Improve Onboarding: Simplify onboarding processes to ensure new users quickly understand the product’s value.

  • A/B Testing: Use A/B tests to experiment with different designs, feature placements, and flows to improve engagement.


“User experience isn’t just about aesthetics. It’s about functionality and making the user’s life easier.” — Jonathan Ive, former Chief Design Officer at Apple.

5. Boost Marketing and Rebranding


Your product may be great, but if no one knows about it, it won’t succeed. A rebranding or marketing overhaul can revive interest. Consider Old Spice’s brand transformation. Once known as an "old man’s cologne," the company repositioned itself through viral marketing and new messaging, ultimately becoming one of the most popular men's grooming brands.


Key Actions:


  • Revamp Marketing: Update your content strategy, SEO, and social media presence to better align with your revised product positioning.

  • Invest in Paid Ads: Use targeted paid campaigns to generate visibility and drive traffic.

  • Rebrand Visually: Refresh your product’s branding, from logo and packaging to website design, to reflect a new direction.


“Marketing and branding are as important as the product itself—if people don’t connect emotionally with your product, they won’t buy it.” — Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Group.

6. Offer Incentives for Early Adopters

When trying to build momentum for a failing product, you can leverage your most loyal users to help spread the word. Tesla offers one of the most well-known referral programs, incentivizing current customers to bring new buyers, which helps create organic growth.


Key Actions:


  • Referral Programs: Create a system where users earn rewards for bringing in new customers.

  • Exclusive Access: Offer beta access or new features to early adopters, giving them a sense of ownership and special status.

  • Social Proof: Highlight user testimonials and case studies to attract new customers.


“Your best salespeople are your customers. Give them the tools to spread the word.” — Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX.

7. Consider Merging or Partnering


If your product isn't gaining enough traction independently, collaborating with another company or product can provide the boost it needs. For example, YouTube was initially struggling to grow, but after its acquisition by Google, it became a global video-sharing powerhouse.


Key Actions:


  • Strategic Partnerships: Identify companies with complementary products and explore partnership opportunities.

  • Mergers: Combining forces with a competitor or complementary product can provide access to a wider customer base.

  • Licensing: If managing the product yourself is too difficult, consider licensing it to a company with more resources.


“Sometimes it’s better to join forces than to go it alone. A strong partnership can save even the most struggling product.” — Reid Hoffman, Co-founder of LinkedIn.

8. Take Advantage of Product Consulting Services


If you're unsure how to proceed or lack the in-house expertise, consulting with product experts can be invaluable. Companies like ours specialize in identifying pain points and crafting strategies to turn struggling products into market leaders. This approach provides fresh perspectives and strategic insights that you may not have considered.


Key Actions:


  • Detailed Product Audit: A consulting agency can provide a thorough analysis of your product, uncovering the root causes of failure.

  • Tailored Strategy: With extensive industry knowledge, a consulting team can craft a custom strategy for rebranding, pivoting, or repositioning.

  • Implementation Support: Agencies don't just provide strategy—they help execute the changes, whether it’s rebranding, UX improvements, or product pivots.


“Sometimes you’re too close to the product to see its flaws. An outside perspective can be the key to unlocking its true potential.” — Marty Cagan, Partner at Silicon Valley Product Group.

9. Know When to Let Go


While it’s important to fight for your product’s success, there are cases when it’s better to move on. Quibi, the short-form streaming service, was shuttered after just six months despite significant investment. Its failure was a reminder that even the best-laid plans sometimes need to be abandoned.


Key Actions:


  • Extract Lessons: Failures are often more valuable than successes. Apply what you’ve learned to future products.

  • Plan an Exit: If your product can’t be salvaged, develop a smooth transition for existing users, including recommendations for alternative solutions.

  • Repurpose Assets: Consider repurposing any useful technology, design assets, or intellectual property for future projects.


“Knowing when to let go is as important as knowing when to push harder. Not every product can be a hit, and that’s okay.” — Jeffrey Katzenberg, Co-founder of Quibi.

Don’t Give Up Without a Fight


A failing product isn’t the end of the road. By carefully analyzing the reasons for failure, pivoting when necessary, and improving your marketing efforts, you can often salvage and revitalize a struggling product. Seeking help from experts, such as product consulting agencies, can provide the strategic direction and support needed to turn things around.


With these strategies—and the wisdom gained from real-world examples and expert insights—you can transform a failing product into a success, or at the very least, learn valuable lessons to apply to future ventures.

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