top of page

Being Product Driven in 2025

Writer's picture: Diane PiersonDiane Pierson

Updated: Jan 21

Should 2025 Be a Product-Driven Year?

In the B2B tech world of 2025, the product-driven perspective on innovation is on the rise. With all the great new tools in the toolbox, from multimodal generative AI to spatial computing, does it make sense to let the dev team lead the way to market with the cool new things they can think of that customer can't? Or should companies keep listening to what the markets say they want?  Each path can lead to big wins—or big headaches.


Product-Driven Approach

A product-driven mindset says, “If we build something awesome, the market will love it!” This can be fantastic for teams that thrive on creative freedom and are super passionate about cutting-edge tech. You can end up with game-changing products that leapfrog competitors and redefine product categories. The downside? Sometimes you pour months of work into a solution nobody’s actually looking for.



Market-Driven Approach

On the other hand, a market-driven strategy starts with, “What do our customers really need?” You’re constantly listening to feedback, tracking competitors, and making sure your product solves real pain points. This approach usually means less wasted effort and quicker wins. But there’s a catch: you might end up delivering tactical product tweaks instead and losing sight of the strategic shifts you need to make to keep customers in the long term.


Finding the Sweet Spot to Innovate on Purpose

Let’s be real: the best results usually come from a mix of both. It’s crucial to have a vision that pushes boundaries—nobody wants to be just another “me too” product. At the same time, “new tech” becomes “mainstream tech” in a hearbeat, and your product better be built on it.

The sweet spot? Leverage that cutting-edge tech toolbox to solve problems the market has – whether they can tell you what the solution should be or not. B2B tech is about being bold enough to innovate, but savvy enough to build products that sell. That balancing act can be tricky, but when you nail it, you build products that wow customers AND keep them. THAT’S innovation on purpose.


About the Author

Diane Pierson is the Founder and Chief Market Strategist of Innovate on Purpose, a consultancy enabling successful product strategy, launch and commercialization for B2B tech companies. Get her book, How to Innovate on Purpose or contact Diane at dpierson@innovateonpurpose.com.




Innovate On Purpose Icon Logo.
  • LinkedIn

© 2022 by Innovate on Purpose

bottom of page