Why Product Launches Fail and Lessons to Avoid Failures

An article in the April 2011 edition of the Harvard Business Review explores five factors that cause most product launches to fail and lessons that can be learned from such failures. For example, a common cause of failure is that the product falls short of marketing claims and is criticized for that. To avoid this, the authors suggest that businesses delay a product launch until the product is truly ready for market. Another reason for product failure may be that the item exists in “product limbo,” with minor differences from existing products that are not distinct enough to command sufficient market share. The authors suggest that businesses adequately test products to make sure that they are sufficiently different from competing products to sway buyers.