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How does a company get competitive advantage?


             Simplicity is in its all-time importance. In our time there are tons of products and services to use take for example the apps industry. Millions of apps are available for you, but you do not have the time to use them all. So, you only focus on the simplest of them that gets what you need to be done. Marketing managers have product differentiation in their strategy (Winder and Dhar, 2010). And a big part of it nowadays is in simplicity. In this essay, we are going to discuss if how simplicity nowadays is a critical competitive advantage. Then, will explain what other factors are considered for adding value to customers. And finally, will share some experience from they tech products that have added value to us as customers.

             Simplicity is one of the most critical competitive advantages. Consumers are always looking for products and services that do what they need them to do with minimum hassle and difficulty. Segall (2016) described how simplicity transforms businesses in the most profound ways. Simplicity is vital because not everyone uses technology is a tech geek nor does the person operating a machine is an engineer that knows that ins and outs of her device. Consumers do not want to get a lot of features that make them dazzle. Instead, they expect their needs to be met easily. Castrounis (n.d.) connected simplicity versus features with the Pareto Principle

(80-20 rule). The principle states that 80% of the effect comes from 20% of causes, and hence 80% of products value come from only 20% of the features it possesses. So, 80% of features are not valuable. Thus, products with intuitive, uncluttered, easy to use will always win.



            Another factor that can add value to the customer is the why factor.  Sink (as cited in Delightful communications, 2017, para.4) explains the why factor as “something that very few organizations understand. A lot of times companies believe that their “why” is to make money… but that isn’t something that will resonate with consumers”. Exceptional companies that focus on their “why” are going to build a brand that speaks their philosophy and achieve the statue of the most respected companies in their niches (Delightful communications, 2017). The why factor is adding value to the customer because the company behind the product or service is putting all their energy into what they believe in.



            An experience I had as a customer regarding simplicity in products is using an Apple product. Apple introduced simplicity into the tech field with its excellent products. The iPhone I used is very intuitive and straightforward compared with an Android. For example, there is only one way to accomplish a task as opposed to more than one way to achieve the same job in an Android which takes complexity and being prone to error out of the equation. Apple also has very simple advertisements compared to other tech companies out there. Moreover, their shops and packages are sending the same message as well.  Segal (2016) said that simplicity is in Apple’s DNA.

Conclusion 

         In conclusion, simplicity is vital for the success of a company’s products or services. Moreover, combining simplicity with the why factor ensures the fuel necessary to continue the pursuit of making great customer experience and ensures profitability in the completive market of today.



References

Castrounis, A. (n.d.). Scalable software, data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence, big data, and IoT solutions. Retrieved November 24, 2018, from https://www.innoarchitech.com/why-product-user-experience-design-simplicity-drive-competitive-advantage/

Delightful communications. (2017, April 6). Does Your Brand Have the "Why" Factor? - Delightful Communications. Retrieved November 24, 2018, from https://www.delightfulcommunications.com/blog/why-factor-brand/

Segall, K. (2016, October 31). The key to Apple's success? Keeping it simple - from the man who put the 'i' in iPhone. Retrieved November 24, 2018, from https://www.wired.co.uk/article/simplicity-apple-dna

Winer, R., & Dhar, R. (2011). Marketing management (4th ed.). Boston: Prentice Hall.

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