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Why Google Glass Failed And Why Apple Watch Could Too

This article is more than 8 years old.

Frustrated business owners frequently contact me because their potential customers are not embracing their super-cool, latest offering. In most cases, the owner of the latest, best mousetrap, brags about all of its innovative features and benefits. They often explode with a monologue of excitement about how much money their offering can save customers, how much faster customers will be able to complete a given task, or how it can provide a capability the rest of the market can’t deliver. Unfortunately, these are not the questions they need to answer for their customer, especially for business-minded customers. Companies often forgot (or don’t know) what questions customers really ask during the decision making process.

Google Glass Failed, Apple Watch Might Fail Too

Our house is an equal opportunity household when it comes to Google and Apple. I carry an Android phone (though my teenage children are Apple-fanatics). By all accounts, Google Glass failed to gain commercial success. Just to be clear, Google Glass didn’t fail because of the technology, rather because it wasn’t clear to the customer what problem it solved or why they needed it. If Apple doesn’t create a clear use case for the Apple Watch and demonstrate why people need to care about it, then Apple Watch could see the same fate as Google Glass. Regardless of the outcome, rest assured that Google and Apple will not be defined by their first wearable products.

Sure, Google Glass is cool. Apple Watch is slick. Back in the late 1990s or early 2000s, you could get away with cool or slick without a defined purpose. The early adopters bought into Google Glass. Diehard Apple fans can’t wait to show-off their Apple Watch. But, for most buyers, they need to see more to make a rational purchase decision.

Why They Failed

I’ve asked more than 3,000 CEOs and executives to identify the top questions they need to answer in order to approve or deny a request to spend money on something. I universally get the same answer at the top of the list: “What problem does it solve or why would I need it?”

Google Glass failed to help consumers understand why they needed such a device. With a recent move to larger and larger screens for users, it might be a risky move for Apple to shift its focus to a user interface the size of a watch face. But, diehard Apple fans will cite Steve Jobs’ quote, “People don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” Remember that the Apple Watch is an accessory for your phone, not a replacement. If you are used to wearing a watch, getting notifications without taking your phone from your purse or pocket might seem appealing. Certainly, Apple proved its point with the iPod in 2001. However, the iPod solved an important challenge. Consumers could not easily carry their entire music library with them, dynamically switching between thousands of songs (I remember my travel case for carrying cassette tapes with me). Though consumers didn’t know they wanted an iPod, it was clear to the customer the problem Apple was solving for them. Today, we take MP3 music for granted.

What They Ask Next

Only after understanding what problem you solve and why customers might need your offering, your audience will then want to know “What is the likely outcome or result” of making the purchase. In the case of early adopters of Google Glass or Apple Watch, the consumer may have purchased because they wanted the next cool thing. It’s probably the same reason why 3-D televisions did not capture market share. The concept was cool, but were you really going to hand out 3-D glasses to your guests when they came to watch a game or movie? There was also limited 3-D content available.

A common business trap is to focus on the benefits or features of your product or service. If you are the best plumber with an innovative way to unclog drains, that feature doesn’t matter to someone unless they have clogged drains. Similarly, in your business, be sure that before you focus on the results or outcome, that you make it crystal clear what problems you solve, or why people might need what you offer.

Confirmation of outcomes is the main reason why customers seek references. Simply put, they want to better understand the experience of others. If enough people have had the experience they are seeking, then as a customer, they feel more comfortable making the purchase.

A Better Mousetrap Is Not Enough

Google created the best wearable solution. Aside from early adopters seeking bragging rights, Google’s customers did not respond because they could not quickly understand what problem it solved, or why they needed Google Glass. We’ll see if Apple Watch suffers a similar fate. Rest assured, each could succeed in niche markets where they make it clear what problems they solve and why customers need it.

Unless your customer has a mouse problem, they don’t care if you have a better mousetrap .  If you describe clearly 1. What problems you solve; and 2. The likely outcomes or results from your product or service, then you’ll attract your best customers and make it easier for them to make a buying decision. Business customers need to understand why they should care about your offering before they’ll have any interest about what it does.

Even with a few new product failures, it goes without saying that both Apple and Google have a long future with a well-earned reputation for innovation. Innovative companies can’t hit a homerun with every at-bat, but as a business leader you can improve your chance of success by helping your customers answer 1. Why they need what you offer; and 2. The likely outcome if they make the purchase.

It’s Your Turn

What problem does Google Glass or Apple Watch solve? What did the companies miss in their messaging? Take the discussion to Twitter and LinkedIn and share your thoughts.

 

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