Some digital products are instantly recognisable for doing one thing exceptionally well
Ask most people to name a product built around a single standout capability and the answers come quickly. Shazam identifies a song in seconds. Klarna made staggered payments mainstream. Rocket Money simplifies subscription management. The same is true for Uber, Just Eat and Strava.
These products are not known for breadth. They are known for solving one problem very well.
In each case, the feature is not just part of the product. It is the reason the product exists. The value is obvious, repeatable and easy to explain. This is what early challenger success often looks like.
For many, feature-led propositions have a shelf life
Markets respond quickly. Competitors replicate the capability. Regulation standardises behaviour. User expectations reset. What once felt novel becomes expected, and the original differentiator quietly slips into the background.
This is where many well-known brands lost momentum.
Blockbuster failed to adapt as Netflix shifted the model entirely. BlackBerry dominated secure mobile email, until it didn’t. Early social platforms like MySpace, Bebo, and Tumblr struggled to evolve as user behaviour changed. Skype became synonymous with video calls, then slowly faded as others refined the experience.
The pattern is familiar. Initial hype. Rapid adoption. A period of dominance. Then erosion.
We see a similar cycle playing out today with AI. “AI-powered” has become shorthand for innovation, even when there is little evidence of meaningful intelligence behind the experience. Many apps claim AI credentials, but struggle to show how it tangibly improves outcomes for users. The buzzword travels faster than the value, and the hype wears off quickly.
Pride in continual improvement
What we consistently see, especially in financial services, is that sustainable advantage does not come from clinging to the original feature. It comes from treating that feature as a starting point, not a destination. The repeat challengers expect their ideas to be copied and invest accordingly.
They build internal pride around continual improvement. They measure themselves against competitors, not just against their own past releases. In some cases, they make this visible. We have seen teams print and laminate benchmark tables, pin them to the wall, and use them as a shared reference point for what “good” looks like today, not last year.
Evolving from a single feature
This mindset matters even more in finance, where many providers are now promising all-in-one apps powered by open banking. The narrative has shifted from “we do one thing brilliantly” to “we do everything for you”.
Trying to do everything often risks doing nothing particularly well. Yet focusing too narrowly can limit long-term relevance. Fortunately, the balance is not about choosing one over the other.
The best propositions we see today are rarely led by a single feature. They evolve over time with an ongoing strategic commitment to user needs, market insights and innovation itself.
So we’d recommend following their lead with becoming commitment led.
Becoming commitment-led
What could this look like for you?
- A commitment to understanding users deeply – Ask the questions, collect the data and discover what matters. Use this to tailor experiences and drive better outcomes.
- A commitment to evolving before the market leaves you behind – Make it a habit to keep an eye on competitor movements. Respond to market changes or don’t. Ensure that you’re owning this decision.
- And a commitment to treating innovation as a continuous practice – Innovation goes far beyond the launch concept. How can you build this into your culture and ways of working?
Because the challenge isn’t simply building a defining feature.
It’s staying relevant after it stops being one.
