Would YOU Buy Your Product?

Here’s the hard truth:

Your product does NOT need to be completely new.

But it does need to be meaningfully different.

Because if your product looks like 20 other products on Amazon, you’re going to have a problem.

A big one.

You’ll end up fighting over price.

Then PPC gets expensive.

Then margins shrink.

Then you start wondering why you ever ordered 2,000 units of the thing. 😅

I’ve seen this happen more times than I can count.

And the scary part?

Most sellers discover the problem after they launch.

By then, fixing it can mean eating inventory, changing packaging, running new photos, or even going back to the factory.

That’s an expensive way to do market research.

So let’s fix the problem before launch.

The “Me Too” Trap 📦

A while back, I was looking at a product category where almost every seller was doing the same thing.

Same basic product.

Same colors.

Same features.

Same claims.

And, of course…

Same five-star bullet points.

The sellers were basically standing in a row saying:

The problem?

The customer had no good reason to pick one over the other.

So what happens next?

Price becomes the differentiator.

And that is a race I don’t want you running.

Because there is always someone willing to make less money than you.

Here’s the real question:

Why should someone buy YOUR version?

If your answer is:

“Because mine is high quality.”

Sorry.

Everyone says that.

“Because mine is durable.”

Same problem.

“Because mine is made with premium materials.”

Yawn.

Your customer doesn’t care about your product.

They care about their problem.

That’s where differentiation starts.

Step 1: Find the Complaint

Before I launch a product, I want to know what customers hate about the existing options.

Not what they like.

What they hate.

That’s where the gold is hiding. 🎯

Go through competitor reviews.

Especially the 1-, 2-, and 3-star reviews.

Look for repeated complaints.

You might find things like:

• “The handle broke.”

• “It’s too hard to clean.”

• “The zipper gets stuck.”

• “It’s too small.”

• “The instructions are confusing.”

• “It works, but it’s annoying to use.”

Don’t just read those reviews.

Count them.

If 3 people complain about something, maybe it’s noise.

If 37 people complain about the same thing?

Now you have a market signal.

Step 2: Turn the Complaint Into a Feature

This is where many sellers stop too soon.

They find a complaint and say:

“Great. Customers don't like that.”

Okay.

Now what?

Turn that complaint into a product improvement.

If customers say a storage product is hard to clean…

Maybe yours has removable, washable parts.

If customers say a kitchen tool is hard to store…

Maybe yours includes a built-in storage solution.

If customers say the instructions are confusing…

Maybe yours comes with a simple visual guide.

Notice what’s happening.

You’re not trying to invent a flying car.

You’re simply making the existing product less annoying.

That can be enough.

Step 3: Make the Difference Easy to See

This part is huge.

A difference that customers can’t see, understand, or feel is a weak differentiator.

Your customer is scrolling Amazon on their phone.

They’re tired.

They have 14 tabs open in their brain.

You have about three seconds to answer:

“Why yours?”

So make the difference obvious.

Show it in your main images.

Explain it in your bullets.

Demonstrate it in your A+ content.

And, when possible, let the customer see the difference before they buy.

Don’t make them solve a puzzle.

Step 4: Give Your Difference a Name

Here’s a little trick I love.

If you have a real improvement, give it a simple name.

Not some giant corporate phrase that sounds like it was invented by a committee.

Something memorable.

For example:

Quick-Clean Design.

One-Hand Lock.

No-Slip Grip.

30-Second Setup.

Now your improvement becomes something the customer can remember.

You’re not just selling a product.

You’re selling a reason to choose it.

Step 5: Test the Idea Before You Buy Inventory

This is the step I wish more new sellers would take.

Before you place a big order, test your positioning.

Show your concept to real people.

Ask:

“Which one would you buy?”

Then ask:

“Why?”

And listen carefully.

If they say:

“They both look the same.”

That is not bad news.

That is cheap news.

You just learned something before spending thousands of dollars.

You can go back.

Change the product.

Change the positioning.

Change the packaging.

Change the offer.

Better to fix the problem with a laptop than with a warehouse full of boxes.

The Big Lesson 🎯

You don't need to be the only seller in a category.

You need to give customers a clear reason to choose you.

And that reason should come from a real customer problem.

Not from your imagination.

Not from a supplier telling you, “This product very popular.”

And definitely not from copying the top seller and changing the color.

Do your homework.

Find the complaints.

Spot the pattern.

Fix the problem.

Then make that fix impossible to miss.

My rule of thumb:

Don’t ask, “How can I make this product better?”

Ask:

“What does the customer hate about the products they already have?”

That question can save you a lot of money.

And maybe a few gray hairs. 😅

The Bottom Line

Different doesn't mean weird.

It means useful.

Find something customers dislike.

Fix it.

Then make that fix easy to see.

That’s how you stop being another seller in the search results and start giving shoppers a reason to pick you.

💬 My proverb: If the customer can’t see the difference, the difference doesn’t count.

And remember…

It’s much cheaper to fix a product on paper than to fix 2,000 units sitting in your garage. 📦

Andy Splichal
Founder & Managing Partner of True Online Presence & Author of the Make Each Click Count Book Series

P.S. If you're tired of wasting money on ads that don’t convert — and you're ready to take your Amazon PPC from “meh” to money machine — let’s chat. I offer done-for-you ad management that actually works (no fluff, just ROI).
📅 Click here to book a call with me — let’s scale this thing 🚀

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