Create ideas using: Invent a Complementary Product
How do I know if a complementary product is worth creating?
Look for the friction around your main product. What do people need right before, during, or after using it? What adjacent problem keeps coming up? If customers are already hacking together solutions or buying third-party add-ons, that's your answer. Don't invent for the sake of having more SKUs. Invent because there's a real gap.
Won't creating a complementary product just dilute our focus?
Only if you're doing it wrong. A complementary product should make your core offering better, not compete for resources and attention. Think ecosystem, not distraction. Apple makes cases and chargers because they enhance the iPhone experience. That's strategic. Random product extensions that don't connect? That's just greed disguised as innovation.
Example: How it could look
A standing desk company doesn't just sell desks--they create a balance board designed specifically for their desk heights, a cable management system that clips into their design, and a mobile app that reminds you to alternate between sitting and standing. Each product makes the desk work better. None would exist without the core offering.
Or like this:
Why is Invent a Complementary Product a great technique?
Complementary products create an ecosystem that increases customer lifetime value while solving real adjacent problems.
Captures more value from existing customers
Solves problems competitors ignore
Creates switching costs through ecosystem lock-in
Shows deep understanding of customer journey
When done right, complementary products make your main offering indispensable by completing the experience. You're not just selling more stuff--you're removing friction and creating a complete solution. That builds loyalty and increases the cost of switching to competitors.
! When not to use the Invent a Complementary Product Technique
When you're just trying to upsell random crap that doesn't genuinely enhance the main product. Customers see through that immediately.
Technique first described by www.deckofbrilliance.com