nanybot
In 2024, I developed an SEO-optimised article writer. Literally everyone told me that ChatGPT could already write articles, so why would anyone pay for another product?
Anyway, some users eventually paid for it, even $79 per month, when the paid versions of ChatGPT and Gemini cost just $20.
This experience made me realise that there are several reasons people pay for products that offer capabilities they can already access elsewhere.
1. People pay for convenience, not just capabilities. #
ChatGPT can write articles, but someone using it for SEO content still needs to research keywords, prepare prompts, structure the article, optimise it and handle several other steps.
A dedicated SEO article writer can combine these steps into one workflow.
Just remove a few steps to achieve the same goal. Some customers are willing to pay for that convenience.
The same principle applies to many successful products:
Calendly: Removes the back-and-forth communication involved in scheduling meetings.
Loom: Makes explaining something through a screen recording easier than arranging a meeting or writing a lengthy explanation.
Grammarly: Makes checking grammar and improving writing easier without manually reviewing every sentence.
Bitly: Makes long URLs easier to share and manage.
Remove.bg: Removes the manual work involved in removing image backgrounds.
These products didn't invent the underlying capabilities. They made existing tasks easier by removing unnecessary steps.
This is already proven in the market. People are willing to purchase another paid product simply because it removes some friction from something they can already do using other tools.
So, why quit building something just because the underlying capability already exists?
2. A general-purpose product cannot serve every specific workflow equally well. #
A general-purpose product is designed to serve a broad audience. That doesn't mean it provides the most convenient experience for every particular use case.
For example, ChatGPT can write articles, but someone who regularly publishes SEO articles may prefer a dedicated product that already understands their workflow.
The same applies to other industries. A business owner, developer, marketer and content creator may all use the same AI technology, but their workflows are completely different.
You don't necessarily need to compete with the entire platform. You can focus on 1 particular audience and make its specific workflow easier.
If an existing product doesn't serve that workflow well enough, there is still an opportunity to build another product.
3. People naturally gravitate towards products that require less thinking. #
This is one of the most overlooked aspects of building software.
Two products can offer exactly the same functionality, but people may naturally prefer one over the other simply because it feels easier to use.
Reduce the cognitive load of using your product. Users will subconsciously prefer it and be less likely to switch.
How many things does someone need to remember? How many decisions do they need to make? Do they need to figure out what to do next? Is the interface predictable? Can they complete their task without constantly thinking about how to use the software?
When UX is designed well, users don't have to consciously process every step.
They can focus on their actual work instead of figuring out the software.
Sometimes, users start using one product more frequently than another without even knowing exactly why they prefer it.
This is another opportunity to build a paid product. You can offer the same capabilities as an existing product but make the entire experience feel more natural and effortless.
You don't need a new technology to achieve that.
4. More features don't necessarily mean a better product. #
Developers often think about adding more features to make their products competitive.
But more features can also mean more options, settings, decisions and complexity.
A user doesn't necessarily want to have ten ways to accomplish something. They want to accomplish it without having to figure out which way to choose.
A focused product that handles a specific task with fewer decisions can provide a better experience than a feature-rich alternative.
Sometimes, removing features is more valuable than adding them.
This gives you another angle to explore when an existing product already offers the functionality you want to build. You can create a simpler alternative that does less but makes the actual task easier.
5. Fewer clicks don't always mean less friction. #
When people talk about simplifying software, they often focus on reducing the number of clicks or steps.
But friction isn't only about physical actions.
A product can have fewer clicks and still require more thinking. Unclear navigation, confusing buttons, unpredictable behaviour and unnecessary decisions can make even a short workflow frustrating.
Reduce friction, micro friction and cognitive load - as much as you can.
Sometimes, adding one deliberate step can actually make the overall experience easier.
For example, asking users to confirm an important action might prevent confusion or mistakes later.
The goal should not be to minimise clicks at any cost. It should be to minimise the total effort required to complete a task.
You can find opportunities in existing products simply by observing where users hesitate, get confused or need to repeat actions.
Someone has already built the same functionality? Fine. There may still be a much easier way to deliver it.
6. Small improvements can create significant value when tasks are repeated frequently. #
Imagine a product that saves someone just two minutes every time they perform a particular task.
Saving two minutes once might not seem valuable. But if someone performs that task 20 times a day, the product saves 40 minutes daily.
For businesses, small efficiency improvements can have a significant impact when repeated regularly.
This is why you shouldn't underestimate an idea just because the improvement looks small.
You don't need to save someone several hours at once. Reducing a few minutes of repetitive work can be enough to justify paying for a separate product.
7. People also pay to avoid learning and figuring things out. #
Someone might be able to accomplish a task using existing tools, but that doesn't mean they know how to do it.
They may need to learn the tools, understand the process, find the right settings, experiment with different approaches and troubleshoot problems.
A dedicated product can eliminate much of that work.
For example, someone can use multiple tools to create and publish social media content. But a product that combines recording, editing, captions and publishing into one workflow saves them from learning and managing several separate tools.
The value isn't necessarily in offering something impossible to accomplish elsewhere. It's in making the process accessible without requiring users to figure everything out themselves.
If people are willing to pay to avoid that effort, there is room for another product.
8. An existing competitor can validate the market. #
If someone has already built a similar product and people are paying for it, you have evidence that there is demand for that particular problem.
You don't have to start by convincing yourself that people need the product. There is already some market evidence.
Instead, investigate what existing users still find inconvenient.
Perhaps the product is too complicated, has unnecessary features, requires too many steps or doesn't serve a particular audience well.
Your opportunity might be in solving one of those problems.
Of course, the existence of a competitor doesn't guarantee that your product will succeed. You still need to find a genuine reason why someone would choose yours.
But competition alone isn't a reason to quit. Sometimes, it gives you a much clearer starting point for finding an opportunity.
9. You don't have to build a better product in every aspect. #
If an established product has 100 features, you don't necessarily need to build 120 features to compete with it.
Solve one particular problem significantly better.
A product can be less powerful overall but more convenient for a specific audience.
You can focus on a particular use case, remove irrelevant options and make the most important workflow effortless.
Trying to compete feature by feature can be unnecessary, especially when you're building independently.
Instead, find one area where you can offer a noticeably better experience.
Someone else building the same product doesn't mean you cannot build a product that a particular group of users prefers.
10. Multiple companies can make money in the same market. #
How many credit card companies are there in the world? How many smartphone manufacturers are competing in the same market? More than 1, right ? I believe you got enough reason not to quit.
Does that mean only one company is making a profit while everyone else is losing money? No. Their profits may differ significantly, but multiple companies generate revenue from the same market.
Not every customer has to choose the same company. Different customers have different preferences, requirements and reasons for choosing a product.
The same applies to software products. You don't need to be the only company offering a particular solution to build a profitable business.
11. Someone else building your idea is evidence of customer demand. #
If other people are already building and selling a product similar to your idea, it means there is at least some evidence of customer demand.
Someone has already identified the problem, developed a solution and found people willing to pay for it.
Instead of treating that as a reason to quit, treat it as market validation.
You still need to find your own competitive advantage, but you don't have to prove that the entire market exists from scratch.
