What is a product feature?

Understanding
product features is necessary to successfully market a product or service. A products features
are its distinguishing characteristicswhat it does, its dimensions, specifications, etc. In
developing a new product, writing a clear product feature set is a crucial step for explaining
the design vision for the product in order to have a development team all on the same page,
attract investors, and present the product or service to clients. Unique features may also help
a product or service stand out from similar goods in the category, giving a competitive
advantage.

In marketing a product or service, it is often of greater
importance to highlight benefits rather than just features. The benefits of a product show how
it fills a consumer need, what it can do for the customer. For example, a cell phone providers
connection speed is a feature. Being able to quickly access directions on the go is a benefit to
the customer. Describing benefits tends to have a greater emotional impact on the audience
because the real-life application of the feature is demonstrated. Relying exclusively on
features for marketing may result in a dry, technical, fact-based tone. A combination of
information on features and description of how these features benefit the consumer is typically
a better approach. Market research can also help determine which features are most important to
consumers to then prioritize how features are presented.