blue ocean strategy

Complementary Products and Services

Complementary Products and Services are products and services that indirectly impact the utility a buyer receives from an offering. Few products and services are used in a vacuum. Yet managers tend to confine their worldview within the bounds of their industry, without asking what happens before, during, and after the use of their product or service.

The key is to define the total solution buyers seek when they choose a product or service. For example, babysitting assistance and parking facilities are two complementary services to movie theaters. By expanding one's attention to the total solution buyers seek when they choose a product or service, and by removing the "pain points" that buyers experience before, during or after the use of their product or service, a company can create a blue ocean of new market space. See Six Paths Framework.

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