Technological features are attributes and options incorporated into smart objects with the aim of making products more attractive and capable of satisfying new and emerging needs. But what if having too many turns out to be a double-edged sword?

During the purchase phase, the consumer is engaged and attracted by the opportunity to add features to the core product, especially when the price rises only marginally.

However, during the consumption phase, consumers may encounter the so-called "fatigue feature", that is a feeling of frustration and repentance due to the excessive complexity of the product, as well as the inability to effectively satisfy basic needs.

The implications of the phenomenon are many: from the return of the product to negative feedback on social networks, up to undermining the profitability of the business model and the value of the brand itself.

Researchers Rudy Cesaretto, Alessandra Buratto and Pietro De Giovanni, Research Fellow of our Academic Research Unit (ARU), observed the phenomenon in the study "Mitigating the feature fatigue effect for smart products through digital servitization" proposing a servitization strategy that can be implemented to mitigate those negative effects. 

If you want to have a look at the paper, please click to the following link: Cesaretto, Buratti, De Giovanni (2021)