Product Purgatory: When they love it but still don't buy

Founder takeaway

Customer enthusiasm is not proof of demand. A product can be free and still feel too costly once buyers account for their time, effort, risk, and switching burden.

Why it matters

If founders treat positive feedback as purchase intent, they may keep improving a product customers admire but will not adopt. Understanding the full cost of saying yes reveals whether the obstacle is value, urgency, trust, or implementation friction.

Relevant guides

Put it to work

Ask five interested non-buyers: “What would adopting this require from you, and which part makes it not worth doing now?” Then remove or offset the most common burden before adding features.