Google has a diverse product portfolio as a result of a data-driven product development(1) which has even led to some employee dissatisfaction. Google’s platform allows a rapid application development lifecycle(2) and deep customer insight meaning products can be:
- Developed and launched quickly
- Killed quickly they don’t find any users
- Iterated rapidly if the they catch an audience
This basically means that Google’s platform and culture of user-focus(3) allows them to keep a broad product portfolio as long as there is interest – suggesting a the low cost-to-serve. They can build depth to each product (to maximise user engagement) by monitoring user behaviour. This ultimately translates into economies of scale and economies of scope.
References
(1) Googl’s data-driven culture; data-centric culture has upset some
(2) Google encourages developers to ‘fail quickly’
(3) Customer focus
Useful re-usable resources