- Case 02
- Anonymous client · Developer software · 12-week GTM validation
A paid product launch that ended with a decision to stop.
NAVIN ran a 12-week go-to-market validation track for a company exploring whether its internal developer tool could become a paid product. We attracted the first users, but usage data and customer interviews showed that the product lacked product-market fit. The paid launch fell short. The client left with a clear decision and another use for the software.
The question
The client had built software to solve a problem for its own developers. With an MVP in place, it wanted to find out whether other developers would use it and pay for it.
NAVIN took responsibility for marketing during a 12-week validation track. The commercial question was whether the tool solved a problem that mattered enough to support a paid product.
How the work developed
Interview potential users.
We started with a workshop and recruited developers through LinkedIn and Reddit for customer interviews. These conversations helped us understand how potential users experienced the problem the tool addressed.
Bring in the first users.
NAVIN then ran advertising across multiple channels and launched the product through organic channels. This brought in an initial pool of trial users and gave us real behaviour to examine alongside the interview feedback.
Make product usage visible.
Trial-to-paid conversion was weak, and we had limited visibility into what users were doing inside the product.
NAVIN worked with the client's developers to add product analytics and measure the new-user onboarding flow.
See where usage stopped.
The data revealed a problem: users were completing onboarding, then stopping use of the tool.
The initial interest was not translating into continued usage. That weakened the case for spending more to acquire users.
The product lacked product-market fit
The offer did not fit either of the segments we tested. Larger developer teams needed features the product did not offer. Smaller teams were unwilling to pay when a free alternative was available.
The usage data reinforced that conclusion: users completed onboarding, then stopped using the tool. The evidence did not justify continuing to fund the paid launch in its current form.
We ended the collaboration at the agreed 12 weeks, with part of the media budget unspent. The validation gave the client enough evidence to stop investing in a proposition that was not working.
The client repurposed the software as a free tool that could support brand visibility and demonstrate its capabilities to potential consulting clients.
Start here
Could your product support a business?
NAVIN helps B2B teams test a commercial proposition, run the launch and use the evidence to decide where further investment is justified.