As we expand our product portfolio, when does it make sense to start building functionality that products that we partner with offer?
1 Answer
Lizzy Masotta
Shopify Senior Product Lead | Formerly Salesforce, Google, Nest, Cisco Systems • March 30
I love this question. Through my work at both Salesforce and Shopify this is something that comes up regularly because of our platform and healthy partner ecosystem.
- Do the majority of my users need this?
- Are there problems with the partner meeting the needs of users today?
- Do we have the expertise and staffing to build this?
- Would building this natively unlock new value, new opportunity or a new market?
If the answers to questions 1-3 are yes, then it warrants a discussion with your team. The key question that decides the outcome here is #4.
Is it worthwhile for you to invest time and resources into building this thing? Does it unlock new value or strategic advantage that you do not have by offering this through a partner?
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