2.2.2 Gain creators
This sub-block of the value map is directly related to the customer gains sub-block in the customer profile. Gain creators explain how the products and services offered create gains for the customers. It is important that they have a relationship with customer gains in order to create value for a group of customers; however, not all customer gains will necessarily be satisfied by the offer of the organisation.
Gain creators are not themselves products or services, but characteristics of the products and services on offer. For example, a printer could respond to the customer requirement of printing documents, and the ability to print from a smartphone would be a good gain creator for customers who would value that function on their device.
This distinction might look more blurred when assessing digital product and services. If you consider a multi-sided business model introduced in Week 2, you would need to evaluate the gains offered to the different customers involved.
Shazam is a company (now owned by Apple) that developed a smartphone app capable of identifying music being played out loud. It is a typical multi-sided business model, which is free for customers but able to generate revenue – initially this came from advertising, but Shazam has also partnered with a range of companies (including Spotify, the Walt Disney Company and Coca Cola) (Zampitelli, 2022). In the case of Shazam, customer gains should be identified by dividing the customer gains brought to end users of the app who enjoy its ease of use and speed in recognising a song, and the gains obtained by partners who can increase their number of customers readdressed to their platforms thanks to the integration of Shazam.