Product-market fit
Also called: PMF
ELI5
A real market wants the product and keeps using it.
Used in conversation
“The company has early demand but not yet product-market fit.”
Definition
A condition in which a product creates strong recurring value for a sufficiently large market, reflected in demand and retention.
Here “Product-market fit” means: A condition in which a product creates strong recurring value for a sufficiently large market, reflected in demand and retention.
Pitch context
You will see “Product-market fit” in product strategy decks, roadmaps, experiments and architecture reviews when the discussion reaches product vision, strategy & roadmaps.
Why it matters: It helps a reader interpret product vision, strategy & roadmaps without confusing the measure, decision, role or evidence being discussed.
Sources & evidence · 7
Supporting source families. This entry is an editorial synthesis rather than a quotation from one canonical glossary.
- Strategyzer — Business Model Canvas resourcesSupporting source family · practitioner · checked 2026-08-16
- Strategyzer — Value Proposition Canvas resourcesSupporting source family · practitioner · checked 2026-08-16
- LEANSTACK — Lean CanvasSupporting source family · practitioner · checked 2026-08-16
- U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division — Herfindahl-Hirschman IndexSupporting source family · primary · checked 2026-08-16
- U.S. Census Bureau — Business and economy dataSupporting source family · primary · checked 2026-08-16
- Scrum Guides — The Scrum Guide — official current versionSupporting source family · primary · checked 2026-08-16
- National Institute of Standards and Technology — Computer Security Resource Center GlossarySupporting source family · primary · checked 2026-08-16