When a new option lands, our baseline moves.

We stop measuring parts and start noticing how the old choice now feels slow or awkward. The product hasn't changed ,but our reference point certainly has.

Markets price expectations, not features. The first mover resets what counts as acceptable and captures attention at a discount. The rest of us inherit a tougher comparison set.

Margin gets squeezed. Churn ticks up.

The story in the buyer’s head updates without asking our permission.

Innovation’s real return is reframing power. We are not only building utility. We are rewriting what normal looks like. That is why small experience shifts have oversized effects. They change comparisons, not just capabilities.

There is a cost we avoid admitting. Expectations compound faster than our budgets. Once people see a higher bar, promotions and loyalty points cannot pull the category back to yesterday’s frame.

Our job is to design the reference point and defend it. Because competing with an outdated baseline is not conservative. It is a slow bleed.