Killer feature

In marketing terminology, a killer feature is any attribute of a product that proves so useful as to become the main attraction of the product.

Random feature gets unintentionally picked up as the main reason for buying/using a certain product, despite the creator's intention being different or more general. (PC: spreadsheets; Internet: porn; smartphones: messaging.)

— obvio171, ^[1]

Analogous to killer application, which specifically refers to software as a killer feature of its compatible hardware (meaning that the software sells the hardware), the term killer feature often more specifically refers to software features that sell the software.

See also

• Killer application
• Disruptive technology
• Vendor lock-in
• Use case

References