Chapter One — 1.1 Background to the Study

Product Roadmapping Practices has increasingly attracted the attention of researchers, regulators, and practitioners concerned with customer satisfaction with digital products. This growing interest reflects the recognition that product roadmapping practices does not operate in isolation, but interacts with a wider set of institutional and market conditions found within Selected Small and Medium Enterprises in Nigeria.

Selected Small and Medium Enterprises in Nigeria presents a useful setting for examining this relationship precisely because the conditions there — structural, regulatory, and behavioural — differ from those typically assumed in the broader literature, most of which draws on evidence from more developed economies.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Despite a growing body of literature on product roadmapping practices, there remains limited consensus on the precise nature of its relationship with customer satisfaction with digital products, particularly within Selected Small and Medium Enterprises in Nigeria. Many organizations continue to make decisions about product roadmapping practices without a clear, evidence-based understanding of how those decisions ultimately affect customer satisfaction with digital products. This gap between practice and empirical understanding is the central problem this study seeks to address.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

1. To examine the effect of Product Roadmapping Practices on customer satisfaction with digital products in Selected Small and Medium Enterprises in Nigeria.
2. To assess the extent to which product roadmapping practices influences customer satisfaction with digital products within the study area.
3. To identify the challenges associated with product roadmapping practices in relation to customer satisfaction with digital products.
4. To recommend strategies for optimizing product roadmapping practices in order to improve customer satisfaction with digital products.

1.4 Research Questions

1. What is the effect of product roadmapping practices on customer satisfaction with digital products in Selected Small and Medium Enterprises in Nigeria?
2. To what extent does product roadmapping practices influence customer satisfaction with digital products within the study area?
3. What challenges are associated with product roadmapping practices in relation to customer satisfaction with digital products?
4. What strategies can be adopted to optimize product roadmapping practices in order to improve customer satisfaction with digital products?

1.5 Significance of the Study

This study is significant to a range of stakeholders. For policymakers and regulators, the findings offer evidence to guide the design of frameworks that support healthier outcomes around customer satisfaction with digital products. For managers and practitioners within Selected Small and Medium Enterprises in Nigeria, the study provides practical insight into how product roadmapping practices can be better managed. Finally, it contributes to the academic literature on product management by extending existing knowledge into a specific empirical context, and offers a reference point for future researchers.

1.6 Scope of the Study

The study is limited to an examination of Product Roadmapping Practices and its relationship with customer satisfaction with digital products within the context of Selected Small and Medium Enterprises in Nigeria. It reflects a MSc-level scope of analysis and relies on data and perspectives available within that scope; generalizing the findings beyond this specific context should therefore be done with appropriate caution.