5 reasons why your product should be nominated for the ET Product of the Year Awards 2026

India’s product landscape is evolving rapidly. New products are entering the market, established players are reinventing existing offerings, and technology is changing how customers discover, evaluate and use products.

But in a crowded market, launching something innovative is only the beginning. What matters is the impact that product creates. How effectively it solves a problem, how customers respond to it, and what it contributes to the market.

The ET Product of the Year Awards 2026 provide an opportunity for products that have moved beyond the launch stage to put their market impact, innovation, and performance in the spotlight.


Here are five reasons why companies should consider nominating their products.

Also Read More: ET Product of the Year Awards 2026: Where product innovation meets broader market impact

1. Turn product performance into a stronger market story

A product’s success is not defined by its features alone. Adoption, customer response, business outcomes, and the ability to solve a real market need are equally important.

The awards allow companies to bring these outcomes together and present a clear story around what their product has achieved. Instead of simply talking about what the product does, a nomination allows companies to demonstrate the difference it is making in the market.

2. Benchmark your product against the market

Product teams typically evaluate performance through their own internal metrics: Growth, usage, retention, customer feedback or revenue.

External recognition offers another perspective.

By entering the ET Product of the Year Awards, companies can put their products forward alongside other products shaping India's evolving product ecosystem. It creates an opportunity to assess where their product stands on innovation, execution, adoption, and market impact.

3. Strengthen credibility around your innovation

Innovation is easier to claim than to prove.

A product may introduce a new technology, simplify an existing process or address an underserved customer need. But its real strength lies in how effectively that innovation translates into market value.

The awards provide a platform to showcase that journey from the problem being addressed and the innovation behind the product to its adoption and impact. Recognition from The Economic Times can further add credibility to the product story among customers, partners, investors, and industry stakeholders.

4. Put customer impact at the centre

The strongest products are built around a clear customer need.

Whether it is a fintech product making financial services more accessible, a SaaS solution improving business productivity, a consumer product changing everyday behaviour or a healthcare innovation addressing a critical need, the real measure of success is the value created for its users.

The ET Product of the Year Awards looks at factors such as market impact, adoption, usage, customer impact, and execution. This allows companies to showcase not just what they built, but why it matters.

5. Give your product the recognition it has earned

For companies that have invested years in building, refining and scaling a product, recognition can become an important part of the larger product story.

The 2026 awards feature categories across sectors including enterprise technology, financial services, consumer products, mobility, healthcare and more, reflecting the breadth of India's changing product ecosystem.

For products that are already in the market and can demonstrate meaningful progress, a nomination offers a chance to put that work in front of an industry audience and compete for recognition alongside some of the country's notable products.

Also Read More: ET Product of the Year Awards 2026: Categories recognising products driving market impact

Is your product ready to make its case?

The ET Product of the Year Awards 2026 are open to eligible products that are currently available in India and were launched or significantly upgraded between January 1, 2025 and September 30, 2026.

With categories spanning different product sectors and an evaluation focused on innovation, adoption, market impact and execution, the awards offer companies an opportunity to move the conversation beyond what their product promises to what it has actually delivered.

If your product has created an impact, this is the time to put its story forward.

Nominate Now!