What Is a Product Analyst? How to Become One, Salary, Skills.

Product analysts employ product analytics and research to assess the performance of a new product or feature. Here’s what to know about a product analyst’s needed skills, salary and how to become one.

What Is a Product Analyst?

Product analysts are responsible for conducting product and user research as well as analyzing related data to support the product development process. They largely ensure a product is reaching the right audiences and meeting both user and business needs. Product analysts tend to be involved in the pre-launch and post-launch stages of product development. 

What Do Product Analysts Do?

Product analysts interpret quantitative product and user data to support product decisions, changes and optimizations.

Product Analyst Responsibilities

• Conduct product analysis to determine requirements for product success.
• Perform user research to understand specific audience needs.
• Interpret market research data to gauge market needs and compare competitor products.
• Develop metrics from research to track product goals during development.
• Identify product errors or usability issues.

Day-to-Day Responsibilities of Product Analysts

• Create polls, interviews and surveys to gather user feedback on product features.
• Utilize user segmentation analysis to categorize and compare product audiences.
• Use methodology frameworks like AARRR or Google’s HEART framework to define user metrics and UX needs.
• Use A/B testing tools like Adobe Target to compare product versions.
• Communicate findings and recommendations with product team and stakeholders.

Product Analysts Within a Company

Product analysts are usually part of a product or IT team within a company. They may collaborate with marketing analysts, software developers and UX designers to accomplish their work. They also tend to report to senior product analysts or product managers.

Importance of Product Analysts

Product analysts help to translate user needs into product needs, ensuring products are being created for the highest success rate possible among its audience. Without product analysts, new products may not perform, function or sell as intended upon release.

What Skills Are Needed to Be a Product Analyst?

Qualifications to Be a Product Analyst

• One or more years of experience in business analysis, systems analysis or similar roles.
• Ability to conduct product analysis and research.
• Ability to conduct user analysis and research. 
• Ability to directly work with and understand customers and clients.

Product Analyst Prerequisites

• Bachelor’s degree in business, economics, mathematics or a similar field.

Product Analyst Hard Skills

• Experience with project management and product development life cycles.
• Expertise in data, market and user analysis tools and techniques.
• Familiarly with feature flag management tools.
• Knowledge of customer survey tools and best practices.
• Knowledge and use of data visualization tools (Microsoft PowerPoint, Tableau).

Product Analyst Soft Skills

• Analytical thinking skills.
• Critical thinking skills.
• Problem-solving skills.
• Verbal and written communication skills.

Tools and Programs Product Analysts Use

• Adobe Analytics 
• Adobe Target 
• Amplitude
• FullStory
• Google Analytics
• Heap
• Mixpanel
• Pendo
• Quantum Metrics
• SAS
• SurveyMonkey
• Tableau
• UXCam

How to Become a Product Analyst

Product Analyst Education and Experience

Product analyst candidates are often expected to hold a bachelor’s degree in business, economics, mathematics or a similar field.

Product analysts will need to obtain experience in business analysis, systems analysis or similar roles. Knowledge in the areas of product and user analysis, feature flagging and testing, product development, project management and effective communication are also recommended.

Product Analyst Certificates and Courses

• Complete Course on Product A/B Testing with Interview Guide
• Data Analytics 101: Business KPIs & User Metrics analysis
• Fast-start Usability Testing and UX Research
• Product Development Master Course

Product Analyst Career Path

If not starting as a product analyst, professionals may begin their career beforehand as a business analyst, data analyst, systems analyst or a similar role. After gaining experience as a product analyst, professionals can move on to be a senior product analyst or lead product analyst. From here, professionals may approach management and leadership roles like product manager, senior product manager and director of product management.

Product Analyst Salary and Job Outlook

Product analysts, grouped under market research analysts by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, are expected to see a job increase of 19 percent by 2031.

The full compensation package for a product analyst depends on a variety of factors, including but not limited to the candidate’s experience and geographic location. See below for detailed information on the average product analyst salary.