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Persona and positioning
Date: 2026-05-13. Status: canonical product positioning. Source migration: condensed from poc-tcg-collector/doc/POC_NARRATIVE.md and poc-tcg-collector/doc/HOW_WE_STAND_OUT.md.
Product frame
SKN is a Pokémon-first collection, scan, and pricing app for EU collectors, with a strong sealed-investor bias. The POC is not a two-screen scanner demo. It is a usable mobile app that proves the core collection loop:
- scan or search an item;
- add it to a private collection;
- track purchase price and quantity;
- see an explainable current value;
- understand why that value moved.
The scanner matters because it reduces entry friction. The portfolio matters because it creates the daily habit.
Primary persona
The primary persona is a sealed investor:
- buys ETBs, booster boxes, displays, bundles, blisters, tins, and collections as appreciating assets;
- holds stock for months or years;
- tracks value daily or weekly;
- thinks in EUR, not USD;
- cares about Cardmarket, eBay sold comps, French peer-to-peer prices, and graded signals;
- wants speed, trust, and clarity more than social features.
Secondary personas:
- raw-card collector;
- slab / graded-card holder;
- casual user who scans for a quick price.
The secondary personas are important, but they do not decide the product narrative. A singles-first roadmap would make sealed feel bolted on. SKN should do the opposite.
Product edge
The positioning line:
Fast, polished, sealed-first portfolio tracking in EUR, with prices that explain themselves.
The six strategic themes:
| Theme | Product choice | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Sealed-first portfolio | Portfolio is the hero screen, not a side feature | Sealed investors live in value tracking, not binder completion |
| Layered EU pricing | Cardmarket, eBay sold, graded, and later French peer-to-peer signals | One venue does not describe the real market |
| Speed and polish | Page transitions and core flows must feel finished | Trust comes from performance and visual care |
| One clean paid tier | Free daily glance, one simple premium tier later | Avoid subscription fatigue and scanner-app dark patterns |
| Privacy-first collection | Private holdings by default, cloud sync opt-in | A collection can reveal real-world assets |
| Focus before breadth | Pokémon-first and sealed-first until the loop is excellent | Multi-TCG breadth dilutes depth and polish |
The 60-second demo
The demo should lead with value, not with technical scan internals.
- Open the app on Portfolio: total collection value, sealed/card split, gain/loss since purchase.
- Tap a sealed product: price history, cost basis, quantity, current estimate, confidence.
- Add a product: choose item, quantity, purchase price, purchase date, condition.
- Open Collections: searchable inventory, cards and sealed as first-class holdings.
- Open Scanner: quick identification for a card or product, then confirmation before adding.
- Show premium value: alerts, deeper price history, and multi-source pricing explanation.
The emotional peak is: "I know what my inventory is worth and why."
What the POC must prove
- Data credibility: SKN prices are more useful than a single TCGPlayer or Cardmarket number.
- Performance trust: the app feels faster and more finished than incumbent alternatives.
- Sealed-native UX: sealed products feel first-class in catalog, collection, and valuation.
- Willingness to pay: users understand why alerts and deeper pricing are premium.
Explicit non-goals
- No production marketplace in the near term.
- No payment, payout, dispute, or seller workflow.
- No deck builder.
- No AI grading race.
- No broad multi-TCG launch before Pokémon sealed is strong.
- No claim that one price source is absolute truth.