1. What are the key responsibilities of a product manager?

The key responsibilities of a product manager vary depending on the organization and products. However, some of the common responsibilities include conducting market research, competitive analysis, defining product strategy and roadmap, gathering and prioritizing product requirements, collaborating with design and engineering teams, managing the product development lifecycle, conducting user testing and feedback analysis, and monitoring product performance and metrics.

2. What are the career paths for product managers?

Product managers can pursue various career paths depending on their interests and goals. They can advance to senior product management roles, such as Director of Product Management or VP of Product, where they oversee multiple product lines or lead product management teams, or general management roles, entrepreneurship.

3. What role does user research play in product management?

User research plays a vital role in product management, helping managers understand customer needs, behaviors, and pain points and identify opportunities, define product requirements, validate ideas, and make data-informed decisions.

Why Marketers Are Moving Into Product Marketing / Management?

September 5, 2025
product management
4 min read

There are several reasons more marketers are shifting toward product marketing or product management. Below are insights with data & trends.

Key Trends & Data

A survey by Product School found 88% of companies plan to hire more product managers. Also, 86% of companies say product management is critical to their business strategy. – The Economic Times

In India, product roles are growing fast. For example, LinkedIn Talent Insights shows job listings for product management which call for data & growth strategy skills have nearly doubled (from about 20% to 40%) over the past few years. – Institute of Product Leadership

In 2025, in India’s tech ecosystem (SaaS / fintech / healthtech), startup hiring and global capability centers are adding many PM roles. These roles increasingly expect cross-functional leadership, business acumen, UX understanding, and customer focus. – Institute of Product Leadership

Growth-oriented PM roles are rising more quickly than traditional ones. For example, since Q1 2022, growth-focused product roles rose by 117%, while traditional product management roles rose by ~103%. – ProdPad

Global forecasts see the product management market growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 9.39% from 2025 to 2034. – Precedence Research

In this article

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Why the Career Shift Is Happening?

Putting the data together, here are some of the reasons marketers are making the move:

Higher Demand & Business Priority

Companies are investing more in product strategy, innovation, customer-centricity. They see product management as more than feature delivery; they see it as key to growth. The stats above show companies are hiring more PMs, and making them core to strategy.

Overlap of Skills

Marketers already understand customers, positioning, messaging, and data. With a few extra skills like roadmapping, understanding technical stuff, and making trade off decisions, many marketers can make the jump without starting from scratch.

Expanded Scope and Influence

Product roles give you more say over what actually gets built, not just how it is promoted. You don’t have to start from scratch to move into product management. With a few extra skills, like learning how to roadmap, understanding some technical basics, and getting comfortable with making trade off decisions, you can make the transition much smoother.

Decision-Making Power and Ownership

Product roles aren’t just about promoting something that’s already built. They give you a real say in what gets created. You’ll help decide on features, shape the user experience, figure out pricing, and keep an eye on important numbers like adoption and retention. If you’ve ever wanted to be more involved in these areas, this is your chance.

Growth and Visibility

Moving into product management can open doors. It’s a well known route to leadership roles. Marketers who take this step often find themselves collaborating with senior leaders, handling bigger projects, and gaining more recognition within their company.

Why Now is a Great Time?

Things are moving fast in tech and business right now. SaaS is booming, digital products are everywhere, and companies are building teams all over the world, with India playing a big part in that growth. All these changes mean more product roles are opening up everywhere. Marketers are seeing this and many are picking up new skills to keep up.

A Few Things to Keep in Mind

Not every product role looks the same. Some are heavy on the technical side, others lean more into strategy or day to day work. Make sure you understand what the specific role you’re eyeing really involves.

The learning curve can feel pretty steep. Figuring out how to prioritize tasks, manage trade offs, and work within technical limits is not always easy at first. But don’t worry, that’s totally normal.

Also, sometimes roles can get a bit fuzzy. Product marketing and product management overlap a lot in some places, which can be confusing. So ask questions early and often to get clear on what’s expected.

Bottom Line

More marketers are moving into product marketing and product management, and the demand is real. With the growth in roles, the priority companies are giving them, and the skills marketers already have, this shift makes a lot of sense. If you’re thinking about making the move, learning about the product lifecycle, metrics like retention and adoption, and how to work with engineering and design teams will really boost your chances.

Institute of Product Leadership is Asia’s First Business School providing accredited degree programs and certification courses exclusively in Product Management, Strategy, and Leadership.

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