Update: Why saying "Not Enough Data" built more trust for my e-commerce tool
Hey everyone,
It’s been a little while since I last shared an update on PriceProven. As a quick recap, I'm building a tool that tracks high-frequency historical pricing data to expose fake discounts (like the classic "markup before a big sale" trick). We are currently pre-revenue, but the feedback from this community and early users has been incredibly insightful.
I wanted to share a quick update on a product and design choice that has been our biggest win lately: Absolute Transparency.
Recently, another founder asked me how users react when the tool tells them there isn't enough history to verify a discount. Honestly? The reaction has been overwhelmingly positive.
Instead of going for a trendy minimalist design with unnecessary empty space, I built the dashboard to feel like a professional data terminal with extremely high information density. When users see a blunt "Not Enough Data" flag inside this dense, raw-data environment, it clicks for them. They realize we aren't just guessing, hallucinating numbers, or throwing fluff at them to keep them engaged. It sets an expectation of hard facts.
Right now, my main focus is optimizing the backend data pipeline to handle massive time-series loads efficiently so we can reduce those "Not Enough Data" moments without blowing up server costs.
How do you guys balance transparency vs. keeping users engaged when your app doesn't have the immediate answer? Would love to hear your thoughts!
I think “Not Enough Data” can actually be a stronger trust signal than a confident answer.
The interesting part is that transparency doesn't just mean showing the data — it means making the system’s uncertainty visible too.
If users understand why an answer can't be verified, they can distinguish “the system doesn't know yet” from “the system is guessing.”
That distinction becomes even more important as AI gets involved in products where users might otherwise assume every number is authoritative.
Just to add a bit more context on the 'why' behind this: While building trust through transparency is the foundation, the ultimate value for the user comes down to two things: saving time and saving money.
Manually hunting down price histories, keeping dozens of tabs open, or second-guessing if a deal is real is exhausting. By packing all that historical data into a single, high-density terminal view, the tool cuts the research time down to seconds. You get the raw facts instantly, ensuring you actually save money instead of just falling for clever marketing traps.
Has anyone else found that saving users time is sometimes a harder value proposition to market than saving them money?