shelfware

or shelf ware

[ shelf-wair ]

noun

, Informal.

1. Computers. software or hardware that remains unsold, unused, or underused:

   shelfware as part of a bundled license deal.

2. ideas or findings that are not used or acted upon:

   The results of your market research can quickly become shelfware.

Word History and Origins

Origin of shelfware¹

shelf + -ware (in the sense “goods sitting on a shelf”)

Example Sentences

"A lot of smartwatches out there end up being shelfware."

From Reuters

The product, now called Helion, is widely regarded as being little more than shelfware – actual customer usage is low to non-existent.

From Forbes

“Pure-play EA engagements become shelfware – a set of documents, but nothing comes out of it,” continues Saha.

From Forbes

The “consumerization of enterprise IT” — the idea that business applications are dreadful to use, and had better take their usability cues from consumer apps or else face the inevitable destiny of shelfware — has achieved something akin to lifetime tenure in the minds of analysts and trade press alike.

From Forbes

Many of the single-use fitness devices have lost their user’s attention and become “shelfware.”

From Forbes