Find the market gaps worth investing in
Before you put money into a new market, product line or customer group, check that the need is real and not already well served. We combine desk research, interviews and a survey to show where the openings are and how large they might be.
Chapter 01 · The problem
Growth plans often start with a hunch
Most growth plans begin with a hunch: a group nobody serves well, a hole in the range, a trend that seems to be building. Acting on the hunch alone is how money ends up in markets that are too small or already crowded. An opportunity assessment puts the hunch to the test. It asks how many people have the need, how well today's products meet it, who you would be up against, and which of your options to pursue first.
Chapter 02 · How it works
How we assess an opportunity
Start from what is already known
We review industry data, competitor offers and trends first, so the new research only asks what is still open.
Talk to people who know the market
Interviews with experts and with buyers show how decisions get made and where people feel let down by what is on offer.
Survey the buyers
A survey measures what matters to buyers and how well current options deliver it. Needs that matter a lot but are poorly met show up as gaps on an opportunity map.
Size the gaps
We estimate how many people have each unmet need and how many say they would act on it, then test the estimate under different scenarios.
Rank the options
Each opportunity is weighed on size, fit with your business and competition. You get a ranked list and a plan for what to check or build next.
Fig. 2.1What is already known
Families who campCrowded
Many low-price rivals and frequent discounts
Industry data, competitor ranges
City cyclistsContested
Several specialist brands, growing interest
Trend reports
Hikers over 60Open?
Few ranges designed with them in mind
Competitor ranges
Fig. 2.2People who know the market
Expert · outdoor store buyerOlder hikers ask us for lighter packs, and we don't have much to show them.
Buyer · hiker, 66Most gear is designed for people half my age.
Buyer · parent who campsWe buy whatever's cheapest. It all looks the same.
Fig. 2.3What matters, how well it is met
Fig. 2.4How many have the need
- US adults who hike100%
- Aged 60 or over24%
- Say comfort is poorly met14%
- Would buy a range made for them8%
people with the need × share who would act = the opportunity, under low, mid and high scenarios
Fig. 2.5The options, ranked
OptionSizeFitRoom to win
- 1Hikers over 60Comfort and easy carrying, poorly met
- 2City cyclistsGrowing, but contested
- 3Families who campCrowded with low-price rivals
Next: a concept test of a hiking range for older adults.
Chapter 03 · What we measure
What we look at
- 3.1
Importance
How much each need or feature matters to buyers.
- 3.2
Satisfaction
How well today's products meet that need.
- 3.3
Gap
Where importance is high and satisfaction is low: the openings.
- 3.4
Size
How many people have the need, and how many say they would act on it.
- 3.5
Competition
Who serves the need now, and how well buyers rate them.
Chapter 04 · The example
Example: three directions for an outdoor-gear brand
A US outdoor-gear brand is weighing three directions: gear for city cyclists, for families who camp, and for hikers over 60.
Desk research shows family camping is crowded with low-price rivals. A survey of US adults who cycle, camp or hike finds that comfort and easy carrying matter a lot to older hikers and are poorly met. Sizing puts that group ahead of city cyclists, with fewer brands chasing it. The brand takes a hiking range for older adults into a concept test.
“Most gear is designed for people half my age.”
“Older hikers ask us for lighter packs, and we don't have much to show them.”
Bubble size: brands already chasing the need
Chapter 05 · What you get
What you come away with
- 5.1
Ranked opportunities
Your options in order, so effort goes where the return looks highest.
- 5.2
Sizing you can check
Demand estimates built from stated inputs and assumptions, so you can see how each number was reached and change an assumption yourself.
- 5.3
A view of the competition
Who already serves the need, how they do it, and where your offer could stand apart.
- 5.4
An opportunity map
What buyers say matters, plotted against how well it is met today, with the gaps marked.
- 5.5
A plan for the next step
A short roadmap, for example a concept test on the leading option or a fuller sizing of the market you chose.
Built on CatalyseAI
What runs underneath the story
Ready-made questions
Usage, brand, pricing and attitude questions from a library of 309 templates, edited to fit your category, across 20 question types.
Groups side by side
Compare up to five audience groups in every chart, with markers where a difference is significant, plus crosstabs and weighting.
Files your team can use
A PowerPoint deck, an Excel workbook, CSV data, chart images and the AI report as HTML.
Chapter 06 · Questions
Questions, answered
How is this different from market sizing?
Market sizing answers how big a market is. An opportunity assessment also asks whether there is a real gap in it, and whether you could win it. Sizing is one part of the work.
Is it only a survey?
No. It combines desk research, interviews with experts and buyers, and a survey. The mix depends on how much is already known about the market.
Will I get a sales forecast?
You get estimates of how many people have the need and might act on it, with the inputs shown. A sales forecast also needs your own pricing, distribution and marketing plans as inputs.
Related
Goes well with
Weighing where to grow next?
Tell us the options on the table and what you already know. We will suggest the mix of desk research, interviews and survey work that fits.
Nearest office: Orlando, FL (corporate office)