Market analysis
Encyclopedia
A market analysis studies the attractiveness and the dynamics of a special market
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...

 within a special industry. It is part of the industry analysis and this in turn of the global environmental analysis
Global environmental analysis
The analysis of the global environment of a company is called global environmental analysis. This analysis is part of a company’s analysis-system, which also comprises various other analyses, like the industry analysis, the market analysis and the analyses of companies, clients and competitors....

. Through all these analyses the chances, strengths, weaknesses and risks of a company can be identified. Finally, with the help of a SWOT analysis
SWOT analysis
SWOT analysis is a strategic planning method used to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses/Limitations, Opportunities, and Threats involved in a project or in a business venture...

, adequate business strategies of a company will be defined. The market analysis is also known as a documented investigation of a market that is used to inform a firm's planning activities, particularly around decisions of inventory
Inventory
Inventory means a list compiled for some formal purpose, such as the details of an estate going to probate, or the contents of a house let furnished. This remains the prime meaning in British English...

, purchase, work force expansion/contraction, facility expansion, purchases of capital equipment, promotional activities, and many other aspects of a company.

Market segmentation

Market segmentation is the basis for a differentiated market analysis. Differentiation
Differentiation (economics)
Differentiation is a concept used in business strategy and describes one of the three ways to establish competitive advantage.Differentiation advantage occurs when a firm delivers greater services for a non-unlimited higher price than its competitors...

 is important. One main reason is the saturation of consumption, which exists due to the increasing competition in offered products. Consumers ask for more individual products and services and are better informed about the range of products than before. As a consequence, market segmentation is indispensable. Segmentation includes a lot of market research, since a lot of market knowledge is required to segment the market. Market research about market structures and processes must be done to define the “relevant market”. The relevant market is a part of the whole market, on which the company focuses its activities. To identify and classify the relevant market, a market classification or segmentation has to be done.

Dimensions of market analysis

David A. Aaker
David A. Aaker
David Allen Aaker is a consultant and author on the field of marketing, particularly in the area of brand strategy. He is currently the Vice Chairman of Prophet, a global brand and marketing consultancy firm, Professor Emeritus at the Haas School of Business of the University of California,...

 outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis: http://www.netmba.com/marketing/market/analysis/
  • Market size (current and future)
  • Market growth rate
  • Market profitability
  • Industry cost structure
  • Distribution channels
  • Market trends
  • Key success factors


The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market, both now and in the future. Organizations evaluate the future attractiveness of a market by gaining an understanding of evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to that organization's own strengths and weaknesses.

Organizations use the findings to guide the investment decisions they make to advance their success. The findings of a market analysis may motivate an organization to change various aspects of its investment strategy. Affected areas may include inventory
Inventory
Inventory means a list compiled for some formal purpose, such as the details of an estate going to probate, or the contents of a house let furnished. This remains the prime meaning in British English...

 levels,a work force expansion/contraction, facility expansion, purchases of capital equipment, and promotional activities.

Market size

The market size is defined through the market volume and the market potential. The market volume exhibits the totality of all realized sales volume of a special market. The volume is therefore dependant on the quantity of consumers and their ordinary demand. Furthermore, the market volume is either measured in quantities or qualities. The quantities can be given in technical terms, like GW for power capacities, or in numbers of items. Qualitative measuring mostly uses the sales turnover as an indicator. That means that the market price and the quantity are taken into account. Besides the market volume, the market potential is of equal importance. It defines the upper limit of the total demand and takes potential clients into consideration. Although the market potential is rather fictitious, it offers good values of orientation. The relation of market volume to market potential provides information about the chances of market growth.
The following are examples of information sources for determining market size:
  • Government data
  • Trade association data
  • Financial data from major players
  • Customer surveys

Market trends

Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats. Moreover, they have the potential to dramatically affect the market size.

Examples include changes in economic, social, regulatory, legal, and political conditions and in available technology, price sensitivity, demand for variety, and level of emphasis on service and support.

Market growth rate

A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future. While this method may provide a first-order estimate, it does not predict important turning points. A better method is to study market trends
Market trends
A market trend is a putative tendency of a financial market to move in a particular direction over time. These trends are classified as secular for long time frames, primary for medium time frames, and secondary for short time frames...

 and sales growth in complementary products. Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data.

Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve. The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past.

Ultimately, many markets mature and decline. Some leading indicators of a market's decline include market saturation, the emergence of substitute products, and/or the absence of growth drivers.

Market opportunity

A market opportunity product
Product (business)
In general, the product is defined as a "thing produced by labor or effort" or the "result of an act or a process", and stems from the verb produce, from the Latin prōdūce ' lead or bring forth'. Since 1575, the word "product" has referred to anything produced...

 or a service, based on either one technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...

 or several, fulfills the need(s) of a (preferably increasing) market
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...

 better than the competition and better than substitution-technologies within the given environmental frame (e.g. society, politics, legislation, etc.).

Market profitability

While different organizations in a market will have different levels of profitability, they are all similar to different market conditions. Michael Porter
Michael Porter
Michael Eugene Porter is the Bishop William Lawrence University Professor at Harvard Business School. He is a leading authority on company strategy and the competitiveness of nations and regions. Michael Porter’s work is recognized in many governments, corporations and academic circles globally...

 devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market. This framework, known as Porter's five forces, identifies five factors that influence the market profitability:
  • Buyer power
  • Supplier power
  • Barriers to entry
  • Threat of substitute products
  • Rivalry among firms in the industry

Industry cost structure

The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success. To this end, Porter's value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs.

The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage. For example, in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors.

Distribution channels

Examining the following aspects of the distribution system may help with a market
analysis:
  • Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer.
  • Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage.
  • Channel power structure - for example, in the case of a product having little brand equity, retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin.

Success factors

The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives. A few examples of such factors include:
  • Access to essential unique resources
  • Ability to achieve economies of scale
  • Access to distribution channels
  • Technological progress


It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time, especially as the product progresses through its life cycle.

Applications

The literature defines several areas in which market analysis is important. These include: sales forecasting, market research
Market research
Market research is any organized effort to gather information about markets or customers. It is a very important component of business strategy...

, and marketing strategy. Not all managers will need to conduct a market analysis. Nevertheless, it would be important for managers that use market analysis data to know how analysts derive their conclusions and what techniques they use to do so.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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