A Different Approach to Market Research

Traditional market research tools have limited applicability in the rapidly emerging markets that characterize the leading edge of Hi-Tech. Most traditional tools are excessively expensive and take inordinate amounts of time to complete, and so end up providing, at best, a snapshot of a moving target. Moreover, they are often dependent on the expertise and experience of existing customers. This is problematic in a market where the customers themselves are being tossed about on the waves of a technology tsunami. Finally, traditional tools generally offer information but not explanation. Thus they offer little value for day-to-day decision making.

As a consequence, vendors in emerging markets often abandon research in favor of wishful thinking and strategy in favor of hype.

Market MetaSpace™ Analysis

MetaSpace Analysis provides a map of the market context within which an emerging market is forming. It is a powerful and efficient tool for understanding and predicting market dynamics and distinguishing between competitive threats and partnership opportunities in a landscape of overlapping markets and players.

Unlike traditional approaches to market segmentation, which focus on identifying cohesive groups of customers, MetaSpace Analysis looks at new and established vendors in the surrounding space. In an emerging market, customers have often not yet coalesced into the identifiable forms of a clear market segment. And, unlike conventional competitive analysis and its intense concern with comparing products and features, MetaSpace Analysis is based on the evaluation of the behaviors and stated positions of the vendors. Product and feature lists in rapidly changing, overlapping spaces can be deceptively similar, leading to false conclusions about competitive relationships and opportunities.