Taking a long view on development possibilities of customer segments and regional markets

Customer orientation is an often named goal – and in operative business often a taken-for-grantedness. Asking the todays’ customer, customer orientation misses out in the long-run direction of companies. Those who still want to be successful tomorrow should (a) not restrict its’ thinking to the already existing range of customers, (b) not only listen to what the customers say, but also listen to what they do not say and (c) should think about the future development of their customers and their environments.

Thinking about new markets with scenarios

In a world of fast global changes, companies cannot rely on their already existing customer portfolio. Instead they have to recognize, evaluate and exploit new customer demands, new market structures as well as completely new markets on time. Hence, the Scenario-ManagementTM offers a multiplex support:

  • Planning ahead market environments: With market environment scenarios possible developments of a market and its environment are thought ahead and described. This includes especially the development of relevant wants of todays and future customer groups.
  • Planning ahead regional markets: With the help of regional scenarios, different possibilities of developments of particular countries (e.g. India’s future) are revealed and made manageable for strategic planning. Furthermore, a market focus can be set (e.g. the future of our market in India).
  • Planning ahead market structures: Depicting market segments. Methodical seen this is about parallel scenarios (and no longer about the common alternative scenarios in strategic planning). At the same time, the future space, which is developed from the scenarios, determines how the market structure might change in the future.
  • Estimating market potential: Another important application of Scenario-Management™ is the estimation of market potential. This might happen for whole markets as well as for current or future market segments. Normally, the estimation of market potential is done on the basis of alternative market environments.

Worth considering is also whether the markets should be treated internally or jointly with customers or further innovators. For a jointly development of scenarios different approaches are available – from the integration of single experts or customers to a collaborative topic definition and project implementation.

ScMI AG
Zukunftsmeile 2
33102 Paderborn

+49 (0) 5251 871888 0