How Market Research Helped a B2B Software Company Prepare for Expansion into the UK and Spain

The Challenge

A European B2B software company approached Starts as it considered expanding its customer interaction platform into the United Kingdom and Spain. Before committing significant resources, the leadership team wanted evidence to support the investment decision and clarify what would need to change in each market. Starts was asked how attractive the two markets were, where the company could realistically differentiate, and how the offer and commercial strategy should evolve before expansion.

Looking at Both Sides of the Market

Rather than assessing demand in isolation, Starts analyzed both the existing market offer and what customers were looking for. Competitive research compared the main alternatives across product capabilities, customer experience, pricing approaches, distribution and communication. Local demand was assessed using market data, search behavior, existing website analytics, customer feedback and industry research. This connected market potential with the practical reality of entering a competitive market.

Identifying Where the Strongest Opportunities Were

The analysis revealed clear differences between industries and buyer profiles. Starts identified the sectors where customer interaction technology was most established and where the client's capabilities had the strongest relevance. We also distinguished between purchasing decision-makers and employees who would use the platform every day. Decision-makers cared about business performance, cost, scalability and customer satisfaction; users placed greater emphasis on usability, flexibility and efficient interaction management. This distinction became an important input into the positioning strategy.

From Research to Product and Commercial Decisions

Starts translated the findings into recommendations across the offer itself. The work identified where the product already had strong differentiation, where additional capabilities could improve competitiveness, and where the proposition needed to be easier for prospects to understand.

• ◆Product priorities
• ◆Target industries and buyer profiles
• ◆Value proposition and messaging
• ◆Pricing structure
• ◆Distribution options and potential local partnerships
• ◆Customer acquisition and website conversion experience

Building a Realistic Expansion Approach

The strategy connected the market findings to a practical commercial plan for both countries. It considered direct sales, digital acquisition and partnerships as complementary routes to market, and mapped the customer journey from initial discovery through evaluation, purchase, implementation and longer-term adoption. This allowed the company to treat expansion as a sequence of decisions: validate the opportunity, adapt the offer, prioritize the right audiences, and then build the channels required to reach them.

What Changed

The company moved from a broad ambition to expand internationally to a clearer understanding of the conditions required to succeed. The leadership team gained evidence on the attractiveness of both markets, the most relevant customer segments and the changes required across product, positioning, pricing and distribution. Most importantly, the research connected market potential with commercial feasibility.