How Market Research Identified One Country as a Stronger Expansion Opportunity Than the Others

The challenge: familiar markets, difficult competitive conditions

The company already had customers in France and the United States, making both markets appear to be natural priorities for expansion. Starts assessed the markets and competitive landscape to determine where the company had the strongest realistic opportunity to win. In both markets, leading competitors controlled approximately 85% of the market and had secured large, long-term contracts with major customers. The client's solution was also not significantly cheaper than established alternatives.

Looking beyond the obvious markets

We broadened the research beyond France and the United States, assessing market conditions, public initiatives, competitive intensity, accessibility requirements and the client's ability to operate in each geography. This wider market intelligence exercise revealed a more attractive opportunity in Canada, specifically Ontario.

The opportunity in Ontario

Ontario was preparing significant investment to improve accessibility, creating strong potential demand for solutions in the client's market. The dominant competitors identified in France and the United States did not yet have the same established presence in Ontario. Canada was also not entirely unfamiliar: the client's parent company already had customers there, and Ontario was geographically close to the United States.

• ◆Growing demand driven by accessibility initiatives
• ◆Significantly lower competitive pressure
• ◆Existing parent-company experience with Canadian customers
• ◆A logical extension of the company's North American activities

What changed

Starts translated the market findings into a practical market-entry plan. We assessed the existing solution against Ontario's requirements, separated capabilities that were ready from features requiring adaptation, and prioritized product developments connected to market demand. We then defined priority customer segments, early adopters, market triggers, positioning, differentiation, partners and the sequence of commercial actions required before scaling investment.

Key takeaway

Market entry decisions should not be based on market familiarity alone. For this client, market research did more than validate an expansion plan: it changed where the company believed its best opportunity was.