Does your business have a viable market?

People need what you’re offering – or do they? The only way to know for sure is to research the market and the opportunity. We cover some questions to help you assess whether your business idea has a viable market.

For example, have you made any sales already, through a different channel or a hobby business? Do you have orders in advance, or secured any contracts? 

You could trial market your product or service on a small scale to determine its wider demand and accessibility.

Even if there’s a large demand for your business idea, it might not be profitable. This is usually because the margins are low or your overheads are high. And if there’s a risk of an innovation usurping your business idea, you may want to consider whether you’re able – and willing – to keep up.

Markets tend to run in cycles as they grow and decline. But there are opportunities in both situations. For example, you might be able to take advantage of a declining market in which larger competitors have lost interest.

Timing is everything. If you don't have the resources to go early while demand builds in a new market, consider waiting for someone else to take the risks until the market grows. If you decide to blaze a trail in a new market, reduce the risks by researching the market thoroughly. Test as many assumptions and uncertainties as you can.

Knowing who your competitors are will help you anticipate what market share and sales volume and value to expect. To find out:

• Consult an accountant with experience in your industry
• Look for articles on industry media and trade press websites
• Check the sales literature published by your competitors.

If you're looking to market overseas, you're more likely to have to pay for access to market reports or consult a local expert. But look for free information online as a first step – you might be surprised at what you discover.

In New Zealand, we’re lucky to have a wide variety of data resources available online, free of charge. Here are some that may be useful.

ANZ and several of the larger New Zealand corporates, publish research papers and economic outlooks on a variety of topics – from agriculture and property to consumer confidence. You can check out the publications from our economics team or our business insights papers.

Stats NZ can help locate your market by age, gender, household income, and view summaries of your target market regions, areas, and suburbs.

You can also compare your business against similar businesses by using the Business Performance Benchmarker tool, which lets you compare a range of benchmarks including financial performance.