The Handbook of Market Intelligence: Understand, Compete and Grow in Global Markets, 2nd Edition

Chapter 18Trends in Market Intelligence

Market Intelligence (MI) by its very definition is about looking into the future and providing actionable insights. However, what does the future hold in store for MI itself as a discipline and profession? In this chapter, we are looking into the anticipated developments of MI over the next few years, organized around the six Key Success Factors (KSFs) of MI in the World Class MI Development Roadmap.

The findings presented in the chapter are based on a global survey conducted by Global Intelligence Alliance (GIA) about MI trends specifically. A total 146 respondents of whom 83% were intelligence professionals and 17% end users, answered 19 questions, both closed and open ended ones.

The scale of the results presented in the exhibits runs from −2 (strongly disagree/decrease significantly) to +2 (strongly agree/increase significantly).

INTELLIGENCE SCOPE

The emerging growth markets such as China, Asia Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe are rapidly becoming part of the geographic scope of most companies’ intelligence programs. The primary focus in these areas is gradually shifting from looking at investment opportunities and market entry strategies to continuously keeping the areas on the radar screen. Many Western companies already have an established presence in the growth markets, and they now need to stay on top of the local market dynamics both on an everyday basis and looking into the future (Figure 18.1). ...