Product/Market Grid
(Ansoff)

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What is the Product/Market Grid?

The Product/Market Grid of Ansoff is a model that has proven to be very useful in business unit strategy processes to determine business growth opportunities. The Product/Market Grid has two dimensions: products and markets.

Over these 2 dimensions, four growth strategies can be formed.

Four growth strategies in the Product/Market Grid

1. Market Penetration. Sell more of the same products or services in current markets. These strategies normally try to change incidental clients to regular clients, and regular client into heavy clients. Typical systems are volume discounts, bonus cards and Customer Relationship Management. Strategy is often to achieve economies of scale through more efficient manufacturing, more efficient distribution, more purchasing power, overhead sharing.
2. Market Development. Sell more of the same products or services in new markets. These strategies often try to lure clients away from competitors or introduce existing products in foreign markets or introduce new brand names in a market. New markets can be geographic or functional, such as when we sell the same product for another purpose. Small modifications may be necessary. Beware of cultural differences.
3. Product Development. Sell new products or services in current markets. These strategies often try to sell other products to (regular) clients. These can be accessories, add-ons, or completely new products. Cross-selling. Often, existing communication channels are used.
4. Diversification. Sell new products or services in new markets. These strategies are the most risky type of strategies. Often there is a credibility focus in the communication to explain why the company enters new markets with new products. On the other hand diversification strategies also can decrease risk, because a large corporation can spread certain risks if it operates on more than one market. Diversification can be done in four ways:
   • Horizontal diversification. This occurs when the company acquires or develops new products that could appeal to its current customer groups even though those new products may be technologically unrelated to the existing product lines.
   • Vertical diversification. The company moves into the business of its suppliers or into the business of its customers.
   • Concentric diversification. This results in new product lines or services that have technological and/or marketing synergies with existing product lines, even though the products may appeal to a new customer group.
   • Conglomerate diversification. This occurs when there is neither technological nor marketing synergy and this requires reaching new customer groups. Sometimes used by large companies seeking ways to balance a cyclical portfolio with a non-cyclical one.

Although the Product/Market Grid of Ansoff is already decennia old, it remains a valuable model for communication around business unit strategy processes and business growth. The Matrix is also known as: the Ansoff Matrix, the Product Market Expansion Grid, and the Growth Vector Matrix. Derek F. Abell has suggested that a Three Dimensional Business Definition is superior to the Model of Ansoff.

Forum Forum discussions about the Product/Market Grid. Turbulence, Planning and Paralysis by Analysis Igor Ansoff (1918-2002) was (one of) the first to recognize that the amount of strategic 'turbulence' (~pace of change) was increasing and to devise a structured strategic planning process to cope wit... 14   International/Global Expansion International or global expansion refers to the strategic initiative undertaken by a company to enter and establish its presence in international markets beyond its domestic or current operations. Thi... 10   5 comments How to Prioritize Business Growth Opportunities (Ansoff): The ICE Prioritization Tool The Ansoff Matrix can be a useful model to generate and communicate business growth opportunities. However, organizations need to keep in mind that there are several factors that might hinder companie... 10   3 comments Horizontal Diversification versus Product Development. What's the Difference? From the summary article on this site about the Ansoff Matrix. Product Development. Sell new products or services in current markets. These can be accessories, add-ons, or completely new products... ... 9   8 comments 🔥 Innovation Ambition Matrix Building on and refining Ansoff's Product/Market Grid (1957), the Innovation Ambition Matrix is a strategic framework introduced in a 2012 Harvard Business Review article titled “Managing Your Innovat... 7   2 comments Expansion Strategies as per Ansoff I would like your opinions to help me classify the following examples of growth strategies as per Ansoff. Please mention why you choose one of the options and not the others. Example 1: A toothpaste... 5   1 comments Diversification in Africa: Why African Economies must Diversify Many African economies have not diversified. Rather they are highly dependent on the production and export of one specific type of commodity. For example, between 1992 and 1997 more than 85 percent of... 4   Strategies for Expanding a Business A person started a business of extracting metals. Soon it became a popular business. In order to expand his business, he needs to utilize a strategy and follow it. What kind of strategy could he use?... 4   2 comments Start a new topic about the Product/Market Grid Sign up for free

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Best Practices The best, top-rated topics about the Product/Market Grid. Here you will find the most valuable ideas and practical suggestions. 🥇 Ansoff Matrix Applications The Products/Markets grid helps in differentiating between game changing & orbit changing moves of an organisation from a strategy perspective.... 36   2 comments 🥈 How to Decide in Which Sector to Diversify? When a firm decides to diversify there could be several possible factors to take into account when making the choice for the business or industry in which to diversify. According to Neffke and He... 13   🥉 Diversification Types and Examples A business and marketing strategy that has been overlooked by some small businesses is diversification. Due to the Corona virus many SMEs are closed down and the probability of opening soon seems low.... 12   2 comments What is the Optimal Level of Diversification for Firm Performance? The relationship between diversification and financial performance has been a topic of research for many years but is yet to reach a consensus. However, there are several suggestions on how diversific... 2

Expert Tips Advanced insights about the Product/Market Grid. Here you will find professional advices by experts. Consultancy Tips Teaching Tips Practical Implementation Tips Typical Risks of a Diversification Strategy Marketing Strategy Typical risks of a Diversification strategy in the Ansoff Grid are: 1. Requires a company to acquire new skills, new te... A More Advanced Version of the Ansoff Matrix Product Development, Product Portfolio Management While his original Product Market Matrix had only two dimensions: 1. Product, and 2. Market), in 1987 Ansoff introdu... How to Find or Redefine Market Boundaries? Diversification In their book: Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant, Kim and ... Must-haves of a Portfolio Strategy Product Portfolio Management, Best Practices, Product Strategy Ansoff mentions 4 components of a portfolio strategy: 1. (Geographic) Growth Vector: a graphical representation of the ... Diversification Pitfalls Things to Signal and Avoid when Diversifying Diversification of businesses has in many cases resulted in success. An example is General Electric, a very large compan... Pitfalls and Obstacles in Product Development Strategy Product Development, Product Portfolio Management Although product development can be an important growth strategy, it is necessary to keep in mind that several factors t... Be Careful with Diversification - Misconceptions and Generalizations Diversification WHY DIVERSIFY According to Reel and Luffman (1986) the reason behind diversification lies within the benefits connected... Challenging the Existing Strategic Logic Market Development, Diversification A tool by Kim and Mauborgne is the "Four Actions Framework". This Four Actions Framework can be used to challenge the ex... Typical Risks of a Market Development Strategy Marketing Strategy Typical risks in the Ansoff framework of a Market Development strategy are: 1. New markets may be different then expec... In Which Direction Should we Grow our Portfolio? Portfolio Strategy, Innovation Strategy According to Professor Aneel G. Karnani in 'Mastering Strategy', there's no standard way to gain market value for all bu... Typical Risks of a Market Penetration Strategy Marketing Strategy Typical risks of a Market Penetration strategy in the Ansoff Growth Strategies model are: 1. May lead to a price war w... Determining the Optimal Breadth of your Product Portfolio Product Portfolio Analysis Due to technology changes and a stiffing competition at all levels, historically companies needed to constantly check th... The SCAMPER Technique to Creatively Solve Problems and Create Innovative Ideas Creative Thinking, Lateral Thinking, Idea Generation, Innovation Ideas, Product Innovation, Product Development SCAMPER is a creative or lateral thinking technique that can be applied particularly for the development of new products...

Information Sources Various sources of information regarding the Product/Market Grid. Here you will find powerpoints, videos, news, etc. to use in your own lectures and workshops. Ansoff Matrix Product Portfolio Good article on Ansoff Matrix by NGFL Wales Business Studies.... A Service-Oriented View on Marketing Service-Dominant Logic, Perspectives on Marketing Presentation about a service-dominant logic mindset in marketing, including the following sections: 1. Getting the logi... Diversification Strategy and Portfolio Management Diversification, Corporate Strategy, Portfolio Management, Corporate Center Presentation about diversification including many graphs and figures for clarification. The presentation includes the fo... Ansoff Matrix Explained with Apple Inc. as Example Growth Strategies The fundamentals of the Ansoff Product/Market Matrix, a tool used to analyse and plan business growth strategies. Examp... Concept Testing and Conjoint Analysis for New Products Concept Test, Concept Statement, Conjoint Analysis, Product Design, Product Innovation Presentation about concept testing and conjoint analysis, including the following sections: 1. Evaluating with Customer... Product/Market Grid Diagram Product Development Download and edit the 12manage PowerPoint model for limited personal, educational and business use. Republishing in int...

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