First to Market Organisations: Market Share Fluctuations Despite Initial Market Gains - Essay Example

First to Market First to Market Organisations: Market Share Fluctuations Despite Initial Market Gains You Academic Organisation First to Market 2 Abstract This project is designed to refute the generalised assumptions of an organisations ability to maintain leading edge advantage by striving to introduce its products and services as first to market innovation. Though some of the profitability gains experienced by an entity that offers consumers breakthrough market items are initially quite substantial, risk factors and methods with which to compete for the same market are often reduced by organisations that follow in the same market. There is a "stand back and see" mentality that many entities adopt as they observe pioneering organisations in an attempt to outperform in the market by adapting products and services to successfully outperform the innovator. This work will highlight the strategic advantages to becoming a follower within their relevant product markets and offer examples of methods in practice to surpass the first to market innovators in profitability and consumer product recognition. First to Market 3 First to Market Organisations: Market Share Fluctuations Despite Initial Market Gains Introduction Todays consumers can often be characterised as idiosyncratic and particular when making decisions about which marketed products are substantially beneficial to their individual preferences. Generally, when comparing the consumer decision-making process in regards to both products and services, several factors must be considered by emerging industries to guarantee profitability as an early market innovator or whether to take a proverbial "back seat" as a follower in the same market. Consumer decision-making has long been studied by researchers who recognise psychological influences and sociocultural persuasion as drivers that steer product purchasing decisions. Helping consumers in their information searches regarding potential purchases and in their evaluation of alternative products is a major function in marketing (Nickels et al 2005) and a company must be well-versed in consumer buying behaviours in order to successfully drive market success; regardless of order of product entry into the market. In order to illustrate market entry strategy, the first-mover denotes the primary company to move into a new product market who often acquires significant market share because of the innovative and unprecedented nature of its newly developed product. As the first-mover, rivalling competition is virtually non-existent and consumers will "gobble up" the new product concept; often in mass quantities that can sometimes be referred to as fad buying. There is little doubt that becoming First to Market 4 the pioneering company has its initial profit advantages when faced with zero product rivalry. A significant example of such a situation can be related to the Atari video game system craze in the 1970s. In a time where electronic gaming systems were in their infancy, it is a logical assumption that consumers viewed the technology as a breakthrough product which encouraged mass production of the systems, generating substantial profit for the manufacturer. In such a situation, any risk factors for the first-mover are virtually obliterated and the industry can enjoy its (usually temporary) monopoly within that product market. The second-mover advantage, in relation to Atari gaming systems, lies in other industries such as Nintendo, which in just a few years virtually overwhelmed and eroded Ataris market share by improving on the existing gaming system and introduced a revolutionary product designed to outsell its competitors product by making Atari obsolete in comparison technology. As a second-mover, Nintendo reaped the benefits of observing Ataris initial success strategies and utilised its resources to manufacture a superior gaming product. It is in situations such as this where the second-mover enjoys a substantial lead within the market and can often demolish the first-movers market share percentages by focusing on continuous improvements designed to satisfy the consumer demand for technologically superior products or services. It is not only the technology sector that shows a marked advantage to the second-mover philosophy, but in a wide variety of products and services markets where the emerging industry can consume more of its available resources to improving upon existing items in order to surpass the pioneering entity. First to Market 5 Second-Mover Support by Existing Literature Contributing literature suggests that the first-mover does, indeed, gain a marked advantage over followers when firms correctly predict individual consumer choices with their market locations. However, the first-mover obtains lower sales and profit when consumers exhibit large idiosyncratic tastes along unobservable characteristics (Rhee 2006). Further, when market parameters are uncertain, the optimal policy for the firm might be to strategically wait as a follower organisation, especially when demand is highly uncertain and the firm is opposed to taking substantial risks (Choi and Jagpal 2004). What this serves to suggest is that first-mover mentality might be a strategic attempt to generate substantial profit by cornering the market initially, however, risk factors and unpredictability amongst consumer preferences make first entry a perilous venture riddled with uncertainty. A second-mover maintains the luxury of viewing the successes and failures of its first-mover competition and maintains the opportunity to alter its strategic focus regarding its product entry timing to satisfy competitors weaknesses in the eyes of the consumer. Where the first-mover theoretically allocates a substantial portion of its financial resources in educating the consumer about its product and often implements massive marketing campaigns to drive product awareness, the second-mover can reduce their personal costs for increasing consumer awareness by building on the pre-established marketing efforts of the first-mover. With this method for a secondary-emerging industry, it retains a greater ability to focus on research and development as a cost objective to improve on existing products. A First to Market 6 well-timed market introduction for a second-movers enhanced product offers the consumer a more streamlined item and, often, the end result is a well-received improvement that can isolate the first-mover from maintaining a competitive edge. Because of the successes of the first-introduced product, early and fast movers achieve greater gains than late movers, while first movers suffer at the time of new product imitations (Lee et al 2000) or improvements. With the logic in place that it is profitability, primarily, that drives organisational success, rapidly changing consumer preferences and evolving markets must be taken into consideration when an entity is determining the financial outcomes of being the first to market its product. Much of the organisations ability to adapt its product to continuously sustain product enhancements lies in its financial resources. When the market is changing rapidly and the product is not, a first entrant with extensive resources can obtain a long-lasting advantage while a company with only limited resources must settle for a short-term benefit (Suarez and Lanzolla 2005). In the same respect, a second-mover industry faces a similar situation and must assess whether its long-term objectives require a fast profit in order to make necessary enhancements to its existing products so as to thrive in the evolving market. If a great deal of the second-movers financial resources will be depleted on initial research and development, it should consider a first to market objective in order to satisfy the demand and receive an instantaneous return on its investment. Existing literature suggests that market pioneers, however, must overcome greater resistance in building primary demand for new products because of higher levels of First to Market 7 market and technological uncertainties (Min et al 2006). So, the implication is that second-movers, when equipped with sufficient resources, should take a secondary marketing approach to allow competition to establish the framework for consumer acceptance of the product. Once demand is engrained within the market population, the cost implications are substantially reduced for a second-mover and they can then allocate corporate resources to improving on the competitors product. Risk analysis and individual willingness to assume risks in an uncertain market also make the significant distinction between first and second-movers. When two competing companies are aware of the efforts of each organisation to market a similarly equal product, it is quite possible that the first-mover assumes the willingness to take the initial risk by imposing its brand name on the consumer market primarily. The second-mover would then retain the ability to analyse and completely scrutinise the effectiveness of the marketing tactics of its competitor. If the second-mover witnesses a marked deficiency by the first-mover in establishing consumer loyalty through brand awareness, the second-mover may already have a well-established brand name and wait, essentially, for the first company to proverbially fall on its face before introducing its enhanced product. In such a situation, the first-mover assumed most of the risk in market entry method and its gamble produced no substantial gain. This allows the second-mover to swarm into the market with a marketing campaign targeted around its brand image that has proven effective in generating historical profit volume. By allowing another entity to absorb the initial risk of being first to market, the second-mover has ample time to properly invest its resources on appropriate First to Market 8 developmental objectives while the gambling entity loses some of its potential financial positioning within the similar market, making it easier for the second-mover to outperform its competition both in advertising and manufacturing. It is important to realise that not all first-mover industries are well-established and its total financial future may well depend on a successful, innovative product launch. A well-established, potential second-mover would likely rely on its established image and proven marketing successes if it believes the first-mover is incapable of cornering the market. This waiting situation is also a risk to the more financially secure second-mover as being a follower in the market may afford them a loss of market share, so the second-mover must be firmly aware of its competitions capabilities before taking a secondary market position. Another question that arises when determining order of entry into a market, especially when two entities are vying for improved market share in release of relatively equal products, is in methods of competition. Second-mover organisations are often able to rely on marketing campaigns, rather than actual product competition, in an attempt to improve its position within the market. Non-product competition such as superior distribution, heavier advertising, or lower prices (Robinson and Chiang 2002) can allow the second-mover to invest in areas just as much beneficial as cost-intensive research and development initiatives. Whereas the first-mover would be forced to absorb both R & D costs coupled with intensive marketing to increase consumer awareness, the following company may not have to rely on revamping its manufacturing processes (or other costly necessities) to compete with the actual product. This would, potentially, afford the second-mover First to Market 9 an ample allotment of financial resources to aggressively target the consumers with intensive advertisements that leave the first-movers emphasis on product development shadowed in comparison to the second-movers forceful marketing campaigns. Existing literature suggests that consumers are more receptive to the advertising messages of a new product if they are received in the absence of competing messages from rival brands (Haines et al 1989). With this in mind, the second-mover may take an early follower approach that focuses on its established consumer awareness to negate the efforts of the new products advertising by the pioneering company. Dominating all available marketing mediums, on behalf of the second-mover, could potentially steer consumers away from accepting the new product in favour of the early follower. What the existing literature implies is that the nature of competitive markets is continuously fluctuating and difficult to predict. Creating any strategic advantage requires a new type of professional who possesses a broad spectrum of information, business, and knowledge management skills and one who can position information to maximise organisational competitiveness and strategic success (Eiring 2002). This suggests that industry and market analysis, an understanding of effective marketing tactics, and realizing the capabilities of a company to emerge victorious as a second-mover are key factors in gaining market share over first-movers. Though a first-mover may experience broad profitability and success as a temporarily dominating market presence, a well-informed second-mover can remove that advantage with a solid mixture of information and research when attempting to compete using non-product rivalry. First to Market 10 E-Commerce and Technological Revolutions Literature Due to rapid growth in the e-commerce and technology sectors, product imitation and similarity is commonplace within these product markets. Where one organisation releases innovative technological products aimed at satisfying consumer demand, oftentimes another product, nearly identical, is released by a competitor within a relatively short period of time. In situations where companies enjoy a substantial amount of years in market dominance, these technology markets are rapidly evolving to include vast varieties of similar products; often by industry leaders who maintain established brand recognition with consumers. It is in this field where product imitation is often the catalyst for gaining market share. Existing literature on imitators versus first mover innovators seems to suggest that in these industries which are characterised by weak intellectual property rights protection, market and technical uncertainties and the swift movement of information, imitation surpasses innovation as a business strategy (Mellahi and Johnson 2000). Emphasising the nature of weak intellectual property rights, somewhat abstract items resulting from a business creative processes, these rights are often difficult to protect and easy to duplicate. Various lawsuits have been filed against industries in the technology sector alleging theft of trade secrets and intellectual property, but because of the vast gaps existing in the legalities of cyberspace, articles suggest that a firm who "free-rides" on the imitation of technology is able to reduce the substantial costs of research and development. Since the logical assumption is that second-movers who are equipped to imitate existing competitor products have a well-established manufacturing system, a simple redesign of the First to Market 11 industrys current production processes allows a cost advantage to following the first-mover. With the idea in mind that todays technology is likely tomorrows antiquity, being an innovator and first-mover in the technology market is never a guarantee of long-term market share success. Unless the first-mover is able to effectively create an item that is absolutely original as opposed to somewhat innovative and manage to build consumer loyalty prior to second-mover product introduction, there appears to be the highest level of uncertainty when emerging as a first-mover in this market. Much existing literature supports the premise that second-mover advantages have the potential to outweigh first-mover benefits simply due to the ability to strategically enhance existing products and outperform the first mover by satisfying consumer demand for new and better technologies. Pricing strategy in this market sector is also crucial to determining second-mover positioning. When companies determine adequate pricing expectations, recovering all associated costs for innovation, research, and production are weighed with strategic goals for profit increase. A company looking for immediate return on investment by instituting a large profit ratio on its first-mover product may not be adequately prepared for consumer reaction to the high price attached to the new technology. An early follower, who is keenly aware of the first-movers inability to draw sales volume because of pricing, may not only be able to introduce an effective imitation product devoid of innovation and development costs, but be able to significantly undercut the first-mover with a pricing structure that the pioneering First to Market 12 entity cannot hope to match; and geared toward a larger population of consumers that can readily afford the newly introduced, second-mover technology. In regards to the digital technology and digital workflow solutions industry, this marketing sector is radically altering its method of reaching consumers. Historically, first-movers generated innovative digital ideas (much like the introduction of digital cameras which are rapidly replacing traditional film cameras) and marketed their superiority to consumers. Second-movers in digital technology offered similarly equal products marketed to meet the needs of customers, as opposed to first-movers who built products and hoped that consumers would buy them (Scherer 2005). Second-mover digital product enhancements, though not a guarantee of long-term market advantage, continuously work to improve existing products in the hope of holding market share long enough to overshadow first-movers in the field. If the second-mover is equipped to allocate resources to research and development and can successfully implement its products faster than the first to market, it may completely remove the pioneer from the competition and force the first-mover into investing in a completely different product altogether. In the process of researching market entry order within the technology sector as a whole, this area of competition appears to have the highest margin of uncertainty and multitudes of factors that need to be considered when targeting consumers regarding innovation or imitation. Whether gaining ground as a pioneer or as a second-mover, holding onto market share in a rapidly growing field riddled with competition involves intensive strategy including marketing, product, and brand recognition to emerge victorious in earned market share. First to Market 13 New Market Approaches for Established Industry The airline industry, which is currently riddled with problems such as rising oil prices and lowered ticket sales, maintains its own fair share of marketing tactics when being the first to introduce services within the appropriate markets. Southwest Airlines, a U.S. airline company, has been searching for a competitive edge to drive down the volume of ticket passengers that its competition has been experiencing; and steadily gaining market share in the process. Southwest Airlines, a well established name in the airline industry, has used simple tactics to entice customers: Low costs, low fares, and no frills ticket prices. However, in todays fluctuating market and with growing air travel competition, airlines such as Southwest can no longer count on an established brand name to encourage passenger loyalty. Instead, Southwest is pushing a first-mover attempt to introduce new technology to enhance passenger satisfaction. This particular airline, facing already substantially high operating costs, is taking a significant gamble in being the first to establish pioneering ideas such as leather seats and retrofitting them with technologically superior video monitors. So, the question of whether being first-mover in the service industry is a significant step forward or whether taking a secondary marketing approach is beneficial is implied, allowing late followers to witness the impact of the technology on consumer ticket decisions. Existing literature suggests that in the airline industry, the driving factor in consumer air travel is the ticket price; not state-of-the-art perks for onboard passenger enjoyment. In such a situation, the first-mover, who is already facing rising costs and potential financial trouble because of high operating First to Market 14 expenses, needs to seriously research the impact of introducing new technology that may eventually force an increase in ticket prices to reclaim the initial implementation charges. The CFO of Southwest Airlines stated in 2003, regarding being the first to adopt new technology, "(Onboard) TV alone would cost many millions of dollars upfront and many millions more in connection and operating costs…" (Trottman 2003). So, with all of the available research materials highlighting ticket pricing as a focal decision-making concern for airline passengers, in this particular service industry, and with competition being so vast, a second-mover philosophy can easily witness the end result of extensive first-mover expenditures for luxury technology and plane restructure. Though it may be a risk in itself to "sit back" and watch a potential drop in market share due to passengers being enticed to these improvements, securing ticket prices by slowly adopting the new enhancements might, in the long run, drive long-term growth and profitability. Outside of this industry, the service sector, as a whole, faces the same issues as product-based industries when determining entry strategy to maintain the advantage in improved market share. Depending on the particular market, much existing literature suggests that the order of market entry is largely dependent on the entitys financial position, marketing readiness, and the ability to support or enhance the service to maintain leading edge. If the service is innovative and of an unprecedented nature, the second-mover can still stay a step ahead of its competition by examining (or redesigning) its best practice to fit the demand of its market. If the market environment can sustain a secondary entry position, the advantages of the late follower in the service industry are substantial. First to Market 15 Factors Contributing to Further Competitive Edge Some of the main supporting points to a second-mover positioning lie in consumer purchasing habits and industrys ability to satisfy their fluctuating demands for new or enhanced products. One specific process that can essentially make or break success for first-adopters is in gathering appropriate research to determine whether taking the risk of first entry will be supported by sales volume. Knowing the consumer market and understanding the consumer market are two entirely different devices. A first-mover organisation may be strategically targeting success through innovation, but lack a fundamental awareness of the purchasing methodology of its target market, which opens up tremendous opportunities for competing companies who are willing to wait to gain further knowledge of the new product launch on its consumers; and utilise that gained awareness to seize the market. It has been said that only fools rush in and this is no more relevant than to that of an industry that is not sufficiently prepared to support effective marketing efforts or to implement appropriate pricing for its product launch. If the customers initial reactions to the product are poor, a second mover can gain loyalty nearly instantaneously by restructuring a similar product that is well-received by the public. The same principle applies to first-movers who have traditionally serviced a niche market where early or late followers are able to move the product away from a smaller audience and implement mass marketing of its similar product. Again, because of the usually intensive cost factors contributed to researching and developing the first-adopter product, a later-emerging industry can focus its efforts on intensive marketing that covers a much broader target audience. For those First to Market 16 companies that can realise aggressive advertising campaigns in conjunction with established brand recognition, securing a dominant position within the same market can be effectively accomplished. Though not all newly introduced products can be extended beyond niche marketing, those late followers that manage to do so can focus on continuous improvements to outperform the product pioneer on an ongoing basis; and realise a potential explosion in increased market share. One significantly different factor driving profitability, however relevant to both first-adopters and second-movers, is in building understanding about its customers. An industry in a "mad" rush to introduce its product may be inclined to skip proven success strategies such as analysing focus group data or initiating a test market of its emerging product. Second-movers who may have "lost" the product race would be in a superior position when it comes to gauging potential consumer reaction to the upcoming product. Before the competitions product impact or sales numbers are even announced, these research methods might indicate to the second-mover substantial weaknesses in consumer perception of the items functional purpose or effectiveness; and adopt changes to suit. Test consumers, especially if conducted on a relatively large-scale basis, might even indicate to the potential late follower that further marketing of its late entry product does not require a significant investment based on consumer awareness of the products design and purpose. Take a new technology software package, for example, that a first-mover introduces assuming that extensive learning packages are required and these are issued with the software. Creating secondary learning CD-ROMS or in-depth instructional manuals First to Market 17 would likely be a significant investment by the first-mover. After analysing test market data, the second-mover may learn that such an investment would be a waste of financial resources, and may market its software packages "user friendly" design in order to discourage consumption of the competitions product. In such a situation, the softwares first to market industry would likely have a significant difficulty in overshadowing its competition and could easily lose positioning within the market; with the second mover securing little investment in its late product entry. Post-sale customer relationships are becoming more and more crucial to both first and second-mover industries as consumers begin demanding more and more access to customer service representatives as a continuing service expected for ongoing product support. In a situation where a first-mover rushes to release its innovative product, it may not have considered the impact of building post-sale relationships. This could be a substantial oversight, especially for a high-dollar item that consumers would view as a major purchase. Once again, a late follower, recognising rising customer demand for quality and availability of service, might move its resources initially allocated for intensive marketing and switch its focus to establishing appropriate feedback and assistance mechanisms for its potential upcoming customers. Switching the focus from advertising the many benefits of its similar product, the second-mover has a significant advantage in illustrating its continuing commitment to enhanced customer service. Without a significant investment, the second-mover has captured an audience who may be dissatisfied with the first-movers level of service and has earned loyalty among those consumers who demand post-sale relationships with the seller. Breaking down First to Market 18 consumer loyalty for the sake of capturing or reclaiming market share is a tremendous obstacle for a first-mover who has failed in its initial product launch and a second-mover who is able to seize that particular advantage will likely retain that advantage for long-term gain. Conclusion The process of capturing a consumer audience is an ongoing process that extends beyond being the first to market, but involves intensive research and willingness for a company to invest time in scanning the market environment for any trends in consumer behaviours. As has been illustrated, being the first to launch a product does not, in any significant fashion, indicate a long-term profit margin and increased market share. Most of the contributing factors to retaining those advantages lies in an industrys ability to adapt and in its preparedness levels for further product enhancements. Some executive leaders might take for granted or assume that the very first company to launch a new product category maintains an invincible advantage that will reap the company long-standing profit margins. With this assumed mentality, the priority for the innovator may not be focused around contingency plans or continuous plans for product improvement, which might open the proverbial door for a second-mover to bridge that gap and completely surpass the pioneering entity. A successful first-mover must be aware that early followers might well have a readiness plan in motion to secure increased market share and have its first-mover organisation structured for instant response. First to Market 19 A second-mover has a distinctive advantage in many cases as it can learn from the successes and failures of the pioneering firm and be ready to move on the first indication that consumer satisfaction levels are dropping. Regardless of the nature of the product or service, obtaining long-term competitive edge as a first-mover is increasingly mythological in nature. A company that is able to adapt to fluctuating markets will likely be the victor in market positioning regardless of its order of product entry. In a market that is largely affected by consumer loyalty, distinctively driven by customer perceptions of the trustworthiness of a particular brand, first-movers who have created an unprecedented product will likely have to invest even more company resources in the attempt to make its product stand out among the established competitor brand name. In such a situation, even the first-movers willingness to invest its resources and take the risk in launching the new product category will not guarantee immediate return; the same difficulties face an early follower for similar reasons. However, taking a "passive" approach to aggressive product launch affords the waiting entity to increase its overall readiness and move into the market when conditions are conducive to its success. As previously addressed, sociocultural conditions often affect the first-movers potential success as the entity aggressively markets, for example, a technology device designed to improve personal time management for its purchaser. The first-mover is often confident of its products effectiveness and believes that the item will fill the perceived consumer demand for an instrument of its design. First to Market 20 Believing this to be the case, the first-mover may subject the device to intense mass marketing campaigns (costing substantial advertising dollars), only to realise that the device is perceived as useless to the majority of its target audience. A potential second-mover, who has produced a similarly equal or enhanced version of the device may simply decide that it is worth its investment to wait until consumers are more willing (or desiring) to accept the technology before establishing its product entry. In this situation, the second-mover may begin a marketing campaign that promotes the consumer need for better time management skills, selling the service more than the product itself. Whatever the strategic goals of the industry considering launch of a new product, success of order of entry into the market is most largely determined by the organisation itself and the needs of the consumer at the time of the products launch. If the first-mover fails to recognise any vital external factors that might affect its consumer acceptance, the advantage falls on the second-mover to emerge a marketing winner. 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