Market Mapping
This skill creates comprehensive market maps to visualize competitive landscapes, market segments, ecosystem players, and strategic positioning.
When to Use This Skill
Invoke this skill when the user:
- Requests a market map or landscape visualization
- Wants to visualize competitive positioning
- Asks for ecosystem mapping or value chain visualization
- Needs to understand market segmentation visually
- Mentions creating a competitive landscape map
- Wants to identify market gaps or white space
Types of Market Maps
Competitive Positioning Map
Visualize competitive positioning across two key dimensions:
Steps:
- Identify the most relevant positioning dimensions (e.g., price vs. features, enterprise vs. SMB, simplicity vs. power)
- Research and place competitors on the map
- Identify clusters and gaps in the market
- Determine positioning strategy
- Create a 2x2 or scatter plot visualization
Output Format:
Dimension Y (e.g., Feature Richness)
↑
High │ [Competitor C]
│ [Competitor D]
│
│ [Your Product]
│ [Competitor A]
Low │ [Competitor B]
│
└────────────────────────────→ Dimension X (e.g., Price)
Low High
KEY INSIGHTS:
- Cluster 1: Low price, low features (value players)
- Cluster 2: High price, high features (premium players)
- White space: Mid-price, high features opportunityMarket Segmentation Map
Map market segments and their characteristics:
Steps:
- Identify segmentation criteria (industry, size, geography, use case, etc.)
- Define distinct market segments
- Size each segment (TAM, number of companies, growth rate)
- Assess segment attractiveness
- Map competitive intensity per segment
- Visualize as a matrix or hierarchy
Output Format:
MARKET SEGMENTS MAP
By Company Size:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Enterprise (>1000 employees) │
│ TAM: $5B | Growth: 12% | Competition: High │
│ Players: Competitor A, Competitor B, Us │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Mid-Market (100-1000 employees) │
│ TAM: $3B | Growth: 18% | Competition: Medium │
│ Players: Competitor C, Competitor D │
│ OPPORTUNITY: Underserved segment │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ SMB (<100 employees) │
│ TAM: $8B | Growth: 25% | Competition: High │
│ Players: Competitor E, Competitor F, Competitor G │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘Ecosystem Map
Map the broader ecosystem including partners, suppliers, and adjacent players:
Steps:
- Identify your product/company at the center
- Map direct competitors
- Add complementary players (partners, integrations)
- Include suppliers and service providers
- Map adjacent markets and potential entrants
- Show relationships and dependencies
- Identify strategic partnership opportunities
Output Format:
ECOSYSTEM MAP
[Suppliers/Platforms]
┌──────────────────┐
│ AWS, Azure │
│ Google Cloud │
└────────┬─────────┘
│
[Complementary] │ [Complementary]
┌──────────┐ │ ┌──────────┐
│Analytics │ │ │ CRM │
│Tools │ │ │Platforms │
└────┬─────┘ │ └─────┬────┘
│ │ │
│ ┌────────▼────────┐ │
└─────►│ YOUR PRODUCT │◄─────┘
└────────┬────────┘
│
┌──────────────┼──────────────┐
│ │ │
[Direct Competitors] │ [Adjacent Markets]
┌──────────┐ ┌─────▼─────┐ ┌──────────┐
│Comp A │ │Service │ │Related │
│Comp B │ │Providers │ │Solutions │
│Comp C │ └───────────┘ └──────────┘
└──────────┘
Key Relationships:
→ Integration partners
⟷ Competitive overlap
⋯ Potential partnershipsMarket Landscape Map
Create comprehensive market overview showing all players categorized:
Steps:
- Define market categories/sub-segments
- Identify and categorize all market players
- Assess each player's market position
- Group by business model, technology, or focus area
- Indicate market leaders, challengers, and niche players
- Show market evolution and emerging players
Output Format:
MARKET LANDSCAPE
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ INFRASTRUCTURE LAYER │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Leaders: [AWS], [Azure], [GCP] │
│ Challengers: [DigitalOcean], [Linode] │
│ Emerging: [Fly.io], [Railway] │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ PLATFORM LAYER │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ All-in-one: [Vercel], [Netlify], [Render] │
│ Container-focused: [Kubernetes], [Docker] │
│ Serverless: [Cloudflare Workers], [Lambda] │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ DEVELOPER TOOLS LAYER │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ CI/CD: [GitHub Actions], [CircleCI], [Jenkins] │
│ Monitoring: [Datadog], [New Relic], [Sentry] │
│ Security: [Snyk], [Dependabot] │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘Mapping Frameworks
Framework 1: 2x2 Positioning Matrix
- Best for: Competitive positioning analysis
- Axes: Choose 2 most differentiating dimensions
- Common combinations:
- Price vs. Features - Ease of use vs. Power/Capabilities - Specialization vs. Breadth - Enterprise vs. SMB focus - On-premise vs. Cloud - Innovation vs. Stability
Framework 2: Gartner Magic Quadrant Style
- Best for: Market maturity assessment
- Quadrants:
- Leaders: High vision, high execution - Challengers: Low vision, high execution - Visionaries: High vision, low execution - Niche Players: Low vision, low execution
- Axes: Completeness of Vision vs. Ability to Execute
Framework 3: Value Chain Map
- Best for: Understanding industry structure
- Components:
- Suppliers → Manufacturers → Distributors → Retailers → End Users - Map players at each stage - Identify vertical integration opportunities
Framework 4: Concentric Circle Map
- Best for: Ecosystem and adjacency analysis
- Layers:
- Center: Core market/product - Ring 1: Direct competitors - Ring 2: Adjacent markets - Ring 3: Broader ecosystem - Ring 4: Potential future expansion
Map Creation Process
Step 1: Define Scope and Purpose
Questions to answer:
- What is the specific market or category to map?
- Who is the primary audience for this map?
- What decisions will this map inform?
- What level of detail is needed?
- What time horizon (current state vs. future state)?
Step 2: Research and Data Collection
Gather information about:
- All relevant market players (companies, products, solutions)
- Market segments and categories
- Positioning attributes and differentiators
- Market size and share data
- Ecosystem relationships
Use WebSearch to find:
- Industry analyst reports
- Market research publications
- Competitive intelligence
- Company websites and positioning
Step 3: Choose Mapping Approach
Select based on purpose:
- Competitive analysis → Positioning Map
- Market structure → Landscape Map
- Opportunity identification → Segmentation Map
- Partnership strategy → Ecosystem Map
- Market maturity → Magic Quadrant style
Step 4: Create the Map
Layout and visualization:
- Choose clear, meaningful axes/categories
- Place all players accurately
- Use consistent notation
- Add labels and legends
- Include market size/share if relevant
- Highlight white space or opportunities
- Add annotations for key insights
Step 5: Derive Insights
Extract strategic insights:
- Where are competitors clustered?
- What gaps exist in the market?
- Which segments are underserved?
- What is our differentiation opportunity?
- Who are potential partners?
- What are the market dynamics?
Common Mapping Patterns
Pattern 1: Competitive Crowding Analysis
- Create positioning map
- Identify clusters of competitors
- Find white space opportunities
- Determine differentiation strategy
- Example: SaaS project management tools clustered on "ease of use" axis
Pattern 2: Market Evolution Mapping
- Map current market state
- Overlay emerging players and trends
- Show direction of market movement
- Identify future positioning
- Example: On-premise solutions migrating to cloud
Pattern 3: Multi-Segment Opportunity
- Create segment map with attractiveness scores
- Assess competitive intensity per segment
- Calculate addressable market per segment
- Prioritize segments for entry
- Example: Enterprise vs. SMB vs. Consumer segments
Pattern 4: Ecosystem Partnership Mapping
- Map complementary players
- Identify integration opportunities
- Assess partnership potential
- Plan go-to-market alliances
- Example: Payment processors, shipping providers, accounting software
Visualization Best Practices
Clarity:
- Use simple, clean layouts
- Limit to 2-3 dimensions
- Clear labels and legends
- Readable text size
- Consistent formatting
Accuracy:
- Base positioning on research and data
- Avoid subjective placements
- Cross-validate with multiple sources
- Update regularly
- Note data sources and dates
Insights:
- Highlight key findings
- Annotate important patterns
- Show white space clearly
- Use color/size to indicate importance
- Add strategic implications
Format:
- Text-based maps for CLI output
- Clear ASCII art or symbols
- Structured tables when appropriate
- Bullet lists for player groupings
- Box diagrams for relationships
Example Maps
Example 1: Cloud Storage Market Positioning
Feature Richness
↑
High │
│ [Box] [Dropbox Business]
│
│ [Google Drive] [OneDrive]
│
Low │ [iCloud]
│
└────────────────────────────→ Price
Low High
Insights:
- Enterprise features cluster at higher price points
- Consumer-focused solutions in low-price, low-feature quadrant
- Opportunity: High features at mid-tier pricing (underserved)
- Box and Dropbox competing head-to-head in enterpriseExample 2: Fintech Ecosystem Map
[Banking Infrastructure]
┌──────────────────────┐
│ Plaid, Stripe, Dwolla│
└──────────┬───────────┘
│
[Lending] │ [Payments]
┌──────────┐ │ ┌──────────┐
│ Affirm │ │ │ Square │
│ SoFi │───────────┼───────────│ PayPal │
└──────────┘ │ └──────────┘
│
┌────────▼────────┐
│ YOUR NEOBANK │
└────────┬────────┘
│
┌─────────────────┼─────────────────┐
│ │ │
[Investment] [Competitors] [Insurance]
┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐
│ Robinhood│ │ Chime │ │ Lemonade │
│ Acorns │ │ N26 │ │ Root │
└──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘
Partnership Opportunities:
→ Infrastructure: Integrate Plaid for account linking
→ Payments: Partner with Square for merchant services
→ Investment: Embed Robinhood or similar
→ Insurance: Bundle Lemonade coverageValidation Checklist
Before finalizing a market map:
- Purpose and scope clearly defined
- All major players identified and researched
- Positioning based on data, not assumptions
- Axes/dimensions are meaningful and differentiating
- Visual layout is clear and readable
- Key insights extracted and highlighted
- White space opportunities identified
- Competitive clusters noted
- Map includes legend/key as needed
- Sources cited for data points
- Strategic implications stated
Map Complexity Options
Simple Map (15-30 min):
- Single view (positioning or landscape)
- Top 5-10 players only
- Basic 2x2 format
- High-level insights
Standard Map (30-60 min):
- Multiple views (positioning + landscape)
- Comprehensive player list
- Detailed categorization
- Segment analysis
- Strategic insights
Comprehensive Mapping (1-2 hours):
- Multiple map types
- Ecosystem view included
- Segment-by-segment analysis
- Quantitative data included (market share, sizing)
- Competitive dynamics explained
- Partnership opportunities identified
- Future state projection
Ask the user for their preferred scope if unclear.
Additional Notes
- Market maps become outdated quickly - note the date
- Different stakeholders may need different map types
- Combine with market research skill for deeper analysis
- Use TAM analysis skill to size segments on the map
- Maps are most valuable when they drive strategic decisions
- Update maps quarterly or when major market shifts occur
- Consider creating both current state and future state maps