Medical Devices
[Result]
Finding innovation opportunities with needs-based segments
A medical device leader targeted a complex disease area with only one effective treatment, and needed to know where innovation would matter most.
Read the case →
Innovation, Portfolio & Customer Insight
Expertise
Innovation, Portfolio & Customer Insight
Commercially disciplined innovation tests market opportunity, customer need and value before R&D money is committed, and keeps testing through stage-gates with real customer experiments. Market Edge combines opportunity assessment, portfolio and lifecycle tools with Customer R&D℠ research to help B2B innovators fund the right projects.
Problems we solve
R&D starts before the market case
Projects get funded on technical promise without an opportunity assessment or NPV view.
Signs, causes and fixes →Stage-gates without customers
Gates check documents, not evidence from real customer experiments.
Signs, causes and fixes →Ageing portfolio
Mature products absorb resources while lifecycle decisions are postponed.
Signs, causes and fixes →Reports that don't answer your question
Syndicated research is broad; your decision is specific.
Signs, causes and fixes →What we hear from clients
Paraphrased and anonymized from recent conversations with marketing and commercial leaders.
“We don't have a structured way to evaluate commercial ideas before R&D begins.”
“Our innovation process is strong. The weak spot is upstream: idea generation and market insight, because we have no vertical marketers.”
“We want to evaluate our product range, but first we need to know whether our margin data is good enough.”
How we de-risk innovation
Four steps, each supported by a proven Market Edge framework.
01
Assess the opportunity
Market size, attractiveness, right to win and NPV before R&D starts.
02
Understand customers
Customer R&D℠ interviews and ethnography to confirm the need and its value.
03
Experiment through the gates
Stage-gate criteria built on customer experiments and evidence.
04
Manage the portfolio
Lifecycle and portfolio reviews that move resources to the best opportunities.
Our point of view
Innovation tools are the easy part; adoption is harder. Opportunity assessments, NPV models and portfolio views have to be simple enough for commercial people to use, endorsed by leadership and reviewed on a regular cadence. And every stage-gate should ask for evidence from real customers: desirability, feasibility and profitability.
How an engagement usually runs
Typical phases. Every engagement is scoped with you, and many clients start with one phase.
| Phase | Typical timing | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Frame the decision | 1–2 weeks | Agree what the research or tool must decide, and which data exists. |
| Listen to customers | 3–6 weeks | Short interviews, surveys and observation with customers, users and influencers. |
| Assess and prioritize | 2–4 weeks | Opportunity assessment, NPV and a portfolio view across business units. |
| Govern | Monthly or quarterly | Portfolio reviews and stage-gates built on customer evidence. |
Human in the loop
Where AI helps, and where people decide
AI can transcribe and code hundreds of interviews and even simulate respondents. Real customers still surprise you, and an experienced interviewer knows which surprise matters.
How we use AI responsibly →AITranscribes, codes and themes interview data.
AIScans literature, patents and public data to frame the research.
PeopleAsks the follow-up question that reveals the real need.
PeopleInterprets findings in the context of your strategy and market.
Client results
All case studies →Food Processing · Wine producers
[Result]
Positioning and pricing a new solution for wine producers
A food processing technology leader patented a solution that cut water use and disposal cost for wine producers, but needed to position and price it.
Read the case →“Market Edge surveys helped us do a needs-based segmentation that aided the product development process.”
Medical device company
Point of view
Our latest point of view
All points of view →Innovation, Portfolio & Customer Insight insights
All Innovation, Portfolio & Customer Insight insights →Surveys Generate Data That Produce Actionable InsightsInnovation, Portfolio & Customer Insight · [Author] · Jul 2023Customer Experience in the EV MarketInnovation, Portfolio & Customer Insight · [Author] · Jun 2021Product Improvement and Innovation in the Gum AisleInnovation, Portfolio & Customer Insight · [Author] · Jan 2020
[New] Synthetic Respondents vs Real Customers: When AI Research Is EnoughTo write
Innovation, Portfolio & Customer Insight FAQ
How do you assess an innovation opportunity before R&D starts?
Use a short overview of market, value proposition and concept, a financial view such as NPV, and a score on significance, ability to execute, and technical and commercial feasibility.
What is Customer R&D℠?
Market Edge's approach to primary B2B research, combining video-based interviews and ethnographic analysis of how customers actually work.
How should stage-gates use customer evidence?
Each gate should require evidence on desirability, feasibility and profitability from real customer tests, not only internal documents.
How do you manage a product lifecycle in B2B?
Review products regularly on growth, share and margin, understand the real cost to serve, and decide which to invest in, extend, reposition or retire.
Can AI replace customer interviews?
AI can transcribe and code interviews and frame the research. Real customers still surprise you, and an experienced interviewer knows which surprise matters.
Situations where clients call us about Innovation, Portfolio & Customer Insight
"We're about to launch, and the price is cost plus margin."
Pricing a new product launch
A new product worth tens of millions is about to be priced without a view of its value to customers.
How we help →"We don't have a structured way to evaluate ideas before R&D starts."
Deciding which innovation projects to fund
R&D is busy, but nobody can say which projects deserve funding or how they compare.
How we help →Deciding which innovation projects to fund?
Book a 20–30 minute sounding board conversation with a senior consultant who has sat in your seat. No cost, no commitment.