Abstract
Purpose: In every market there are non-consumers - potential customers that withstand an innovation. A common reason is that products targeted to early adopters or the mass market are over-engineered. Established companies usually neglect the laggards in a market. This offers growth opportunities for new entrants. These market niches can be unlocked when products are simplified and adapted to the special needs of the laggards. Design/methodology/approach: Using a short case study from an Austrian producer of cell-phones targeted to seniors, and some other examples, we show how innovative solutions can be developed by targeting to the special needs of laggards in a market. Findings: Technologies usually evolve faster than market needs and established companies, in their efforts to grow and improve profitability, try to innovate faster than their competitors. This often leads to over-engineered products. In many markets there are consumers that withstand these innovative and over-engineered products. A vacuum for low-priced, simple, and easy-to-use solutions emerges. We describe a five-step approach for unlocking these market segments and developing solutions for laggards. Originality/value: While most companies try to innovate faster than their competitors to defend their market leadership, laggard innovation targets non-consumers in the market. By simplifying over-engineered products and adapting them to the special needs of laggards, new market opportunities emerge. This paper shows how these market niches can be unlocked.