Introduction

A leading petrochemical company from Asia-Pacific wanted to draft the go-to-market plan for UAE and KSA. Ipsos Business Consulting worked with client teams to develop the market construct of lubricants, develop a milestone plan and devise a go-to-market strategy to enter the markets.

About the Client

The company is one of the largest petrochemical firms in the work with a diverse portfolio of products including upstream and downstream. They have a presence across the globe.

Business Issue

The client had a small presence in the middle-east region and was charting out their growth plans for the region. Two key markets of UAE and KSA were identified as thrust markets for their growth strategy and a detailed mapping of the markets were required to take investment decisions. The plan was also meant for their negotiations with the current and potential partners in these markets and the financial structuring of the operations.

Ipsos Business Consulting Solution

A two module approach was taken to map the market leading to the design of the respective roadmaps for market entry.

1. Mapped out the supply side construct prevailing in the markets. The teams determined fundamental growth drivers, segmented the market based on product type and usage, and identified specific customer segments with high growth potential. After a comprehensive study comprising in-depth discussions with industry players and channel market players, the competitive landscape and the channel structures were also mapped in detail. The outcome was also the prioritization of the key customer segments to target as part of the growth plan.
2. Detailed understanding of the customer segments. This coverage included discussion with key customer segments representative to obtain an understanding of the buying behaviors, influencers and need-gaps. This deep insight of the customer segments provided the basis of developing the product value proposition and communication strategy.

Insights gathered both from the supply side and demand side enabled us to develop a robust roadmap for product launch. The analysis of market gaps also provided the client with the prioritization of their target segments and the business roadmap plan.

Results

We worked closely with the client to devise a comprehensive go-to-market strategy, which covered the prioritization of the target segments, development of the value propositions, plan the channel to market and designed the financial plan. Following the engagement, the client successfully established its country-specific launch plans to target prioritized market segments and the study also laid the foundation for the local partnerships.