Improve, Maximise and Transform
Where are you on the S-curve?
Innovation of products and processes is about evolving along the S-Curve. This follows the transition from hard-won incremental improvements, to steep acceleration maximising competitive advantage, before slowing towards maturity and ultimately, stagnation. A radical step change then heralds the beginning of a transformative new S-curve.
Strategic Innovation offers a range of services to address innovation challenges relevant to our clients’ position on their S-curve journey.
The key drivers of innovation projects are typically cost reduction, value addition, consumer trends or regulatory pressures. But increasingly, the starting point of innovation is ESG and sustainability, which must be achieved whilst maintaining or improving other KPIs of business performance.
Improve
Quick win improvements to your current offerings
- Are our products and services in line with market trends?
- What’s out there to help us make greener and better experiences?
- How do we seize untapped market potential?
In the improvement phase, our objective is to make small, short-term interventions that make a big difference. They are also called easy wins, although they are not always easy to spot. Such incremental changes could be to product, process or supply chain and informed by consumer insight.
Maximise
How to maintain competitiveness in a mature market
- How should we respond to a surprisingly good competitor market launch?
- How to maintain IP protection when key patents are due to lapse?
- What can today’s consumer tell us that will be the new normal of tomorrow?
Often, clients are already in a state of market and technical maturity. Here, at the top of the S-Curve, pinpointing where to act is fundamental to prioritising research resources, focusing on market strategy, manufacturing efficiencies and maintaining IP protection.
Transform
The tools, knowledge and support to enable disruptive change
- Should we invest in a new technology or category?
- What is the Next Big Thing and how to create it?
- How do we go from Fast Follower to Trailblazer?
Every so often a new technology emerges, typically from outside the traditional industry. A disruptive game changer that once established, changes everything.
But for every fundamental disruption, there are many false dawns ending in market failure. Research suggests that 98% of attempts fail.
A perennial challenge is that initially, even successful disruptions are difficult to differentiate from failures. Therefore, to prioritise R&D and M&A activity or general investment decisions, improving the understanding of what is most likely to be successful and reducing risk – even by a small amount – is a big deal.
Let’s work together on your
next project
We would be happy to discuss your project requirements and how we can help you succeed to exceed your goals