The Concept of Market Saturation and Why It Is Impossible

33 replies
Put your mind aside. Just for one post.

Operate from something Infinite.

I read a post on Quora a few moments ago. An aspiring fashion blogger noted how the fashion blogging niche in India was becoming too saturated, because a wave of young women there are hopping on the fashion blogging bandwagon.

The idea of market saturation is impossible *if* you feel the source of money, and customers, and business, is something Infinite.

Or even, if you feel the source of money, and customers and business is ideas, and of course, ideas are infinite too (for atheists).

The only way you'd buy into market saturation is if you believe people are the source of your wealth. If you do, this is an easy way to limit yourself. Nothing right or wrong with it inherently. But when you depend on people or circumstances for your lot in life - as opposed to something Bigger, or even, prospering ideas - you will be subject to the fear-based, competitive, lack and limitation driven states of mind that both plague struggling entrepreneurs, and that successful but stubborn, angry, fighting entrepreneur types (yeah you know who you are because I used to be one of them LOL) cling to, perpetuating a fight or flight type business model.

I have found it much easier to co-create with folks in my niche because thoughts shared, multiply, as do all of our incomes. We believe in abundance and feel abundant, and have moved away from fear-based, mind-created concepts like scarcity, market saturation, competition, and all the other us versus them stuff.

Again, no right or wrong way to see it. Just abundance, fun and ease, versus limits, fear and stress.

You can get really good at overcoming the stress, limits and fears, and succeeding (after fighting and struggling), or you can accept abundance, have fun, co-create, trust, and have 100 times as much success with no stress, and while playing, versus working.

Some folks wonder how I write 7-8 guest posts on some days and why I have 157,000 views on my answers on Quora and why my blog has over 18,000 links in and how I've tweeted half a million times and some of my other number accomplishments. I used to care dearly about my accomplishments, because I viewed myself going against comp in a tight, saturated market, So those numbers were stagnant. Then I faced my fears, saw the comp as co-creators, and my market as limitless, and the numbers/metrics really started to jump. Much easier to succeed this way because fear is a heavy yolk while fun-love is effortless, delightful energy to work from.

I wanted to add because so many new marketers cling to this fear-based, non-abundant idea of market saturation, which is a bit like a guppy sitting at the bottom of the Mariana Trench in an absolute terror that they'll find enough water to survive for the next 15 seconds.
#concept #impossible #market #saturation
  • Profile picture of the author Josh Mayers
    Ryan - awesome post buddy thank you for the value.

    I agree with you 100%

    Scarcity only exists in the minds of people who believe in it and "market saturation" is something that should never hold anyone back from going after a specific market that they truly are passionate about.

    Take Health and Fitness for example - Most may think that this market is completely saturated and that because of the fact that there's so much competition that its not worth going after.

    In my opinion, more competition means that there's more money to be made, because if there wasn't any money to be made, there would be no competition.

    And to add to that, what separates all the successful Health and Fitness experts from the failures is that they know the secret sauce - Which is selling themselves FIRST.

    Great post buddy :-)

    -Joshua
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    • Profile picture of the author ryanbiddulph
      Thanks Joshua. Super comment dude!
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  • Profile picture of the author Mike Anthony
    I'm sorry but all of that could just as well be in the mind warriors section. Its fluff and not reality

    I hate to break it to you but unless you have access to your government's currency printing press your wealth does come from others. The whole point of marketing is people sending you cash for what you have to offer. Unless you want to mine for gold in the Hills of Colorado the source of your income IS other people (but only if you can find stores to barter the gold nuggets - good luck with that).

    Second bad news? Saturation DOES happen. You see it all the time in MLMs where all your friends and family have been pitched. It seldom happens globally but in segmented markets and groups yes its a real thing.

    You are day dreaming if you think your local neighborhood can never have too many pizza shops or gas stations or its "impossible" to have more lawyers in a small town than paying cases.

    Scarcity only exists in the minds of people who believe in it and "market saturation" is something that should never hold anyone back from going after a specific market that they truly are passionate about.
    You guys are missing the whole point of evaluating saturation. The world does not give a fig newton about your "passion". It cares about its own. You evaluate your products quality, price point and service angle in looking at saturation. If you offer the same product at the same price and perceived quality (entirely different from your perception of quality) and 200 outlets already offer it to a market segment you ARE going to struggle.

    Its precisely because saturation IS real that you have to come up with ideas and service product angles that are not over crowded.

    Passion without reason is for the love of your life, your family and beliefs. Have passion for those you love to any and every irrational level it leads you to. Business however should always be about research and reality while doing what you enjoy.
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    • Profile picture of the author ryanbiddulph
      Abundance versus Fear Mike.

      Fight for scarcity. Or open up to everything.

      Always your choice.

      You know how I roll by now

      But to each their own.

      Ryan
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      • Profile picture of the author Mike Anthony
        Originally Posted by ryanbiddulph View Post

        Abundance versus Fear Mike.

        Fight for scarcity. Or open up to everything.
        More psychobabble and poor form (which I probably object to the most). Surely you can discuss an issue without fallacious appeals to people being filed with fear. Try harder. Its an empty accusation to claim that because someone looks at the market and judges where best to attack it they are afraid.

        I'm not afraid when I lock my doors at night. I'm using my common sense. Turning of your mind is no secret to success. its a sure road ultimately to failure.
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  • Profile picture of the author discrat
    Maybe Saturation can happen but I also think you could argue if you work hard enough and develop a Product that is superior then Saturation becomes really irrelevant
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    • Profile picture of the author Mike Anthony
      Originally Posted by discrat View Post

      Maybe Saturation can happen but I also think you could argue if you work hard enough and develop a Product that is superior then Saturation becomes really irrelevant
      Lots of people work their tail off and still fail. Everyone swears their product is superior. In reality its not even about a superior product. Its about perceived value. Your plush towel might be in reality better but the market doesn't see it as such. You still fail.

      Saturation is never irrelevant. What happens and how you deal with it is by offering a product that has features that are NOT saturated. Ice cream cone market might be saturated so you make ice cream sandwiches.

      Realizing saturation exists isn't even remotely about giving up or fear or flight. It leads you to innovate and find where market needs are not being met. In many cases you can just tweak a product to needs or wants not being met (not saturated)

      But hey if you all want to go diving into markets saturated and not look for the angles with less competition and more opportunity go for it!!

      Potentially more for me and mine.
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    • Profile picture of the author ryanbiddulph
      Exactly Robert.

      The tough part about accepting this idea is releasing on concepts you have lived by for years. Took me a long time, but I'd rather not fight for scarcity. Too much of a pain in the rump LOL.

      Ryan
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  • Profile picture of the author Rory Singh
    Great post Ryan! It's also a very deep one that some may not understand.
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  • Profile picture of the author Brent Stangel
    Put your mind aside.
    In other words; "Journey with me now to the land of make-believe."

    Just FYI - here in reality, "putting your mind aside" is not an option.

    Brent
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    • Profile picture of the author ryanbiddulph
      Fighting for scarcity is a silly idea, don't you think Brent?

      Whenever I post fun, harmonious stuff like this, you always follow with a counterpoint.

      It's what makes the world fun

      Ryan
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  • Profile picture of the author Arvind Kumar
    as usual Ryan very informative post....I am from India and i agree fashion blogging niche are really saturated..I think if you are really good in you niche...market saturation will never have effect on your blog...ideas are infinite as you said and will always help you to move forwards..!!
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    • Profile picture of the author Mike Anthony
      Originally Posted by Arvind Kumar View Post

      as usual Ryan very informative post....I am from India and i agree fashion blogging niche are really saturated..I think if you are really good in you niche...market saturation will never have effect on your blog...ideas are infinite as you said and will always help you to move forwards..!!
      ideas are not infinite unless your brain is infinite which isn't even possible unless you are claiming to be some kind of god.

      However lets try and make this thread practical.

      I have no idea if fashion blogging is saturated in India. I rather doubt it because fashion is seldom stagnant. The beautiful thing with fashion is it can change the minute a new design comes out. But lets say you have this situation (example only - not stereotype) -

      everyone in Indian fashion is writing about Bollywood fashion trends. Most people then who have been into fashion would already have their "go to" site for reading up on Bollywood fashion.

      what sense does it make to position yourself doing the exact same thing countless other sites are doing? You can claim "I will do it better" but thats totally subjective to your own point of view and it doesn't even matter if no one visits (because they already have their sites for reading up on it).

      No it might be time to use your noggin ( in opposition to Ryans desire to turn your brain off). With everyone into Bollywood fashion and so many sites catering to it wouldn't there be people out there that want to stand out a bit more than totally following the crowd - that is one of the things people want to do with fashion. be a little different. So could you write about fashion that is centered on where Hollywood meets Bollywood ( as more and more particularly Indian actresses like Priyanka Chopra cross over?)

      Whats so weird about people in this thread claiming saturation is no issue is that one of the key components of business is determining your USP. - Unique selling Point. Unique is close to singular rather than what everyone else is doing. In other words you should be looking to offer something that not only isn't saturated but what almost no on else is offering.

      Blogging isn't saturated so why blog on the very same things that everyone already is? You have to just be arrogant to think because its you its going to be better and wow the market.
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      • Profile picture of the author PPG19
        Originally Posted by Mike Anthony View Post


        Whats so weird about people in this thread claiming saturation is no issue is that one of the key components of business is determining your USP. - Unique selling Point. Unique is close to singular rather than what everyone else is doing. In other words you should be looking to offer something that not only isn't saturated but what almost no on else is offering.
        You can have a USP in the most competitive market in the world. Actually you can only have a unique selling proposition in a market where there are actually competitors.
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        • Profile picture of the author Mike Anthony
          Originally Posted by PPG19 View Post

          You can have a USP in the most competitive market in the world. Actually you can only have a unique selling proposition in a market where there are actually competitors.
          Not really true. If you are the only one selling something thats still a USP. You are the only one selling it. Can't be more unique than that and being the exclusive provider sells. However the more crowded and saturated your market is the less likely that you really have a USP. It doesn't have to be just unique it has to be a point that actually sells.

          In the case I cited before of pizza shops. If you have ten in your area you are going to have a hard time if your alleged USP is "mine is better" , I have passion and work hard.

          Your best shot is to sell something else in the pizza shop that isn't saturated unless you have some fantastic pizza that no one else can make and tastes vastly different for a pizza consumer to choose every time over the competition.
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          • Profile picture of the author PPG19
            Originally Posted by Mike Anthony View Post

            Not really true. If you are the only one selling something thats still a USP. You are the only one selling it. Can't be more unique than that and being the exclusive provider sells. However the more crowded and saturated your market is the less likely that you really have a USP. It doesn't have to be just unique it has to be a point that actually sells.

            In the case I cited before of pizza shops. If you have ten in your area you are going to have a hard time if your alleged USP is "mine is better" , I have passion and work hard.

            Your best shot is to sell something else in the pizza shop that isn't saturated unless you have some fantastic pizza that no one else can make and tastes vastly different for a pizza consumer to choose every time over the competition.
            "If you are the only one selling something thats still a USP" This is not a USP is a unique product.
            Having a unique product and having a USP on a product are 2 different things.

            A USP is a feature of a product that makes it different from and better than other SIMILAR products and that can be emphasized in advertisements for the product.

            Since we are talking about pizza (my favorite food ) an example would be dominos.
            Their USP is "30 minutes or it's free" promise.
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            • Profile picture of the author Mike Anthony
              Originally Posted by PPG19 View Post

              "If you are the only one selling something thats still a USP" This is not a USP is a unique product.
              Having a unique product and having a USP on a product are 2 different things.
              I get what you are saying but in the context we are talking its identical. From the buyers standpoint the fact that a seller can get me a blue truck within the week and another cannot is their unique selling point in my buyers mind.

              Theres no tangible difference. its the exact same thing. Its the unique point that makes me go with them.
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              • Profile picture of the author PPG19
                Originally Posted by Mike Anthony View Post

                I get what you are saying but in the context we are talking its identical. From the buyers standpoint the fact that a seller can get me a blue truck within the week and another cannot is their unique selling point in my buyers mind.

                Theres no tangible difference. its the exact same thing. Its the unique point that makes me go with them.
                I still think we disagree a little on the USP definition but that's not important. I agree with everything else you said in this thread. Really good points.
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    • Profile picture of the author ryanbiddulph
      Arvind, thanks a bunch my friend.

      Ryan
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  • Profile picture of the author easy does it
    Ryan makes lots of similar posts here. And I also hear what others say around living in the real world. I think the attitude of generously helping others that comes across from Ryan does indeed work. But I suspect that that isn't his only secret sauce - i.e. he has worked hard to find niches that are unsaturated, and/or has worked hard to make products/information that are so helpful that the niches snap them up.

    When you ask successful people what is the reason for their success, much of the time they think they know, but they really don't. And I include myself in that.
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  • Profile picture of the author Enfusia
    People say a market is saturated. But, in truth, when you're on my sales page or video, for that moment, none of them exist.

    If I've done my job right with the video or letter that is.
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  • Profile picture of the author Steve B
    I'm not assuming the role of referee in the debate about whether market saturation is possible - my guess is, this discussion will continue long after we all leave the forum.

    But I can see the strengths and weaknesses of both sides of the argument. Grandma used to say "No matter how thin you pour the batter, every pancake still has two sides."

    Maybe there's some common ground here. I believe the solution to the question of saturation is to provide something that can't be compared. Here are some examples:
    • Infuse your personality, your experience, and your unique perspective into all your blog posts. No one can effectively question or copy your style - it's uniquely yours.
    • When you create a product, even if PLR is the basis, make it your own and include value that other slightly similar products don't have. Make your differences stand out so as to be easily recognized by prospects. Promote your differences, your uniqueness!
    • When you're promoting a product that others also promote (as in affiliate marketing), develop your own "angle" or approach so that it's unique and different from everyone else. Or maybe you offer your own incentives (could be bonuses, but there are other ways) that no one else can match. Be different in an easily recognized and valuable way to the prospect.
    • When you're writing articles or reports, draw on your own history of education, experience, life lessons, training, successes and failures, accomplishments, etc. Your history can't be duplicated or your own experience and lessons learned be questioned.
    • When you're crafting an offer for sale, make it incomparable. Look to the "edges" of your market place. Some markets frequented by IMers remind me of an old mattress, one where everyone hopping on roles to the same low spot in the center - the trough of sameness where most markets sink because that's where everybody else has come to rest. Move to the "edges" of the mattress where others don't go. Find "fringe" topics and solutions that others aren't pushing - no saturation there.
    Obviously, you still have to cater to marketplace demand or your creativity and uniqueness will brand you as a "kook" off doing your own thing that no one pays any attention to. But surely there are angles, approaches, and posturing that are different, that are unique and creative, that will set you apart from other sellers in the niche . . . or it could be the incomparable personal assistance and service that you offer . . . or it could be the ideas and thoughts that you share . . . or it could be anything that draws niche prospects to your business over all your competitors.

    Steve
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    • Profile picture of the author Mike Anthony
      Originally Posted by Steve B View Post

      Maybe there's some common ground here. I believe the solution to the question of saturation is to provide something that can't be compared.
      Thats my point . Another way of saying that is provide something that isn't saturated.

      When you're crafting an offer for sale, make it incomparable.
      My only problem with that is that its too vague. Sorry but half or more of the regular posters here just peddle the same generic stuff. At the end of the day infusing your personality is assuming that your personality is going to sell it.

      Why?

      Market forces don't care about YOUR personality. People care about what they want. SO they are asking why buy from you. common sense isn't as common as would be expected so people argue that 2,000 people selling the same thing is irrelevant to only one person selling a thing . Out in the real world thats a load of hueey and bordering on insane

      The common sense business principles you have to debate on Wf is one of the reasons traffic is low.....lol
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  • Profile picture of the author ryanbiddulph
    Thanks for the chats guys.

    This is a fun one; it forces you to challenge fear and to open up.

    Ryan
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  • Profile picture of the author Mike Anthony
    Your Domino example is a good one but heres my take. In my area there are so many pizza delivery services 30 minutes or its free means nothing. My dominos delivery always comes in that time but with so many options a couple others come faster all the time.

    If there were only two or three others then that USP might be good in my area but its no longer a thing because competition already brought faster times. Now heres how domino avoids the saturation in my area. I prefer ordering my pizza online over talking on the phone and only three in my area allow for that. They haven't ignored saturation. Their online presence took them out of the saturated local market and put it online where its not saturated.
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  • Profile picture of the author Alangile
    Helpful information! Respect you!
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  • Profile picture of the author Jonathan 2.0
    Banned
    Originally Posted by ryanbiddulph View Post

    I have found it much easier to co-create with folks in my niche because thoughts shared, multiply, as do all of our incomes. We believe in abundance and feel abundant, and have moved away from fear-based, mind-created concepts like scarcity, market saturation, competition, and all the other us versus them stuff ... [Edit]

    Then I faced my fears, saw the comp as co-creators, and my market as limitless, and the numbers/metrics really started to jump.
    Really good point: Thanks Ryan. I once read something (years ago) that successful Entrepreneurs don't "compete" ...

    They create. And what you said is a perfect example of that. : )
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  • Profile picture of the author edbrogden
    Thanks for the insight. I understand and agree with this way of thinking.
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  • Profile picture of the author marciayudkin
    Realizing saturation exists isn't even remotely about giving up or fear or flight. It leads you to innovate and find where market needs are not being met. In many cases you can just tweak a product to needs or wants not being met (not saturated)
    I agree with Mike that recognizing the existence of market saturation isn't a way of giving into fear. It has nothing to do with fear. It has to do with recognizing that there is a world out there outside of you - people whom you cannot and do not control.

    But I'd like to add a wrinkle to the discussion, which is that just as market saturation is a genuine possibility, there are also cycles of demand that you have to recognize and accept. Most items and brands don't have demand indefinitely. People change how they make choices, and sometimes they just get tired of something perfectly good for no definable reason.

    I've seen this in my own business. My best selling product from ten years ago now hardly sells at all, even though I have thoroughly updated it. I'm not going to say what it is, but trust me that it's not outdated. Rather, the premise on which it was based was very appealing to lots of people ten years ago and now apparently they are looking for different kinds of benefits.

    It doesn't help to adopt a metaphysical attitude of "no limits" about this, in my opinion. Rather, it's better to accept that these things happen and to turn one's efforts elsewhere.

    Marcia Yudkin
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  • Profile picture of the author sownsow
    Personally, I've always felt that most people who use the term "saturated" are using it as a copout because they are not willing to do the work. A common niche where this term gets thrown around is in the MLM/Network Marketing niche.

    When a company has been around 20 - 30 years or longer, people always say that it's saturated even though the market penetration is usuallly always 5% or less.

    Whether it's MLM, Blogging, or any other market that you want to penetrate, no matter how competitive it is, if you want to get a share of that market you should work towards it and find a way.
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