Glossaire
TAM, SAM, SOM
Three nested sizing measures: Total Addressable Market, Serviceable Addressable Market, and Serviceable Obtainable Market.
TAM (Total Addressable Market) is the total revenue opportunity if every possible customer bought your category. SAM (Serviceable Addressable Market) narrows that to the segment your product and go-to-market can actually reach — the right geographies, regulations, and buyer types. SOM (Serviceable Obtainable Market) is the realistic share you can capture in a defined time window given your resources and the competition.
TAM/SAM/SOM show up in fundraising decks, strategic plans, and board discussions. The rigor matters: top-down TAM pulled from analyst reports is easy to inflate, while bottom-up TAM (price × number of real buyers) is harder to fake. A useful sizing exercise is honest about SOM, which is the number operators actually have to hit.
Pourquoi c'est important
Market sizing drives investment decisions and GTM strategy. Oversized TAMs fund doomed products; undersized ones starve good ones. Getting the numbers honest is a strategic skill.
Termes connexes
Customer Segmentation
Dividing the customer base into groups that share meaningful behaviors, needs, or economics.
Market Positioning
The place a product occupies in the mind of its target customer relative to alternatives.
Go-to-Market Strategy
The plan for how a company will reach, sell to, and retain its target customers.
Product-Market Fit
The point at which a product clearly serves a real market need, demonstrated by strong demand, retention, and organic growth.
Blue Ocean Strategy
A strategy of creating uncontested market space rather than competing in crowded, zero-sum categories.