Why cutting marketing spend could cost you more: the case for Market Intelligence

Businesses in the UK are facing unparalleled challenges, with rising operational costs, cutbacks in consumer spending, and ongoing geopolitical uncertainties having further strained economic confidence.

Amid increasing cuts to staff and marketing budgets across the UK, many businesses believe that reducing marketing spend is a necessary cost-saving measure. However, in challenging economic times, as we have witnessed in previous strategic investment in market intelligence can often provide a crucial competitive edge.

In 2025, the stakes have become higher, the margins thinner, and the competition fiercer. In this climate, market intelligence in the form of ‘market sizing’ has emerged as one of our most requested services at Mobas, not just as a useful tool but as a critical discipline - offering companies a data-driven foundation to navigate volatility, allocate resources wisely, and uncover real opportunities for growth.

Our most recent market sizing project with a healthcare client, provided invaluable recommendations on brand positioning both by offer and market segment. Our insight particularly helped highlight the following for our client:

• Refocused their customer strategy by shifting attention from short-term, high-risk customer segments to nearby secondary customer segments with stronger long-term revenue potential.
• Uncovered and prioritised an underused service with a strong USP and higher margins to enhance brand differentiation and profitability.
• Repositioned a weaker service to avoid diluting the overall value proposition, targeting niche, high-value cohorts for strategic impact.

Amalgamating the questions we are frequently asked by our clients, the following questions represent the most common business questions our market sizing service can help companies answer, including:

1. How big is the total market for our product/service and ss the market growing, shrinking, or stable?
2. What is the potential revenue opportunity in this market and is there enough demand to justify expansion or investment?
3. How should we allocate resources for maximum return?
4. Is there demand for a new product or service, and what price points will maximize adoption and profitability?
5. How should we tailor our offering to meet market needs?
6. Should we enter a new market, and if so, how, and what are the risks and barriers to entry?

Through answering these questions, we have been able to equip our clients with a clear, data-driven view of where real growth opportunities lie, enabling smarter resource allocation, reduced risk, and sharper strategic focus. We’ve also supported more effective competitive positioning, all essential for navigating uncertainty and driving long-term value.

If you are a business who thinks you could benefit from our market sizing services discussed above, please contact either Dr. Matt Higgs or Shelby Haslam, to have an initial conversation about how we could help.