Assesment of Market Potential of 3D Body Scanners within the Target Group of 3D Print Stores

The world has recently witnessed the widespread of 3D printing technology. In the shadow of this development a new means of freezing time was born: 3D figurines. A 3D figurine is a mini version of oneself; a little sculpture manufactured by 3D Printers. These 3D figurines are sold for a profit by so called 3D Print Stores to consumers. For the production of such a 3D figurine one needs 3D Body Scanners. It is from the perspective of a producer of 3D Body Scanners that this master thesis was written. The objective was to establish whether or not the company should tap into that new market segment of 3D Print Stores. Furthermore a market entry strategy was to be developed. Thus a marketing research study was performed. For the analysis of the market segment primary and secondary data was scrutinized, which was gathered through expert interviews and desktop research. The primary scope of the study was limited to Germany. Overall the market segment proved to be promising, as consumers regard 3D figurines as a more sophisticated alternative to a digital photo. Competition is currently low, but the threat of new players entering the segment is high. Thus a market entry strategy was elaborated that suggests tapping into the market as fast as possible; thereby obtaining a first mover advantage and pre-empting market space. Furthermore a differentiation strategy was proposed to shield against growing competition.