Market Entry Study: Feasibility and Go/No-Go Analysis

Questions this report answers

Is there enough demand for our product in this country, and at what price level?
Which candidate market should we enter first?
Which regulations, certifications or labelling rules apply?
Which entry mode fits: export, distributor, partner, acquisition or subsidiary?
Who are the potential distributors, and what terms will they expect?
How strong are local competitors, and how will they react?
Which conditions would make us go, and which would make us stop?

When you need it

An entry study is most valuable before the first irreversible commitment: hiring a country manager, signing an exclusive distribution deal, registering products, leasing a warehouse or translating the full range. Common triggers are an unsolicited enquiry from a foreign distributor, a home market that has stopped growing, a key customer asking you to follow it abroad, or a board plan to be present in a set number of EU countries.

The study is equally useful for choosing between countries, because EU markets can be far apart. World Bank data puts 2025 GDP per capita at USD 20,328 in Bulgaria and USD 73,684 in the Netherlands, against USD 47,089 for the EU. A business case that copies assumptions from one to the other will be wrong in both.

A full study is unnecessary when entry is cheap and reversible — selling through a cross-border marketplace, for instance, where a test with real orders is better evidence. It is also premature when the offer has not yet proven itself at home: a new country magnifies weaknesses rather than curing them.

Sample table of contents

Executive summary
go, no-go or go-later, with the conditions attached
Market screening
candidates compared on one scorecard
Macroeconomic and consumer context
population, income, price levels, digital adoption
Demand assessment
target segment size, buying behaviour, willingness to pay
Competitive environment
local and international players and their positioning
Regulatory requirements
product rules, registration, labelling, data protection
Distribution and partners
channels, intermediaries, margins, shortlisted partners
Entry mode options
export, distributor, joint venture or subsidiary compared
Entry economics
investment items, time to first revenue, break-even drivers
Risks and mitigations
commercial, regulatory, currency and execution risks
Roadmap
sequence, milestones and decision gates

Methodology and sources

Screening before depth

When several countries are in play, we first compare them on a common scorecard built from Eurostat and World Bank consumer and macro data: population, income, price levels and digital adoption. Price levels alone can upend a plan. Eurostat's 2024 price level index for restaurants and hotels is 53.2 in Bulgaria and 124.6 in the Netherlands (EU = 100), so a hospitality concept priced for Amsterdam needs a different model in Sofia. The two or three strongest candidates go to the in-depth phase.

Demand and willingness to pay

In shortlisted markets, a CAWI survey of the target group — or, for business buyers, B2B interviews — measures current usage, unmet needs and acceptable price ranges, which our price sensitivity calculator helps interpret. Demand is cross-checked against import statistics, search data and distributor sales, then converted into a market size for the segment.

Regulation and route to market

A structured review of EU and national rules covers product compliance, registration, labelling, consumer protection and sector licences. In parallel, interviews with distributors, agents, retailers and logistics providers establish channel margins, payment terms and exclusivity expectations, while a competitor analysis maps who already serves the segment.

Go/no-go logic

Before fieldwork, we agree with you the thresholds that would justify entry — minimum segment size, acceptable channel margin, regulatory lead time. The recommendation is judged against those criteria, not reverse-engineered from enthusiasm.

What you receive

Market entry report (PDF) with screening scorecard, assessment and recommendation
Country comparison workbook with all indicators and sources
Regulatory checklist with requirements, authorities and lead times
Shortlist of potential distributors or partners, with profiles
Entry roadmap with decision gates
Board presentation and working session on the recommendation

How the project runs

Briefing and go/no-go criteria — 2–4 days
Desk screening of candidate markets — 1–2 weeks
Regulatory review — 1–2 weeks, in parallel
Fieldwork with buyers and distributors — 2–3 weeks
Analysis, entry-mode comparison and recommendation — 1 week
Draft, discussion and final report — 1 week

Hypothetical example for illustration

Worked example

Example (hypothetical): a Dutch manufacturer of modular office furniture has received orders from two Bulgarian fit-out contractors and wants to know whether a permanent presence in Sofia would pay off.

The study starts with scale and prices. The World Bank counts 6.4 million inhabitants in Bulgaria against 18.1 million in the Netherlands, and Eurostat's 2024 price level index for actual individual consumption, 56.9 against 121.0 (EU = 100), signals that Dutch price points will not travel unchanged. Interviews with contractors, developers and facility managers show that demand is concentrated in new office buildings let to international companies, where specifications follow corporate standards and delivery time matters more than price. Regulatory hurdles are low, but contractors expect local stock and installation.

The recommendation is go-later with conditions: enter through one fit-out partner holding consignment stock, target international tenants only and review after twelve months of orders.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

Choosing the market before the study. If the board has already decided, the research becomes a confirmation exercise; set the criteria first.
Copying the home-market business case. Income, price levels and channel structure differ sharply across the EU; rebuild prices, margins and volumes per country.
Underestimating regulatory lead times. Registration or certification can delay a launch by months; map it early.
Relying on one distributor's view. A prospective partner wants a positive answer; interview several and check claims against independent data.
Ignoring language and service expectations. Buyers may accept an English website yet expect local-language contracts, invoices and support.

Who it suits

Suitable for	Why
Manufacturers exporting to a new EU country	Tests demand and channels before stock is committed
Service firms opening a local office	Shows whether demand supports local headcount
Non-EU firms entering via Bulgaria or the Netherlands	Compares a lower-cost entry point with a high-income gateway
Start-ups choosing a second market	Ranks candidates on evidence, not founder networks
Investors backing expansion	Gives an independent view of the plan

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a market entry study and a feasibility study?

A feasibility study asks whether a project can work at all — technically, financially and commercially. A market entry study covers the commercial side of one move: entering a specific country or segment, with a recommendation on whether, when and how. It often forms the commercial chapter of a wider feasibility assessment.

How long does a market entry study take?

Four to eight weeks. Screening several countries on desk data takes one to two weeks; the in-depth phase with interviews and a survey adds three to six. Regulated sectors such as food, medical devices or financial services can take longer, as rules must be confirmed with the authorities.

What drives the price of a market entry study?

The number of candidate markets, the depth of the in-depth phase, the languages needed for fieldwork, how hard buyers or distributors are to reach, and the complexity of the regulatory review. A consumer product entering one country is a smaller project than a B2B service screening five. Get a quote for your markets.

Do you cover Bulgaria and the Netherlands?

Yes. Desk research and fieldwork can be run in Bulgarian, Dutch and English, and our summary of Bulgaria's consumer market in numbers offers a first overview. For other EU countries the same methodology applies, with fieldwork in the local language.

Can you help identify distributors or partners?

Yes. The study produces a shortlist of potential distributors, agents or partners, profiled from public data and interviews. As part of the fieldwork we can make neutral introductory contacts on your behalf. Negotiation and contracting remain with you and your legal advisers.

How is our expansion plan kept confidential?

Your identity can stay undisclosed throughout fieldwork: distributors and buyers are approached under a neutral project description unless you decide otherwise. Internal documents are covered by a confidentiality agreement, and personal data from interviews or surveys is processed under the GDPR and reported in aggregate.

Sources

Updated: 5 Nov 2026

Market entry study: should you enter this country or segment, and how?