Understanding downstream markets is important for many manufacturers. In a highly competitive sector such as consumer batteries, knowing where your products are being used, and what trends are developing, is essential for future planning.

This project saw Chris work alongside a multinational manufacturer of batteries to investigate the market prospects for a number of SKUs in the sliver oxide category. The research involved field interviews with rival manufacturers in addition to distributors and key end user groups. The outcome? Well, while the benefits of silver oxide are set to ensure its continued short-term use, cells in this category are suffering from declining demand in traditional markets such as watches as well as from the rising popularity of USB charging. Nevertheless, a number of growing opportunities were identified notably for future development notably the use of these cells in medical devices designed for home use.