Fast Follower Strategy
Entering a market shortly after pioneers, learning from their mistakes while benefiting from validated demand.
Also known as: Second-mover advantage, Fast second strategy, Imitate and improve
Category: Concepts
Tags: strategies, competition, businesses, innovation, timing
Explanation
Fast followers let others prove market viability, then enter quickly with improved offerings. Advantages include: learning from pioneer mistakes, benefiting from market education already done, lower development costs through imitation, and ability to leapfrog with better technology or execution. Google, Facebook, and Apple are famous fast followers who dominated markets they didn't create. The strategy requires: strong competitive intelligence, rapid development capabilities, and differentiation beyond mere copying. Success comes from being fast enough to capture the market before it consolidates, while adding meaningful improvements. For creators, fast following might mean taking a proven content format or course topic and executing it better for an underserved segment.
Related Concepts
← Back to all concepts