Market Sizing Question With Answer A market sizing example to help you prepare for your case interviews at McKinsey, the Boston Consulting Group or Bain & Company

1. Answer Any Market Sizing Questions
Toothbrushes

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The Problem Statement
Estimate the toothbrush market size
Interview

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The Problem Statement
Now, Pause The Video And Think Of Which Questions
Would You Ask To Clarify This Problem
Interview

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Sample Clarifying Questions
What do you mean by market size? In volume (in # of toothbrushes)1
What is the timeframe I should consider? A full year (in # of pairs of toothbrushes sold per year)2
Do I have to size the market globally or for a specific region? The US market3
What do mean by “toothbrushes”? Consider all types of manual (vs. electric) toothbrushes in plastic
4
Who are the target customers? Individuals5
Do I have to size the sales from any distribution channels? Toothbrushes that can be found in any
retail/online stores (vs. toothbrushes sold only in pharmacy)
6
Solution

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The Problem Statement Is Now Clarified Solution
Estimate the annual number of manual toothbrushes in plastic
sold in retail stores in the US market

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The Problem Statement
Now, Pause The Video And Answer The
Previous Market Sizing Question
Interview

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The Toothbrush Market Size Solution With An Issue Tree Solution
# of manual
toothbrushes in
plastic
sold per year
in the US
Average # of
toothbrushes bought
per year per customer
# of people
using manual
toothbrushes
# of people
using toothbrushes
% using manual
toothbrushes
US
Population
% using
toothbrushes
x
x
x
Frequency of
purchases (# of
times per year)
# of toothbrushes
bought per
purchase
x
% using plastic
toothbrushes
# using manual
toothbrushes in
plastic
x
300m
90%
270m
90%
90%
243m
219m
4 4
1
875m

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An Example Of A Conclusion Solution
The estimate for the manual toothbrushes in plastic market size in France is 875m units
This is equivalent to 3.2 toothbrushes bought per person per year