Why does the av.by director say to hell with experiments?

Founders of companies, especially of American and European, all jump up to advise to experiments, look for new directions, spend part of the budget on the unknown. But this is bad advice for the Belarusian market. If your product is directed inward to the inhabitants of the country you need to take clear and verified steps because there is no margin for a mistake. It is necessary to research a lot of information and make an accurate and precise shot to hit the target. Experiments can ruin your business if you take into account the population and purchasing power.

Check references in neighboring markets like Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Moldova. Everything had already been invented before us. Copy successful models and products, this is not a shame.

Explore analytics tools like SimilarWeb, Yandex.Radar, SEMRush, and all sorts of automatic SEO analytic systems. Play stores can provide you with some data on mobile applications, something can be received through such products as AppAnnie and similar.

Google "product + presentation". Everyone participates in conferences and makes presentations. At such events, people used to tell more than usual. Watch a video or look for presentation slides because there you can find specific figures.

There are international research reports on any type of product. As a rule, you have to pay to get access to such reports. But you may ask to send you a summary to estimate whether you need to buy this report or not.

Find market insiders. Some people are trusted. Usually, they are buyers, salesmen, creators, and managers in advertising agencies. These are that kind of people others share strategies with. Try to gain their trust. You may even have to get drunk, but anyone’s tongue can be loosened.

Communicate with competitors' employees. You can create a vacancy specifically for the specialist you need information from. People used to blurt when they want to boast their achievements. Use human weaknesses.

Make a decision only when all the data is collected and processed. Excel is your main work tool. You shall count first and then decide, not otherwise.