Market Share

The percentage of total industry sales earned by a particular business.

Market share requires data on the entire market, not just on the business, which is why large firms track it and very small ones usually cannot. A business that cannot measure it honestly is expected to track something it can.

Often confused with

Customer Retention Data
Retention data needs only the business's own records; market share needs data on the entire market's sales.
Total Sales
Market share is a percentage of the market; total sales is an absolute dollar figure that can rise even as share falls.

Taught in

See also

4.2.B.2