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BCG Growth-Share Matrix Tool
Place each product line by its market's growth and your share against the leader's, see which quadrant it falls in, and choose the one line to push for share and the line that pays for it.
This tool also runs as a stage in a playbook, which takes you through several tools in order:
- Increase market share Stage 2 of 5: which product lines are worth fighting for? Start at stage 1
Not following the playbook?
Each product line's market
- Market growth: how fast the whole market grows a year, not your sales.
- Your share, and the largest rival's share of the same market. If you lead, give the next largest rival's.
- Your sales are optional: they size the bubbles on the matrix.
Where high growth starts
The growth line splits the matrix into high and low growth. It usually sits near the growth of your whole industry, so some markets fall each side.
Your figures never leave your browser
The product lines stay on your computer and in your progress file. To write the diagnosis, only growth rates, shares and your choices are sent to our server, by place in your list. How it works
Choose where share is worth fighting for
Share is usually worth fighting for in a Question Mark: a fast-growing market where you are behind. Pick one, and fund it fully from a line that leads a slow market.
Does more share bring lower costs or better prices in your business?
The whole matrix rests on this. A mixing machine or a delivery route costs about the same however much goes through it, so more volume lowers the cost of each unit. If nothing works like that in your business, a bigger share costs money to win and gives little back.
The matrix
Each line, measured
Relative share is your share divided by the largest rival's. It is a ratio, not a percentage: 1.0 or more means you lead.
Save your progress
Download your progress file to continue from this point any time, on any computer: choose it under "Coming back?" at the start of the tool. Each new file includes everything so far, including the earlier stages when they are connected, so keep the latest one. Your work stays in this browser only until you close it.
Not saved yet.
Take your results with you
A PDF of the matrix, each line's growth and relative share, the line to push and the line that pays for it, and the diagnosis.
About the tool
Why it exists
Find where share is worth winning before spending to win it
Share is worth more in some product lines than others. The BCG Growth-Share Matrix places each line by how fast its market grows and by its relative market share, your share against the largest rival's, so you can choose one line to push and the line whose cash pays for it.
This tool works on its own, and as stage 2 of our playbook for increasing market share, where it picks up the shares from the Market Share Calculator. For the method, see our guide to the BCG Growth-Share Matrix.
The method
How the tool works
Relative market share. Your share divided by the largest rival's: 11% against a leader's 36% is 0.31. When you lead, divide by the next largest. Above 1.0 you lead the market.
The growth line. Markets growing at or above it count as high growth. The tool suggests the average growth of your lines' markets, weighted by their size when your sales are given; the choice is yours.
The quadrants. Star: high share, high growth. Question Mark: low share, high growth. Cash Cow: high share, low growth. Dog: low share, low growth. The matrix draws relative share on a log scale, highest on the left, as BCG did.
The assumption. The matrix assumes more share brings lower costs or better prices. If it doesn't in your business, the tool says not to chase share for its own sake.
What leaves your computer. The product lines stay in your browser and your progress file. To write the diagnosis, the page sends our server only growth rates, shares and your choices, by place in your list, and the server keeps nothing.