TAM stands for Total Addressable Market, also known as Total Available Market. TAM represents the total potential revenue that could be generated if a company captured 100% of the market for a particular product or service. It is an estimate of the maximum possible sales opportunity available to all businesses in the industry.
TAM is useful for understanding the overall potential of a market, but does not account for the realistic constraints or competitive dynamics that may limit a specific company’s ability to capture the entire market.
How to calculate TAM
There are several ways to calculate TAM:
Top-down approach: This method involves analyzing market research reports, industry data, or analyst estimates to identify the total revenue generated by similar products or services in the target market. This data is then used to estimate the TAM for the specific product or service being offered.
Bottom-up approach: The bottom-up method starts with an assessment of the target customer base, including the number of potential customers and the average revenue generated per customer. By multiplying these two factors, the TAM can be calculated. This approach typically requires more detailed research, but it can provide a more accurate and tailored estimate of the market opportunity.
Value Theory approach: This method focuses on the value a product or service provides to customers, rather than the actual revenue generated. By estimating the total value created by solving a particular problem or addressing a specific need, businesses can calculate the TAM based on the potential value capture.
TAM represents the maximum potential revenue a company can achieve if it were to capture 100% of the market share, which is rarely attainable. Which brings us to two additional concepts: Serviceable Addressable Market (SAM) and Serviceable Obtainable Market (SOM).