Market Research (TAM/SAM/SOM)
Get AI-powered market sizing estimates with TAM, SAM, and SOM calculations backed by research.
VibeCom's Market Research feature estimates the size of your market opportunity using the standard VC framework: Total Addressable Market (TAM), Serviceable Addressable Market (SAM), and Serviceable Obtainable Market (SOM).
Understanding TAM/SAM/SOM
| Metric | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| TAM | Total global market for this type of product | All businesses using any project management tool |
| SAM | The portion of TAM you can realistically serve | SMBs in the US/EU using cloud-based project management |
| SOM | What you can capture in 3–5 years | Freelance designers using a niche PM tool |
Investors typically focus on SAM and SOM. A large TAM is context, but what matters is whether your SAM is big enough to build a substantial business.
What You Get
The market research report includes:
- TAM estimate — Global market size with methodology explanation
- SAM estimate — Your serviceable market with geographic and segment filters applied
- SOM estimate — Realistic 3-5 year capture based on your go-to-market approach
- Market growth rate — Historical growth and future projections
- Market structure — Fragmented vs. consolidated, key players
- Key trends — Tailwinds and headwinds in the market
- Sources — References to research reports, industry data, and public company filings
How to Trigger It
From chat:
"What's the market size for AI-powered customer service tools?"
"How big is the freelance project management market?"
As a skill: Type /market in the chat for a structured market research report.
Methodology
VibeCom uses a combination of approaches:
- Top-down — Start with total industry size from public research reports, then apply segment filters
- Bottom-up — Estimate number of potential customers × average revenue per customer
- Comparable companies — Use public company revenue data as a proxy for market size
When estimates vary across methods, VibeCom presents the range and explains the discrepancy.
Interpreting Market Size
What's "big enough"?
- Bootstrap / indie hacker: SAM of $10M+ is workable
- VC-backed startup: SAM of $100M+ is typically the minimum; $1B+ TAM preferred
- Enterprise SaaS: Market size is less important than deal size and win rate
Skeptical of your TAM?
VibeCom includes reasoning for every estimate. If you think the TAM is too high or too low, ask:
"Why do you think the TAM is $5B? Can you show me the calculation?"
Example Prompt
"I'm building AI-generated product descriptions for Shopify merchants. What's the TAM, SAM, and SOM? How fast is this market growing?"
VibeCom will research the e-commerce AI tools market, estimate the Shopify merchant base, estimate willingness to pay, and produce a bottom-up SOM forecast.