Crossing the Chasm
Also known as: Technology Adoption Life Cycle · Bowling Alley · Tornado
The gap between visionary early adopters and pragmatic mainstream buyers kills most tech products; cross it with a beachhead.
Argues that early adopters and the early majority buy for incompatible reasons, creating a chasm. The crossing strategy is to dominate one narrowly defined niche (a beachhead) to earn references, then expand. Especially relevant to scaling and new-market entry.
Core concepts
The ChasmBeachhead / Niche DominationWhole Product
Best when
- Early traction with enthusiasts but stalled mainstream growth
- Tempted to chase many segments at once
Watch-outs
- Most precise for discontinuous/technology products