
Forrester Boston Consulting Group Matrix
Forrester’s BCG Matrix cuts through the noise to show which products are Stars, Cash Cows, Dogs, or Question Marks—fast, visual, and decision-ready. This preview flashes the main arcs; buy the full matrix to get quadrant-by-quadrant data, strategic moves tailored to the company’s real market position, and downloadable Word + Excel files you can use in your next board pack. Skip the guesswork—purchase now and get a ready-to-present roadmap for where to invest, divest, or double down.
Stars
Forrester Decisions is a high-growth, always-on, role-based research subscription driving rising demand for tech and CX leaders and appearing increasingly in board-level agendas. Forrester reported FY2024 revenue of about $505M, with Decisions contributing materially and client retention rates exceeding 90%, justifying heavy investment in analysts, data, and digital delivery. Continued reinvestment fuels higher margins as the product matures and expands enterprise share.
Forrester Wave evaluations are market-defining vendor comparisons that buyers trust and vendors chase; in 2024 Forrester published Wave reports across 40+ technology and service categories, driving high visibility and procurement influence. They show strong renewal pull-through, often cited in RFPs and vendor roadmaps, and require constant refresh and category coverage to remain authoritative. With sustained relevance and repeatable licensing demand, Wave-driven categories can scale into cash cows as markets normalize.
Enterprises shifted spend to CX and growth ops in 2024, with 72% of firms increasing CX budgets and the global CX market ~18.6B USD in 2024. Forrester owns market mindshare in CX research, driving a rich pipeline despite high analyst and survey costs; Forrester reported roughly 520M USD revenue in 2024. Sustain share now to bank outsized returns as market expansion continues globally.
Data subscriptions and benchmarks (e.g., CX Index, Technographics)
Decision-makers demand quantitative proof, not platitudes; Forrester’s CX Index and technographics deliver longitudinal benchmarks that clients use to validate spend and strategy. These datasets are sticky and hard to replicate because they combine persistent panels, proprietary scoring and multi-year trend visibility. Growth is strong as enterprises standardize KPIs and benchmarks; continued investment in methodology and coverage will lock category leadership.
- Evidence-driven purchasing
- Longitudinal stickiness
- Enterprise KPI standardization
- Invest in methodology & coverage
Flagship events for digital and CX leaders
Flagship events for digital and CX leaders convene budget holders and vendors, driving top-tier sponsorships that follow influence; 2024 industry reports show rising sponsor ROI as influence concentrates around CX, data platforms, and AI. Continuous programming, production, and community investment are required to sustain momentum. When maintained, these events graduate into dependable profit engines.
- Focus: C-suite and budget holders
- Sponsorship: follows thematic influence
- Cost: ongoing programming & production
- Outcome: scalable profit engine with community spend
Forrester’s Stars: Decisions and Wave products are high-growth, market-defining offerings driving FY2024 revenue ~505M USD with client retention >90%. Wave coverage 40+ categories in 2024 and CX market exposure taps an ~18.6B USD addressable market. Continued reinvestment in analysts, data and events sustains rapid share gains and rising margins.
| Metric | 2024 |
|---|---|
| Revenue (FY) | ~505M USD |
| Client retention | >90% |
| Wave reports | 40+ |
| CX market | ~18.6B USD |
What is included in the product
BCG Matrix review that pinpoints which units to invest in, hold, or divest, plus quadrant risks and growth levers.
One-page Forrester BCG Matrix that clarifies portfolio choices, easing exec decisions and slide-ready for C-levels
Cash Cows
Core syndicated research library is the classic subscription: broad coverage with predictable renewals, often delivering renewal rates above 80% and high gross margins typical of syndicated offerings. In a mature segment with high share and efficient digital delivery, promotional spend is modest; investments instead prioritize search, taxonomy, and UX to boost discoverability. It reliably generates steady cash while the firm pilots next-gen formats like data products and interactive analytics.
Executive advisory and inquiry are high-margin offerings—about 65% gross margin in 2024—anchored to existing subscriptions and established client relationships. Utilization stays steady near 70%, with low incremental costs under 5%, keeping delivery economics strong. These cash flows fund newer bets, covering roughly 20–30% of innovation spend without heavy promotional outlays. Optimize scheduling and expert routing to widen margin further.
Consulting add-ons to research productize IP into short, scoped projects that act as Cash Cows in Forrester's BCG Matrix, with 2024 consulting benchmarks showing productized services commonly delivering 40–60% gross margins. Repeatable frameworks keep delivery efficient, often reducing delivery hours and rework materially. A subscriber-fed pipeline lowers acquisition costs versus one-off sales; tightening templates and ops further squeezes incremental cash flow.
Vendor reprints and licensing
When a Wave drops, vendors license reprints repeatedly; by 2024 renewals accounted for over 70% of Wave-related licensing revenue, making this a mature, reliable, administratively light cash cow. Growth is minimal year-over-year, but digital licensing margins remain high, driving steady EBIT contribution. Keep compliance tight and packaging simple to prolong yield and reduce churn.
- Low growth, high margin
- Renewal-driven (>70% in 2024)
- Low admin overhead
- Compliance and simple packaging = longer life
Event sponsorships and exhibition
Event sponsorships sell direct access to decision-makers; sponsorship spend is a resilient line with renewal rates near 70% and gross margins typically 30–40% in 2024, making growth modest but profits steady. Logistics are standardized and year-to-year demand is predictable, so maintain pricing discipline and a curated sponsor mix to protect ARPU and yield per exhibit.
- Renewal rate: ~70%
- Gross margin: 30–40%
- Growth: low-to-mid single digits (2024)
- Protect ARPU via pricing discipline and curated sponsor mix
Core syndicated research, executive advisory, productized consulting and Wave licensing act as Cash Cows: low growth, high margin. 2024 benchmarks: syndicated renewals >80% with margins ~60–70%. Advisory margins ~65% and consulting productized margins 40–60%. Wave licensing renewals >70% and event sponsorships renewals ~70%, margins 30–40%.
| Offering | 2024 Renewals | Gross Margin | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Syndicated | >80% | 60–70% | Low |
| Advisory | Linked | ~65% | Low |
| Consulting | Subscriber-fed | 40–60% | Low |
| Wave | >70% | High | Minimal |
| Sponsorships | ~70% | 30–40% | Low |
Delivered as Shown
Forrester BCG Matrix
The file you're previewing is the exact BCG Matrix you'll receive after purchase. No watermarks or demo content—just a fully formatted, analysis-ready report. It arrives immediately in your inbox, ready to edit, print, or present to stakeholders. Designed by strategy pros for clarity and action, there are no surprises—just plug-and-play insight.
Forrester’s BCG Matrix cuts through the noise to show which products are Stars, Cash Cows, Dogs, or Question Marks—fast, visual, and decision-ready. This preview flashes the main arcs; buy the full matrix to get quadrant-by-quadrant data, strategic moves tailored to the company’s real market position, and downloadable Word + Excel files you can use in your next board pack. Skip the guesswork—purchase now and get a ready-to-present roadmap for where to invest, divest, or double down.
Stars
Forrester Decisions is a high-growth, always-on, role-based research subscription driving rising demand for tech and CX leaders and appearing increasingly in board-level agendas. Forrester reported FY2024 revenue of about $505M, with Decisions contributing materially and client retention rates exceeding 90%, justifying heavy investment in analysts, data, and digital delivery. Continued reinvestment fuels higher margins as the product matures and expands enterprise share.
Forrester Wave evaluations are market-defining vendor comparisons that buyers trust and vendors chase; in 2024 Forrester published Wave reports across 40+ technology and service categories, driving high visibility and procurement influence. They show strong renewal pull-through, often cited in RFPs and vendor roadmaps, and require constant refresh and category coverage to remain authoritative. With sustained relevance and repeatable licensing demand, Wave-driven categories can scale into cash cows as markets normalize.
Enterprises shifted spend to CX and growth ops in 2024, with 72% of firms increasing CX budgets and the global CX market ~18.6B USD in 2024. Forrester owns market mindshare in CX research, driving a rich pipeline despite high analyst and survey costs; Forrester reported roughly 520M USD revenue in 2024. Sustain share now to bank outsized returns as market expansion continues globally.
Data subscriptions and benchmarks (e.g., CX Index, Technographics)
Decision-makers demand quantitative proof, not platitudes; Forrester’s CX Index and technographics deliver longitudinal benchmarks that clients use to validate spend and strategy. These datasets are sticky and hard to replicate because they combine persistent panels, proprietary scoring and multi-year trend visibility. Growth is strong as enterprises standardize KPIs and benchmarks; continued investment in methodology and coverage will lock category leadership.
- Evidence-driven purchasing
- Longitudinal stickiness
- Enterprise KPI standardization
- Invest in methodology & coverage
Flagship events for digital and CX leaders
Flagship events for digital and CX leaders convene budget holders and vendors, driving top-tier sponsorships that follow influence; 2024 industry reports show rising sponsor ROI as influence concentrates around CX, data platforms, and AI. Continuous programming, production, and community investment are required to sustain momentum. When maintained, these events graduate into dependable profit engines.
- Focus: C-suite and budget holders
- Sponsorship: follows thematic influence
- Cost: ongoing programming & production
- Outcome: scalable profit engine with community spend
Forrester’s Stars: Decisions and Wave products are high-growth, market-defining offerings driving FY2024 revenue ~505M USD with client retention >90%. Wave coverage 40+ categories in 2024 and CX market exposure taps an ~18.6B USD addressable market. Continued reinvestment in analysts, data and events sustains rapid share gains and rising margins.
| Metric | 2024 |
|---|---|
| Revenue (FY) | ~505M USD |
| Client retention | >90% |
| Wave reports | 40+ |
| CX market | ~18.6B USD |
What is included in the product
BCG Matrix review that pinpoints which units to invest in, hold, or divest, plus quadrant risks and growth levers.
One-page Forrester BCG Matrix that clarifies portfolio choices, easing exec decisions and slide-ready for C-levels
Cash Cows
Core syndicated research library is the classic subscription: broad coverage with predictable renewals, often delivering renewal rates above 80% and high gross margins typical of syndicated offerings. In a mature segment with high share and efficient digital delivery, promotional spend is modest; investments instead prioritize search, taxonomy, and UX to boost discoverability. It reliably generates steady cash while the firm pilots next-gen formats like data products and interactive analytics.
Executive advisory and inquiry are high-margin offerings—about 65% gross margin in 2024—anchored to existing subscriptions and established client relationships. Utilization stays steady near 70%, with low incremental costs under 5%, keeping delivery economics strong. These cash flows fund newer bets, covering roughly 20–30% of innovation spend without heavy promotional outlays. Optimize scheduling and expert routing to widen margin further.
Consulting add-ons to research productize IP into short, scoped projects that act as Cash Cows in Forrester's BCG Matrix, with 2024 consulting benchmarks showing productized services commonly delivering 40–60% gross margins. Repeatable frameworks keep delivery efficient, often reducing delivery hours and rework materially. A subscriber-fed pipeline lowers acquisition costs versus one-off sales; tightening templates and ops further squeezes incremental cash flow.
Vendor reprints and licensing
When a Wave drops, vendors license reprints repeatedly; by 2024 renewals accounted for over 70% of Wave-related licensing revenue, making this a mature, reliable, administratively light cash cow. Growth is minimal year-over-year, but digital licensing margins remain high, driving steady EBIT contribution. Keep compliance tight and packaging simple to prolong yield and reduce churn.
- Low growth, high margin
- Renewal-driven (>70% in 2024)
- Low admin overhead
- Compliance and simple packaging = longer life
Event sponsorships and exhibition
Event sponsorships sell direct access to decision-makers; sponsorship spend is a resilient line with renewal rates near 70% and gross margins typically 30–40% in 2024, making growth modest but profits steady. Logistics are standardized and year-to-year demand is predictable, so maintain pricing discipline and a curated sponsor mix to protect ARPU and yield per exhibit.
- Renewal rate: ~70%
- Gross margin: 30–40%
- Growth: low-to-mid single digits (2024)
- Protect ARPU via pricing discipline and curated sponsor mix
Core syndicated research, executive advisory, productized consulting and Wave licensing act as Cash Cows: low growth, high margin. 2024 benchmarks: syndicated renewals >80% with margins ~60–70%. Advisory margins ~65% and consulting productized margins 40–60%. Wave licensing renewals >70% and event sponsorships renewals ~70%, margins 30–40%.
| Offering | 2024 Renewals | Gross Margin | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Syndicated | >80% | 60–70% | Low |
| Advisory | Linked | ~65% | Low |
| Consulting | Subscriber-fed | 40–60% | Low |
| Wave | >70% | High | Minimal |
| Sponsorships | ~70% | 30–40% | Low |
Delivered as Shown
Forrester BCG Matrix
The file you're previewing is the exact BCG Matrix you'll receive after purchase. No watermarks or demo content—just a fully formatted, analysis-ready report. It arrives immediately in your inbox, ready to edit, print, or present to stakeholders. Designed by strategy pros for clarity and action, there are no surprises—just plug-and-play insight.
Description
Forrester’s BCG Matrix cuts through the noise to show which products are Stars, Cash Cows, Dogs, or Question Marks—fast, visual, and decision-ready. This preview flashes the main arcs; buy the full matrix to get quadrant-by-quadrant data, strategic moves tailored to the company’s real market position, and downloadable Word + Excel files you can use in your next board pack. Skip the guesswork—purchase now and get a ready-to-present roadmap for where to invest, divest, or double down.
Stars
Forrester Decisions is a high-growth, always-on, role-based research subscription driving rising demand for tech and CX leaders and appearing increasingly in board-level agendas. Forrester reported FY2024 revenue of about $505M, with Decisions contributing materially and client retention rates exceeding 90%, justifying heavy investment in analysts, data, and digital delivery. Continued reinvestment fuels higher margins as the product matures and expands enterprise share.
Forrester Wave evaluations are market-defining vendor comparisons that buyers trust and vendors chase; in 2024 Forrester published Wave reports across 40+ technology and service categories, driving high visibility and procurement influence. They show strong renewal pull-through, often cited in RFPs and vendor roadmaps, and require constant refresh and category coverage to remain authoritative. With sustained relevance and repeatable licensing demand, Wave-driven categories can scale into cash cows as markets normalize.
Enterprises shifted spend to CX and growth ops in 2024, with 72% of firms increasing CX budgets and the global CX market ~18.6B USD in 2024. Forrester owns market mindshare in CX research, driving a rich pipeline despite high analyst and survey costs; Forrester reported roughly 520M USD revenue in 2024. Sustain share now to bank outsized returns as market expansion continues globally.
Data subscriptions and benchmarks (e.g., CX Index, Technographics)
Decision-makers demand quantitative proof, not platitudes; Forrester’s CX Index and technographics deliver longitudinal benchmarks that clients use to validate spend and strategy. These datasets are sticky and hard to replicate because they combine persistent panels, proprietary scoring and multi-year trend visibility. Growth is strong as enterprises standardize KPIs and benchmarks; continued investment in methodology and coverage will lock category leadership.
- Evidence-driven purchasing
- Longitudinal stickiness
- Enterprise KPI standardization
- Invest in methodology & coverage
Flagship events for digital and CX leaders
Flagship events for digital and CX leaders convene budget holders and vendors, driving top-tier sponsorships that follow influence; 2024 industry reports show rising sponsor ROI as influence concentrates around CX, data platforms, and AI. Continuous programming, production, and community investment are required to sustain momentum. When maintained, these events graduate into dependable profit engines.
- Focus: C-suite and budget holders
- Sponsorship: follows thematic influence
- Cost: ongoing programming & production
- Outcome: scalable profit engine with community spend
Forrester’s Stars: Decisions and Wave products are high-growth, market-defining offerings driving FY2024 revenue ~505M USD with client retention >90%. Wave coverage 40+ categories in 2024 and CX market exposure taps an ~18.6B USD addressable market. Continued reinvestment in analysts, data and events sustains rapid share gains and rising margins.
| Metric | 2024 |
|---|---|
| Revenue (FY) | ~505M USD |
| Client retention | >90% |
| Wave reports | 40+ |
| CX market | ~18.6B USD |
What is included in the product
BCG Matrix review that pinpoints which units to invest in, hold, or divest, plus quadrant risks and growth levers.
One-page Forrester BCG Matrix that clarifies portfolio choices, easing exec decisions and slide-ready for C-levels
Cash Cows
Core syndicated research library is the classic subscription: broad coverage with predictable renewals, often delivering renewal rates above 80% and high gross margins typical of syndicated offerings. In a mature segment with high share and efficient digital delivery, promotional spend is modest; investments instead prioritize search, taxonomy, and UX to boost discoverability. It reliably generates steady cash while the firm pilots next-gen formats like data products and interactive analytics.
Executive advisory and inquiry are high-margin offerings—about 65% gross margin in 2024—anchored to existing subscriptions and established client relationships. Utilization stays steady near 70%, with low incremental costs under 5%, keeping delivery economics strong. These cash flows fund newer bets, covering roughly 20–30% of innovation spend without heavy promotional outlays. Optimize scheduling and expert routing to widen margin further.
Consulting add-ons to research productize IP into short, scoped projects that act as Cash Cows in Forrester's BCG Matrix, with 2024 consulting benchmarks showing productized services commonly delivering 40–60% gross margins. Repeatable frameworks keep delivery efficient, often reducing delivery hours and rework materially. A subscriber-fed pipeline lowers acquisition costs versus one-off sales; tightening templates and ops further squeezes incremental cash flow.
Vendor reprints and licensing
When a Wave drops, vendors license reprints repeatedly; by 2024 renewals accounted for over 70% of Wave-related licensing revenue, making this a mature, reliable, administratively light cash cow. Growth is minimal year-over-year, but digital licensing margins remain high, driving steady EBIT contribution. Keep compliance tight and packaging simple to prolong yield and reduce churn.
- Low growth, high margin
- Renewal-driven (>70% in 2024)
- Low admin overhead
- Compliance and simple packaging = longer life
Event sponsorships and exhibition
Event sponsorships sell direct access to decision-makers; sponsorship spend is a resilient line with renewal rates near 70% and gross margins typically 30–40% in 2024, making growth modest but profits steady. Logistics are standardized and year-to-year demand is predictable, so maintain pricing discipline and a curated sponsor mix to protect ARPU and yield per exhibit.
- Renewal rate: ~70%
- Gross margin: 30–40%
- Growth: low-to-mid single digits (2024)
- Protect ARPU via pricing discipline and curated sponsor mix
Core syndicated research, executive advisory, productized consulting and Wave licensing act as Cash Cows: low growth, high margin. 2024 benchmarks: syndicated renewals >80% with margins ~60–70%. Advisory margins ~65% and consulting productized margins 40–60%. Wave licensing renewals >70% and event sponsorships renewals ~70%, margins 30–40%.
| Offering | 2024 Renewals | Gross Margin | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Syndicated | >80% | 60–70% | Low |
| Advisory | Linked | ~65% | Low |
| Consulting | Subscriber-fed | 40–60% | Low |
| Wave | >70% | High | Minimal |
| Sponsorships | ~70% | 30–40% | Low |
Delivered as Shown
Forrester BCG Matrix
The file you're previewing is the exact BCG Matrix you'll receive after purchase. No watermarks or demo content—just a fully formatted, analysis-ready report. It arrives immediately in your inbox, ready to edit, print, or present to stakeholders. Designed by strategy pros for clarity and action, there are no surprises—just plug-and-play insight.











