These manual products are your competition too. Sometimes indirect competition is more difficult to beat than a direct competitor. T rends are important because they show you where the market will be in the future. Think of it as aiming at a moving target. As your market moves, you must take aim so that your bullet arrives at the new position to greet the target, because if you aim at the old position, you'll miss the target.
Trend analysis helps pinpoint the future.
Advanced planning helps you size your market, tweak your product, and plan your marketing communications tactics so you can hit the ground running. With careful analysis, you can become the dominant competitor that everyone else hates to face. S uppose, though, that your product is already being sold. If the answer is yes, use research to help you get the most from your product. Get out of unproductive markets.