Market demand is the measurable expression of how much a product, service, or category a defined population wants and can afford under current conditions. It is shaped by factors including price sensitivity, competitive alternatives, cultural context, and shifting consumer priorities. For insights and CMI teams, understanding market demand means going beyond sales data to capture the underlying motivations, unmet needs, and decision drivers that explain why demand exists, where it is growing, and what could erode it. Qualitative research plays a critical role here, surfacing the human reasoning behind demand signals that quantitative data alone cannot explain.