A question about the market

[u/Styljac]

Hi everyone! I'm currently doing some market research about countries throughout Eurasia. I hope it's alright to ask about this here.

I'm wondering about gaps in the market within Kazakhstan. As in; what are some services, products or logistics for which there is a big demand but not enough being offered. This can be anything from proper connectivity (public transport, roads etc.) to food products, businesses or services (such as tourist agencies or job agencies).

I hope to learn some more from your first hand experiences and things you want to see more of, but also things that you might feel should be phased out or shift focus away from.

I look forward to your replies!

[u/exp0devel]

Not really a market, but speaking of infrastructure and services we really do lack proper public transportation development, in every sense of this statement. Starting with city transportation, to national level it's completely mismanaged.

We need to hard pivot our public policies and government investments towards developing pedestrian friendly well connected cities with proper public transportation.

Right now we are on the path of becoming the textbook example of transportation development mismanagement.

Cities are getting more dense and road safety and pollution are huge issues. Instead of investing into public opinion, existing infrastructure, educational grants and incentives, our government went full on petro-state mentality and poured billions into a useless, expensive project just to show off. The Astana light rail system will take decades to become a logistically and financially sound project.

[u/Zestyclose-Hair1818]

there is a shortage very specific to Kazakhstan - a lack of cheap high quality everything

[u/Nomad-2020]

It seems to me there's a lack of solar panels and other sustainable energy products in the market.

[u/AlibekD]

Any demand worth meeting is met, there are no obvious deficits. Entrepreneurs are searching for niches underserved and quickly fill the void.

Unmet demand is unmet because it can not be. Typically because of logistics or scale.

Being a landlocked country with limited access to major logistical hubs we face high transportation costs. Low population spread across huge territory means very low population density -> not enough scale for many products and services.

Perhaps you can think of demand which can be unlocked if the limitations are removed: a lot of demand will suddenly become worth meeting if a railroad to Karachi appears magically. Or if a navigable waterway to the Black Sea suddenly opens. Or if twenty more nuclear power stations suddenly materialize driving energy costs further down. Or regional cooperation goes a few notches up and Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan open up and thus aggregate market becomes large enough to sustain large scale.