Definition of 'Market Challenger'
A firm that has a market share below that of the market leader, but enough of a market presence that it can exert upward pressure in its effort to gain more control. Market challengers are able to jockey for industry leadership several ways: challenging the market leader on price (direct approach), increasing product differentiation or improving customer service (indirect approach), or launching an entirely new product or service in order to change the field (radical approach).