Sources of information for competitor research

The sources of information for competitor research can be divided into two categories: public information and non-public information.

Public information refers to information published by competitors themselves or publicly released through third-party channels, such as competitors' official websites, annual reports, news, social media, industry reports, market research, patents, legal documents, etc. The advantages of public information are easy access, sufficient quantity, high credibility and wide coverage. The disadvantage of public information is that there may be lag, incompleteness, inaccuracy, inrelevance and other problems, which need to be verified and screened.

Non-public information refers to information that competitors do not disclose or do not want to disclose, such as competitors' insiders, suppliers, customers, partners, former employees, industry experts, government agencies, competitive intelligence companies, etc. The advantages of non-public information are timeliness, completeness, accuracy, high relevance, and can reflect the real situation and dynamics of competitors. The disadvantages of non-public information are that it is difficult to obtain, limited in quantity, low in credibility and high in cost. The acquisition of non-public information requires compliance with relevant laws and ethics, and must not use illegal or unethical means, such as wiretapping, theft, bribery, threats, etc.

In its competitor research, Shangpu Consulting makes comprehensive use of public and non-public information based on customer needs, competitor characteristics, and available data to obtain the most comprehensive, in-depth, and most valuable competitor information.

Information gathering methods for competitor research

The information collection methods of competitor research can be divided into three types: telephone interviews, online questionnaires, and face-to-face interviews.

Telephone access refers to the method of communicating with relevant personnel of competitors or third-party personnel through telephone to obtain information about competitors. The advantages of telephone access are fast, convenient, low cost, wide coverage, and suitable for collecting general, quantitative, and structured information. The disadvantage of telephone access is that it is difficult to establish trust, difficult to go deep, and difficult to obtain sensitive, qualitative, unstructured information.

Online questionnaire refers to the method of sending questionnaires to relevant personnel of competitors or third-party personnel through online platforms, such as e-mail, WeChat, websites, etc., to obtain information about competitors. The advantages of the network questionnaire are simple, convenient, low cost, wide coverage, and suitable for collecting general, quantitative, and structured information. The disadvantages of the network questionnaire are low recovery rate, difficult to control the quality, and difficult to obtain sensitive, qualitative and unstructured information.

Face-to-face interview refers to the method of obtaining information about competitors through face-to-face communication with relevant personnel of competitors or third-party personnel. The advantages of face-to-face interviews are easy to build trust, easy to go deep, easy to get sensitive, qualitative, unstructured information. The disadvantages of face-to-face interviews are time-consuming, laborious, costly, and narrow coverage. They are suitable for collecting special, qualitative, and unstructured information.

In competitor research, Champ Consulting will select appropriate information collection methods based on the type, importance, and availability of information, or use a combination of methods to obtain the most effective, reliable, and meaningful competitor information.

Application and value of competitor research

The application and value of competitor research is reflected in the following aspects:

One is to help customers understand the business situation, strategic intention, ability level, advantages and disadvantages of competitors, as well as the impact and threat to customers, so as to improve the market sensitivity and competitive awareness of customers.

The second is to help customers formulate effective strategies, optimize resource allocation, and improve competitiveness, such as choosing suitable market positioning, product differentiation, price strategy, channel construction, marketing promotion, technological innovation, and partners.

The third is to help customers find and seize market opportunities, such as finding and exploring new markets, products, customers, channels, technologies, cooperation, etc.

The fourth is to help customers identify and prevent market risks, such as responding to and avoiding competitors' attacks, challenges, imitations, and preemptions.

The fifth is to help customers evaluate and monitor the dynamics and changes of competitors, such as tracking and analyzing competitors' performance, market share, customer satisfaction, product quality, technological progress, strategic adjustment, organizational change, etc.

In competitor research, Shangpu Consulting will not only provide customers with detailed competitor information, but also provide customers with targeted suggestions and solutions to help customers achieve their goals, solve problems, and improve competitiveness.

Competitor Research Cases

The following are some of the competitor research cases provided by Champ Consulting for customers for reference:

Case 1: A survey of competitors of an auto parts enterprise

Customer needs: The customer is an enterprise specializing in the production of auto parts. The main products are automobile engines, gearboxes, brake systems, etc. Customers want to understand the business situation, strategic direction, product characteristics, market share, technical level, customer satisfaction, etc. of their main competitors in the domestic and foreign markets in order to formulate their own development strategies and competitive advantages.

Champu Consulting's services: Champu Consulting provides customers with a detailed competitor research report, including the following:

Basic information of competitors, such as name, location, size, history, organizational structure, financial status, etc.

Competitor's business scope, such as product type, brand, function, price, quality, service, etc.

Competitor's market conditions, such as market share, market growth rate, market distribution, market demand, market trends, etc.

Competitor's strategic direction, such as goals, vision, mission, values, core competencies, strategic objectives, strategic measures, etc.

Competitor's technological status, such as technological level, technological innovation, technological input, technological cooperation, technological protection, etc.

Competitor's customer profile, such as customer type, number of customers, customer needs, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, customer feedback, etc.

Competitor strengths and weaknesses, such as product advantage, market advantage, technology advantage, brand advantage, cost advantage, service advantage, as well as product disadvantage, market disadvantage, technology disadvantage, brand disadvantage, cost disadvantage, service disadvantage, etc.

The influence and threat of competitors, such as the impact on customers, the impact on the market, the impact on the industry, and the threat to customers, the threat to the market, the threat to the industry, etc.

The value of Champ Consulting: Champ Consulting's competitor research report provides the following value to customers:

Help customers to fully understand the situation of their main competitors in the domestic and foreign markets, so as to improve their market sensitivity and competitive awareness.

Help customers discover the strengths and weaknesses of competitors, so as to formulate their own competitive strategies and competitive advantages, such as product differentiation, price strategy, channel construction, marketing promotion, technological innovation, partners, etc.

Help customers identify and seize market opportunities, such as finding and developing new markets, products, customers, channels, technologies, collaborations, etc.

Help customers evaluate and monitor the dynamics and changes of competitors, such as tracking and analyzing competitors' performance, market share, customer satisfaction, product quality, technological progress, strategic adjustment, organizational change, etc.

Case 2: A survey of competitors of an e-commerce enterprise

Customer needs: the customer is a professional e-commerce enterprises, the main business is through the network platform, to provide consumers with a variety of goods and services transactions and payment. Customers want to understand the business model, operating conditions, user experience, market share, technology level, innovation ability, etc. of their main competitors in the domestic and foreign markets in order to enhance their competitiveness and market share.

Champu Consulting's services: Champu Consulting provides customers with a detailed competitor research report, including the following:

Basic information of competitors, such as name, location, size, history, organizational structure, financial status, etc.

Competitor's business model, such as platform type, revenue stream, profit margin, cost structure, risk factors, etc.

Competitor's operating conditions, such as commodity type, commodity quality, commodity price, commodity inventory, commodity logistics, commodity after-sales, etc.

Competitor's user experience, such as user number, user demand, user satisfaction, user loyalty, user feedback, etc.

Competitor's market conditions, such as market share, market growth rate, market distribution, market demand, market trends, etc.

Competitor's technological status, such as technological level, technological innovation, technological input, technological cooperation, technological protection, etc.

Competitor's innovation ability, such as product innovation, service innovation, model innovation, channel innovation, marketing innovation, cultural innovation, etc.

Competitor's strengths and weaknesses, such as platform advantage, commodity advantage, user advantage, market advantage, technology advantage, innovation advantage, and platform disadvantage, commodity disadvantage, user disadvantage, market disadvantage, technology disadvantage, innovation disadvantage, etc.

The influence and threat of competitors, such as the impact on customers, the impact on the market, the impact on the industry, and the threat to customers, the threat to the market, the threat to the industry, etc.

The value of Champ Consulting: Champ Consulting's competitor research report provides the following value to customers:

Help customers to fully understand the situation of their main competitors in the domestic and foreign markets, so as to improve their market sensitivity and competitive awareness.

Help customers discover the strengths and weaknesses of competitors, so as to enhance their competitiveness and market share, such as optimizing their own platform, products, users, markets, technology, innovation, etc.

Help customers identify and seize market opportunities, such as finding and exploring new products, services, users, channels, technologies, collaborations, etc.

Help customers evaluate and monitor the dynamics and changes of competitors, such as tracking and analyzing competitors' performance, market share, user satisfaction, product quality, technological progress, innovation ability, etc.