Purpose of 1. Competitor Research

The main purpose of competitor research is the following:

Understand the positioning and competitiveness of their own enterprises in the market, find out their own advantages and disadvantages, and clarify their own development direction and goals.

Understand the basic situation of competitors, such as scale, products, services, prices, channels, marketing, finance, etc., evaluate the strength and strategy of competitors, and predict the trends and changes of competitors.

Understand the overall situation of the market, such as demand, supply, trends, opportunities, threats, etc., grasp the development law and change trend of the market, and find the entry point and growth point of the market.

To provide the basis and reference for their own enterprises to make reasonable strategic decisions, such as product development, market expansion, price strategy, marketing strategy, partners, etc., to improve their competitive advantage and market share.

Methods of 2. competitor research

There are several main methods of competitor research:

Desktop research method: by collecting and analyzing publicly available sources of information, such as official websites, social media, news reports, industry reports, financial statements, etc., to obtain first-hand or second-hand information about competitors.

Field visit method: by personally or entrusting a third party to the competitor's business premises, production base, sales outlets, etc. to conduct field visits, observe and record the competitor's business status, product quality, service level, etc.

Interview survey method: Through interviews or questionnaires with competitors' employees, customers, suppliers, partners and other relevant personnel, to understand the internal situation of competitors, customer satisfaction, supply chain management, cooperative relations, etc.

Trial experience method: by purchasing or using competitors' products or services as consumers, experiencing competitors' product features, service quality, after-sales support, etc., to evaluate competitors' strengths and weaknesses and room for improvement.

Types of 3. Competitor Research

According to the different characteristics of competitors, competitor research can be divided into the following five types:

Direct competitor research: refers to the research conducted on competitors who provide the same or similar products or services as their own enterprises and target the same or similar markets and customer groups. For example, the direct competitors of Shangpu Consulting Company include Washington Consulting and McKinsey Consulting.

Indirect competitor research: refers to the research of competitors who provide different but alternative products or services to meet the same or similar customer needs, such as PricewaterhouseCoopers and Deloitte, which are indirect competitors of Champ Consulting.

Research on potential competitors: refers to the research on competitors that have not yet entered the market or field in which their own enterprises are located, but are likely to enter in the future, such as Alibaba, Tencent and so on.

Existing customer competitor research: refers to the existing customers of their own enterprises, due to their own capabilities or resources, may become their own enterprise competitors, such as the existing customer competitors of Shangpu consulting company have some large enterprises internal consulting department.

Emerging customer competitor research: refers to the research on the potential customers of their own enterprises, due to market changes or the emergence of innovation, may become their own enterprise competitors, such as the emerging customer competitors of Shangpu consulting company have certain start-up companies or leading enterprises in emerging industries.

4. Shangpu Consulting's competitor research case.

Shangpu Consulting Co., Ltd. is a consulting organization specializing in providing industry research, market research, investment and financing consulting, IPO listing consulting and other services. It has rich professional experience and customer resources. It is one of the most leading and authoritative independent third-party research and investment and financing consulting institutions in China. In order to better understand its competitive environment and advantages in the market, Shangpu Consulting conducted a competitor survey of its main direct competitors. The following are some of the contents and results of the survey:

1. Washington Consulting Company

Basic information: Washington Consulting Company is an internationally renowned comprehensive consulting agency. It was established in 1963 and is headquartered in Boston, USA. Its business covers strategic consulting, organizational change, digital transformation, human resource management, marketing and other fields. It serves customers all over the world. In various industries and regions, it is one of the largest consulting companies in the world.

Competitive advantages: The competitive advantages of Washington consulting companies are mainly reflected in the following aspects:

Brand influence: Washington Consulting is a world-renowned consulting brand with a good reputation and reputation, industry leadership and authority, and the ability to attract and retain outstanding talents and customers.

Business scope: Washington Consulting Company's business covers various industries and fields, can provide customers with a full range of consulting services, meet the diverse and personalized needs of customers, and form a strong comprehensive competitiveness.

Service quality: The service quality of Washington Consulting Company benefits from its strict project management, efficient team collaboration, innovative methodology, rich case library, etc., and can provide customers with high-quality consulting results and solutions to help customers achieve performance Improvement and value creation.

Global Network: Washington Consulting's global network covers more than 60 countries and regions on six continents, has more than 100 offices and nearly 20000 employees, can provide clients with cross-border and cross-cultural consulting services, grasp the global market opportunities and development trends.

Competitive disadvantages: The competitive disadvantages of Washington consulting firms are mainly reflected in the following aspects:

Price strategy: Washington Consulting's price strategy is based on high-end pricing, reflecting its high quality and high value-added services, but it also limits its expansion in the low-end market, making it difficult to adapt to the diversified and differentiated needs of the market.

Brain drain: The high rate of brain drain in Washington consulting firms is mainly due to its high-pressure and high-intensity working environment, as well as its internal competition and promotion mechanism, which has led to the departure and job-hopping of some excellent consultants, affecting the stability and sustainability of their talents.

Localization: Washington Consulting is less localized, mainly due to its U. S.-centric globalization strategy and its lack of in-depth understanding and adaptation of local markets and cultures, which has led to its lack of competitiveness and loss in some emerging markets and developing countries.

2. McKinsey Consulting

Basic information: McKinsey Consulting Company is an internationally renowned strategic consulting agency. It was established in 1926 and is headquartered in New York, USA. Its business covers strategic consulting, organizational change, operations management, risk management, digital transformation and other fields, and serves customers in various industries around the world. And regions, is one of the oldest and most influential consulting companies in the world.

Competitive advantage: The competitive advantage of McKinsey Consulting is mainly reflected in the following aspects:

Strategic thinking: The strategic thinking of McKinsey Consulting Company is its core competitiveness, which reflects its deep insight into customer problems and the creativity of solutions, as well as its forward-looking and leadership of the industry and market, and can provide customers with influential And valuable strategic advice and guidance.

Talent training: The talent training of McKinsey Consulting Company is another core competitiveness, which reflects its emphasis and investment on talents, as well as its strict and efficient selection and training of talents, and can provide customers with excellent and professional consulting teams and services.

Knowledge management: The knowledge management of McKinsey Consulting Company is its important competitiveness, reflecting its accumulation and sharing of knowledge, as well as its innovation and application of knowledge, which can provide customers with rich and practical knowledge resources and tools.

Social responsibility: McKinsey's social responsibility is its unique competitiveness, reflecting its concern and contribution to society, as well as its solution and improvement of social problems, and its ability to provide clients with meaningful and influential social values and public welfare projects.

Competitive disadvantage: McKinsey & Company's competitive disadvantage is mainly reflected in the following aspects:

Scope of services: McKinsey Consulting's scope of services is relatively narrow, focusing on strategic consulting, while other areas such as operations management, risk management, digital transformation, etc. are relatively weak, making it difficult to meet the comprehensive and integrated consulting needs of clients.

Service execution: McKinsey Consulting's service execution is relatively weak, mainly because it relies too much on its strategic thinking and knowledge management advantages, while ignoring the operability and implementability of its services, resulting in its service execution and The lack and lack of landing.

Service risk: McKinsey & Company's service risk is relatively high, mainly due to the sensitivity and complexity of its service, as well as the influence and attention of its service, which leads to the legal, ethical and reputational risks and challenges it may face in the process and results of its service.