Concept and significance of 1. competitor research

Competitor research, also known as competitive analysis, refers to the process of systematic collection, analysis, evaluation and prediction of the strategies, capabilities, strengths, weaknesses, dynamics, trends, etc. of existing or potential competitors. The purpose of competitor research is to help companies understand their relative position in the market, discover their competitive advantages and disadvantages, formulate effective competitive strategies, respond to threats from competitors, seize opportunities from competitors, and enhance their competitiveness.

The significance of competitor research is mainly reflected in the following aspects:

Help companies identify and define competitors. Competitors include not only direct competitors, that is, enterprises that provide the same or similar products or services, but also indirect competitors, that is, enterprises that provide alternative products or services, and potential competitors, that is, enterprises that are likely to enter the market. Through competitor research, enterprises can clearly know what competitors they are facing, as well as their size, status, characteristics, advantages, disadvantages, etc., so as to formulate competitive strategies in a targeted manner.

Help companies understand the competitive environment. Competitive environment refers to the various factors that affect the competitive relationship between enterprises and competitors, including industry structure, market demand, customer preferences, policies and regulations, technological changes, social culture, etc. Through competitor research, enterprises can grasp the changes in the competitive environment, predict the behavior of competitors, find the weaknesses of competitors, seize competitive opportunities, avoid competitive traps, and adapt to competitive changes.

Help companies discover and enhance competitive advantage. Competitive advantage refers to the superiority of an enterprise in one or more aspects relative to its competitors, so that it can obtain higher market share, profit margin, brand awareness, customer loyalty and so on. Through competitor research, companies can compare their strengths and weaknesses with those of their competitors, find out their core competitiveness, highlight their differentiated advantages, and enhance their competitiveness.

Help companies develop and implement competitive strategies. Competitive strategy refers to a series of actions or measures taken by an enterprise in order to gain an advantage in the competition, including product strategy, price strategy, promotion strategy, channel strategy, service strategy, etc. Through competitor research, companies can choose their own competitive strategies, such as attack strategies, defense strategies, follow strategies, bypass strategies, etc., according to their own and competitors' strengths and weaknesses, as well as changes in the competitive environment, so as to achieve competitive goals.

Methods and procedures for 2. competitor research

There are several main methods of competitor research:

The desktop research method. Desktop research refers to the use of existing public information, such as competitors' official websites, annual reports, news, advertising, social media, industry reports, market research, patents, papers, etc., to analyze and evaluate competitors. The advantages of the desktop research method are a wide range of information sources, low access costs, simple operation, and suitable for a preliminary understanding of the basic situation of competitors. The disadvantages of the desktop research method are that the information may be incomplete, inaccurate, not timely, not in-depth, and needs to be screened, verified, integrated and interpreted.

Field visit method. The field visit method refers to obtaining the first-hand information of competitors by personally or entrusting a third party to the competitor's business premises, such as factories, warehouses, stores, exhibition halls, etc., to observe, experience, inquire, take photos, videos, etc. The advantage of the field visit method is that the information is intuitive, real, specific, in-depth, suitable for understanding the competitor's products, services, processes, equipment, personnel and other aspects of the situation. The disadvantage of the field visit method is that it is difficult to obtain information, high cost and high risk, which may arouse the resentment of competitors and even lead to legal disputes.

Customer interview method. Customer interview method refers to the existing or potential customers of competitors through interviews, questionnaires, phone calls, emails, networks, etc., to understand their competitors' products, services, prices, brands, satisfaction, loyalty, conversion willingness and other aspects of the views and feelings. The advantage of customer interview method is that the information reflects the real needs, preferences and trends of the market, and is suitable for understanding the market performance, competitive advantages and competitive disadvantages of competitors. The disadvantage of the customer interview method is that the information may be affected by the customer's subjectivity, bias, memory, honesty and other factors, which need to be screened, weighted, analyzed and interpreted.

Supplier interview method. Supplier interview method refers to the competitor's suppliers, distributors, partners, agents, etc. through interviews, questionnaires, telephone, mail, network and other ways to understand their competitors' products, services, prices, quality, reputation, cooperation and other aspects of the views and feelings. The advantage of the supplier interview method is that the information reflects the competitor's supply chain, channel, network, resources, etc., and is suitable for understanding the competitor's operational capacity, cost structure, profit level, risk control and so on. The disadvantage of the supplier interview method is that the information may be affected by the supplier's interests, loyalty, confidentiality and other factors, which need to be screened, verified, analyzed and explained.

Employee interview method. Employee interview method refers to the current or former employees of competitors through interviews, questionnaires, telephone, mail, network and other ways to understand their competitors strategy, organization, culture, human resources, innovation, management and other aspects of the views and feelings. The advantage of the employee interview method is that the information reflects the internal situation of the competitor and is suitable for understanding the competitor's strategic direction, organizational structure, cultural atmosphere, talent pool, innovation ability, management level and so on. The disadvantage of the employee interview method is that the information may be affected by the employee's attitude, motivation, honesty, confidentiality and other factors, which need to be screened, verified, analyzed and explained.

The main steps of competitor research are as follows:

Determine the objectives and scope of competitor research. The goal of competitor research refers to the results that a company hopes to obtain through competitor research, such as understanding the competitor's strategy, strengths, weaknesses, dynamics, trends, etc. The scope of competitor research refers to the number, type, level, region, etc. of competitors that the enterprise needs to investigate. Determining the objectives and scope of competitor research can help companies clarify the direction, focus, depth, and breadth of competitor research, and avoid blind, wasteful, and repetitive competitor research.

Select methods and tools for competitor research. The methods and tools of competitor research refer to the means used by enterprises to collect, analyze, evaluate and predict competitor information, such as desktop research, field visits, customer interviews, supplier interviews, employee interviews, etc. Choosing methods and tools for competitor research can help companies effectively obtain competitor information and improve the efficiency, quality, reliability, and effectiveness of competitor research. When selecting methods and tools for competitor research, it is necessary to consider the objectives, scope, cost, time, risk and other factors of competitor research, and to use a variety of methods and tools to cross-validate and complement each other.

Collect competitor information. Collecting competitor information refers to obtaining relevant information about competitors from various channels, ways and forms, such as competitors' strategies, capabilities, strengths, weaknesses, dynamics, trends, etc., according to the objectives, scope, methods and tools of competitor research. Collecting competitor information is the core link of competitor research, and the following points need to be paid attention to: first, to collect comprehensive, accurate, timely and in-depth competitor information to avoid omission, misleading, outdated and superficial competitor information; second, to collect legal, compliant and reasonable competitor information to avoid illegal, illegal and immoral competitor information; third, to collect useful and valuable, meaningful competitor information, avoid useless, worthless, meaningless competitor information.

Analyze competitor information. Analyzing competitor information refers to sorting, classifying, screening, weighting, comparing, evaluating, predicting, etc. the collected competitor information according to the objectives, scope, methods and tools of competitor research, so as to obtain the characteristics, advantages, disadvantages, dynamics and trends of competitors. The analysis of competitor information is a key link in competitor research. The following points should be paid attention to: first, objective, fair and scientific competitor information should be analyzed to avoid subjective, biased and arbitrary competitor information; Second, it is necessary to analyze systematic, comprehensive and in-depth competitor information and avoid scattered, one-sided and simple competitor information. Third, it is necessary to analyze based, logical and arbitrary competitor information.ConclusionCompetitor information, avoid no basis, no logic, noConclusionCompetitor information.

Develop a competitor strategy. Formulating competitor strategy refers to determining one's relative position in the market according to the analysis results of competitor information and combining with one's own situation, finding one's own competitive advantages and disadvantages, choosing one's own competitive strategy, such as attack strategy, defense strategy, follow strategy, bypass strategy, etc., and formulating specific action plans, such as product strategy, price strategy, promotion strategy, channel strategy, service strategy, etc. Formulating competitor strategies is the purpose and result of competitor research. The following points need to be paid attention to: First, formulate competitor strategies that meet one's own goals, capabilities, and resources, and avoid formulating unrealistic, unfeasible, and unsustainable competitor strategies; The second is to formulate competitor strategies for different competitors, different markets, and different periods, and avoid formulating one-size-fits-all, immutable, and generalized competitor strategies; the third is to formulate flexible, innovative, and active competitor strategies, avoid formulating flexible, innovative, and active competitor strategies, and avoid formulating rigid, imitating, and passive competitor strategies.

Implement and monitor competitor strategies. Implementing and monitoring competitor strategy refers to taking corresponding actions or measures according to the established competitor strategy, such as launching new products, lowering prices, increasing promotions, expanding channels, improving services, etc. At the same time, continuously collecting, analyzing and evaluating competitor's reactions, dynamics, trends, etc., and adjusting competitor strategy in time to adapt to changes in the competitive environment and achieve competitive goals. The implementation and monitoring of competitor strategies is the continuation and improvement of competitor research. The following points need to be paid attention to: First, implement fast, accurate and effective competitor strategies to avoid slow, wrong and ineffective competitor strategies; The second is to monitor comprehensive, timely and in-depth competitor information to avoid incomplete, lagging and superficial competitor information. The third is to adjust flexibly and innovatively, active competitor strategy, avoid adjusting rigid, imitation, passive competitor strategy.

Case Study of 3. Competitor Research

In order to better explain the methods and steps of competitor research, this paper selects a case in the process of providing competitor research services for an automobile enterprise. The automobile company is a well-known domestic independent brand automobile manufacturer, mainly producing low-end cars, SUVs, MPVs, etc., and its market share ranks among the top five in China. The automobile company hopes to understand the strategy, capabilities, strengths, weaknesses, dynamics, trends, etc. of its main competitors in the domestic market through competitor research, so as to formulate effective competitive strategies and enhance its competitiveness.

Champ Consulting provided the following competitor research services to the automotive company:

Determine the objectives and scope of competitor research. Shangpu Consulting conducted in-depth communication with the auto company, understanding the purpose, needs, expectations, etc. of its competitor research, and determined that the goal of competitor research is to understand the strategy, capabilities, strengths, weaknesses, trends, etc. of its main competitors in the domestic market, and determined that the scope of competitor research is the top ten auto manufacturers in the domestic market, including independent brands and joint venture brands, covers cars, SUVs, MPV and other market segments.

Select methods and tools for competitor research. According to the objectives, scope, cost, time, risk and other factors of competitor research, Shangpu Consulting has selected desktop research method, customer interview method, supplier interview method, employee interview method and other methods and tools to collect, analyze, evaluate, forecast and so on. Shangpu Consulting makes use of its rich industry database, professional analysis model, skilled interview skills, extensive network, etc., to provide efficient, high-quality and efficient competitor research services for the automobile enterprise.

Collect competitor information. Through the desktop research method, Shangpu Consulting has collected the basic information of the top ten automobile manufacturers in the domestic market, such as company profile, product line, sales volume, market share, financial status, brand image, R & D investment, technical level, number of patents, awards and honors, etc. Through the customer interview method, the customer information of the top ten automobile manufacturers in the domestic market is collected, such as customer characteristics, needs, preferences, satisfaction, loyalty, conversion willingness, etc. Through the supplier interview method, the supply chain information of the top ten automobile manufacturers in the domestic market is collected, such as supplier characteristics, cooperative relationship, price, quality, reputation, risk, etc. Through the employee interview method, the internal information of the top ten automobile manufacturers in the domestic market is collected, such as strategic direction, organizational structure, cultural atmosphere, talent reserve, innovation ability, management level, etc.

Analyze competitor information. Through the methods of collation, classification, screening, weighting, comparison, evaluation and prediction, Shangpu Consulting conducted an in-depth analysis of the collected competitor information, and obtained the characteristics, advantages, disadvantages, dynamics, trends, etc. of the top ten automobile manufacturers in the domestic market. Using Porter's Five Forces Model, SWOT Analysis, PEST Analysis, Value Chain Analysis, VRIO Analysis, BCG Matrix, Ansoff Matrix and other kinds of analysis models, Shangpu Consulting makes a systematic, comprehensive and in-depth analysis of competitors' competitiveness, competitive strategies, competitive advantages, competitive disadvantages, competitive threats, competitive opportunities and so on, which provides objective, fair and scientific analysis results of competitors' information for this automobile enterprise.

Develop a competitor strategy. According to the analysis results of competitor information and the automobile enterprise's own situation, Shangpu Consulting has formulated competitive strategies for different competitors, different markets and different periods, such as attack strategy, defense strategy, follow strategy, bypass strategy, etc., as well as specific action plans, such as product strategy, price strategy, promotion strategy, channel strategy, service strategy, etc. Shangpu Consulting has used its rich industry experience, professional strategy knowledge, and innovative thinking mode to provide the auto company with competitor strategies that meet its goals, capabilities, and resources, as well as flexible, innovative, and proactive competitor strategies. It provides strong support for it to enhance its own competitiveness.

Implement and monitor competitor strategies. After formulating the competitor strategy for the automobile enterprise, Shangpu Consulting also provides the service of implementing and monitoring the competitor strategy, including assisting the automobile enterprise to take corresponding actions or measures, such as launching new products, reducing prices, increasing promotion, expanding channels, improving services, etc., as well as continuously collecting, analyzing and evaluating the reaction, trends and trends of competitors, and adjusting the competitor strategy in time, to adapt to changes in the competitive environment and achieve competitive goals. Shangpu Consulting makes use of its rich industry resources, professional execution ability and keen market insight to provide the automobile enterprise with fast, accurate and effective competitor strategy implementation and monitoring services. for it to ensure the implementation effect of competitor strategy, improve the adaptability of competitor strategy, and optimize the performance of competitor strategy.

The above is a case study of the competitor research service provided by Shangpu Consulting for an automobile company, hoping to provide you with some reference and inspiration. If you are interested in Shangpu Consulting's competitor research services, please contact us. We will provide you with professional, customized and efficient competitor research services to help you enhance your competitiveness.