Purpose of 1. Competitor Research

The purpose of competitor research is to help enterprises better understand their own market environment, including competitors' scale, product, price, quality, channel, marketing, technology, innovation, strategy, advantages, disadvantages, opportunities and threats, so as to evaluate their competitive position, find their competitive advantages and formulate effective competitive strategies, increase your market share and profitability.

The purpose of competitor research is not to imitate or surpass competitors, but to find their own differentiation and specialization and form their own core competitiveness. Therefore, competitor research should be guided by its own strategic goals, not by the behavior of competitors, and avoid blindly following the trend or vicious competition.

2. Competitor Survey

The object of competitor research refers to other enterprises that compete with the enterprise in the same market or the same market segment. They can be direct competitors, indirect competitors, or even potential competitors. Direct competitors are companies that provide the same or similar products or services, which are similar to the company's target customers, market positioning and value proposition, and are the company's main competitors. Indirect competitors are companies that offer different but alternative or complementary products or services, which are somewhat different from the company's target customers, market positioning and value proposition, and are secondary competitors of the company. Potential competitors are companies that have not yet entered the market, but are likely to enter the market in the future, which are quite different from their target customers, market positioning and value proposition, and are potential threats to the company.

The object of competitor research should be selected according to the strategic objectives and market environment of the enterprise. It is not necessary to investigate all competitors, but to focus on those competitors who have the greatest impact on the enterprise, the most direct and the most urgent competitors, as well as those competitors who may change the market pattern, lead the market trend and create market opportunities, so as to avoid wasting resources and distracting attention.

Methods of 3. competitor research

The method of competitor research should be selected according to the reliability, completeness and timeliness of the competitor's information. Instead of collecting all the information, it is necessary to selectively collect the information that is most valuable, meaningful and useful to the enterprise's decision-making, so as to avoid information overload and information noise.

The process of 4. competitor research

The process of competitor research consists of four main steps: one is to determine the objectives of competitor research, the other is to collect competitor information, the third is to analyze competitor information, and the fourth is to develop competitor response strategies. Determining the goal of competitor research refers to clarifying what results the company wants to get from competitor research, such as understanding the strategic intentions of competitors, assessing the strength level of competitors, predicting the future actions of competitors, discovering the strengths and weaknesses of competitors, and looking for opportunities and threats from competitors. Collecting competitors' information refers to obtaining competitors' information from various channels and channels, such as the methods of active collection and passive reception described above. Analysis of competitor information refers to the collation, classification, comparison, evaluation, induction, reasoning, judgment, etc. of the collected competitor information in order to extract valuable information from it, such as the competitor's strategic objectives, strategic choices, strategic execution, strategic effects, etc. Formulating a competitor's coping strategy refers to formulating different coping strategies for different competitors based on the information obtained from the analysis, such as competition, cooperation, avoidance, imitation, innovation, differentiation, specialization, etc.

The process of competitor research should be controlled according to the objectivity, depth and breadth of the competitor's information. It is not necessary to analyze all the information, but to focus on the information that has the most impact, challenge and opportunity on the enterprise's strategy, so as to avoid prejudice and misunderstanding.

Conclusion

Competitor research is a complex and important strategic analysis activity, which requires enterprises to have a clear purpose, reasonable object, effective method and scientific process, in order to avoid prejudice and misunderstanding, improve the quality and effectiveness of competitor research. By introducing the principles and suggestions of competitor research, as well as the specific cases of Shangpu consulting service customers, this paper aims to provide some reference and enlightenment for enterprises, and help enterprises to better conduct competitor research, so as to enhance their competitiveness and market position.

Case analysis

In order to further explain the practical value and application effect of competitor research, this paper will be combined with the specific case of Shangpu consulting service customers, a brief analysis and display. Shangpu Consulting is a professional strategic consulting company, providing customized strategic solutions for enterprises in various industries to help enterprises achieve sustainable development and growth. The scope of services of Shangpu Consulting includes market analysis, competitive analysis, strategic planning, strategic implementation, strategic evaluation, etc. The following are some examples of clients of Champ Consulting Services:

Case 1: An e-commerce platform

An e-commerce platform is an online retailer that focuses on providing personalized and high quality lifestyle products. Its target customers are young people who pursue fashion and taste. The platform is facing fierce competition from similar platforms and traditional retailers, and needs to find its own differentiation and specialization to form its own core competitiveness. The platform commissioned Champu Consulting to conduct a competitor survey to help it develop an effective competitive strategy.

According to the strategic objectives of the platform, Shangpu Consulting selected three direct competitors in the same market segment, A, B and C, as the object of competitor research. Shangpu Consulting adopted the method of active collection and passive reception, and obtained the information of these three competitors from various channels and channels, including scale, product, price, quality, channel, marketing, technology, innovation, strategy, advantages, Disadvantages, opportunities and threats. Champ Consulting collated, classified, compared, evaluated, summarized, reasoned, judged, etc. the collected information about competitors, and extracted valuable information from it, such as competitors' strategic objectives, strategic choices, strategic execution, and strategic effects. Based on the information of competitors obtained from the analysis, Shangpu Consulting has formulated different coping strategies for different competitors for the platform, such as competition, cooperation, avoidance, imitation, innovation, differentiation, specialization, etc.