Purpose of 1. Competitor Research

The purpose of competitor research is to better understand the competitive environment, formulate effective competitive strategies, and enhance the core competitiveness of enterprises. Specifically, competitor research can help companies achieve the following objectives:

Identify and evaluate the number, type, size, position, advantages and disadvantages of competitors, and determine their relative position and competitive advantage in the market.

Analyze and predict the strategic intentions, behavior patterns, dynamic changes and future trends of competitors, as well as their potential impacts and threats.

Find and exploit the strategic loopholes, weaknesses and contradictions of competitors, looking for their own breakthrough points and opportunities.

Learn and learn from the successful experience of competitors, innovative practices and excellent cases, improve their own management level and service quality.

According to the information of competitors, formulate or adjust their own strategic objectives, market positioning, product strategy, price strategy, channel strategy, promotion strategy, etc., to form a differentiated and distinctive competitive advantage.

Methods of 2. competitor research

There are several main methods of competitor research:

Literature analysis: by collecting and analyzing the public information of competitors, such as official websites, annual reports, prospectors, news reports, industry reports, patent literature, etc., to obtain the basic situation, strategic direction, performance, market share, technical level and other information of competitors.

Interview survey method: Through interviews with competitors' employees, customers, suppliers, partners, industry experts and other relevant personnel, to understand the internal situation of competitors, customer satisfaction, supply chain status, cooperative relationship, industry evaluation and other information.

On-the-spot investigation method: by personally or entrusting a third-party organization to the competitor's business premises, production base, sales outlets, etc., to observe the competitor's facilities and equipment, production process, product quality, service level, market feedback and other information.

Network monitoring method: through the use of network tools and platforms, such as search engines, social media, e-commerce, online forums, public opinion monitoring, etc., to collect and analyze competitors' network information, such as website traffic,KeywordsRanking, user reviews, Internet word of mouth, public opinion and other information.

Steps to 3. competitor research

The main steps of competitor research include the following:

Determine the research object: according to its own market positioning and target customers, select the most representative and competitive companies from the same industry as the research object, generally no more than five.

Setting the content of the research: According to the purpose and method of the research, determine the information of competitors that need to be collected and analyzed, such as strategy, capabilities, strengths, weaknesses, trends and expectations, etc., to form a research outline and a list of questions.

Collect research information: according to the content of the research, the use of literature analysis, interview investigation, field investigation, network monitoring and other methods, from a number of channels and angles, collect competitor information, pay attention to the authenticity and effectiveness of information.

Analysis of research information: According to the collected information, the use of SWOT analysis, Porter five-force model, value chain analysis and other analytical tools, the competitor's information to organize, summarize, compare and evaluate, to find out the characteristics and laws of competitors.

Form a research report: according to the analysis results, write a competitor research report, the report content should include research purpose, method, object, content, results,Conclusionand recommendations, etc., and the form of the report should be concise, clear, standardized and persuasive.

Considerations for 4. Competitor Research

Competitor research is a complex and sensitive task that requires attention to the following aspects:

The selection of research objects should be reasonable, not too much or too little, and the competitors with the most competitive threat and reference value should be selected according to their own market positioning and target customers.

The content of the research should be comprehensive and should not be omitted or redundant. According to the purpose and method of the research, the most critical and useful competitor information should be determined to avoid invalid and irrelevant information.

The collection of research information should be effective, not biased or false, and a variety of methods should be adopted to collect competitors' information from multiple channels and angles, pay attention to the authenticity and effectiveness of the information, and avoid misleading and misjudgment.

The analysis of research information should be in-depth, not superficial or one-sided, and a variety of analytical tools should be used to organize, summarize, compare and evaluate competitors' information, find out the characteristics and laws of competitors, and avoid subjectivity and prejudice.

The writing of research reports should be standardized, not arbitrary or vague, and should systematically summarize and elaborate the process and results of competitors' research in accordance with certain formats and standards, and put forward valuable and targetedConclusionAnd advice, avoid vague and plagiarism.

Examples of 5. competitor research

Shangpu Consulting Company is a company specializing in consulting services in the fields of corporate strategy, marketing, organizational change, human resources, financial management, etc., with many years of industry experience and excellent consulting team, providing high-quality consulting solutions and implementation support for many well-known enterprises. In order to further enhance its core competitiveness, Shangpu Consulting Company decided to conduct a comprehensive survey of its main competitors in order to better understand the competitive environment and formulate effective competitive strategies.

Champu Consulting first identified the research subjects and selected the four most representative and competitive competitors from consulting firms in the same industry, namely McKinsey, Boston, Bain and Roland Berger. Then, Shangpu Consulting set up the research content, identified the need to collect and analyze the competitor information, including strategy, capabilities, strengths, weaknesses, dynamics and expectations, etc., to form a research outline and list of questions. Then, Shangpu consulting company collected research information, using the literature analysis method, interview investigation method, field investigation method, network monitoring method and other methods, from a number of channels and angles, collected the information of competitors, pay attention to the authenticity and effectiveness of the information. Then, Shangpu Consulting Company analyzed the research information, used SWOT analysis method, Porter five-force model, value chain analysis method and other analysis tools, collated, summarized, compared and evaluated the competitor's information, and found out the characteristics and laws of the competitor. Finally, Shangpu Consulting formed a research report, according to a certain format and standard, the process and results of competitor research were systematically summarized and expounded, and put forward valuable and targeted.Conclusionand recommendations.

The main contents of the competitor research report of Champu Consulting are as follows:

McKinsey: McKinsey is the world's largest strategic consulting firm, with more than 100 years of history and more than 30000 consultants, advising 90% of the world's largest enterprises, covering all industries and functional areas, and its annual revenue exceeds $30 billion. McKinsey's strengths lie in its strong brand influence, extensive client resources, deep industry knowledge, rich consulting experience and innovative consulting methods, while its weaknesses lie in its high consulting fees, conservative corporate culture, lack of localized services and legal risks. McKinsey's strategy is to continue to maintain its leadership in the field of strategic consulting, while expanding its business in emerging fields such as digitalization, artificial intelligence, and big data, and enhancing its competitiveness in the field of comprehensive consulting. The dynamic of McKinsey is that in recent years, it has continuously expanded its business scale and coverage around the world, acquired a number of professional consulting firms, and enhanced its professionalism and authority in specific fields. McKinsey's expectation is to maintain its leading position in the global consulting market in the next few years, while increasing its investment in emerging markets and emerging fields, and increasing its market share and profit margin.

Boston: Boston is the world's second largest strategic consulting firm with more than 50 years of history and more than 20000 consultants, advising 80% of the world's largest enterprises, across all industries and functional areas, and its annual revenue exceeds $10 billion. Boston's strengths lie in its superior strategic thinking, professional consulting team, efficient consulting process, flexible consulting model and loyal customer relationships, while its weaknesses lie in its relatively weak brand awareness, limited customer resources, lack of diversified business and competitive pressures. Boston's strategy is to continue to consolidate its strengths in strategic consulting, while expanding its business in operations, organization, technology and other areas to enhance its competitiveness in the comprehensive consulting field. Boston's dynamic is that in recent years, it has continuously increased its business areas and service range around the world, launching several new consulting products and services, increasing its influence and attractiveness in the market. Boston's expectation is to continue to catch up with McKinsey, its number one competitor in the global consulting market, in the next few years, while increasing its investment in emerging markets and emerging fields, and increasing its market share and profit margin.

Bain: Bain is the world's third largest strategic consulting firm with more than 40 years of history and more than 10000 consultants, advising 70% of the world's largest enterprises, across all industries and functional areas, and its annual revenue exceeds $8 billion. Bain's strength lies in its unique strategic perspective, excellent consulting talents, practical consulting solutions, cooperative consulting methods and continuous consulting effects, while its disadvantages lie in its relatively small business scale, limited industry coverage, lack of innovative business and brain drain. Bain's strategy is to continue to focus on its core strengths in strategic consulting, while expanding its business in private equity, mergers and acquisitions, and customer loyalty to enhance its competitiveness in the comprehensive consulting field. Bain's dynamic is that it has continuously optimized its business structure and service quality worldwide in recent years, and has improved its leading position in customer satisfaction and loyalty, which has won multiple industry awards and recognition. Bain's expectation is to maintain its third position in the global consulting market in the next few years, while increasing its investment in emerging markets and emerging fields, and increasing its market share and profit margin.

Roland Berger: Roland Berger is the world's fourth largest strategic consulting firm with more than 30 years of history and more than 5000 consultants, advising 60% of the world's largest enterprises, covering all industries and functional areas, with annual revenue of more than $6 billion. Roland Berger's advantages lie in its independent ownership structure, localized service concept, focused industry areas, customized consulting solutions and practical consulting effects, while its disadvantages lie in its relatively low brand awareness, limited customer resources, lack of diversified business and brain drain. Roland Berger's strategy is to continue to adhere to its professionalism and independence in the field of strategic consulting, while expanding its business in the automotive, energy, chemical, medical and other fields, and enhance its competitiveness in the field of comprehensive consulting. Roland Berger's dynamic is that in recent years, it has continuously increased its business areas and service range worldwide, established long-term cooperative relations with many well-known enterprises and institutions, and improved its reputation and influence in the market. Roland Berger is expected to continue to improve its position in the global consulting market in the next few years, while increasing its investment in emerging markets and emerging fields, and increasing its market share and profit margin.

Through a comprehensive survey of its main competitors, Champu Consulting has obtained the following pointsConclusionand recommendations:

There is still much room for improvement in the position and competitiveness of Shangpu Consulting in the global consulting market, and it is necessary to strengthen its brand building, customer development, business innovation and personnel training to improve its popularity, influence and loyalty in the market.

The advantages and characteristics of Shangpu Consulting Company in the field of strategic consulting are not obvious and prominent enough, and it is necessary to strengthen its strategic thinking, strategic methods, strategic programs and strategic effects in order to improve its professionalism, authority and effectiveness in the market.

The business and capabilities of Shangpu Consulting Company in the field of comprehensive consulting are not rich and strong enough. It is necessary to strengthen its business development and capability improvement in the fields of operation, organization, technology, finance, etc., in order to improve its diversity in the market. Sex, comprehensiveness and competitiveness.