Welcome to my Competitor analysis-part-2. I have already had occasion to publish articles on competitor analysis. The material contained in them will allow giving answers to questions about the need for competitor analysis and ways to find information about them. Even if we were able to find some information on competitors, and then what? And then begins the actual analysis itself. How to do it? Well, try to understand and this voprosom.Davey remembers some things about which I wrote earlier:
Why do I need to carry out analysis of competitors? This is what I wrote in the article need to analyze the company's competitors. There is literally one sentence. The competitive analysis allows us to understand that we have to sell, at what price it is better to do and what tools to use to increase sales.
Competitors can we have a lot, but the information on them at our disposal is usually poor. Actually, where to find information about competitors, I also published a small manual. In short, the use of any tools. And if the details, I suggest to go to the above link and update the information in memory.
However, it is time to go directly to the competitor analysis. Let's start with the steps.
competitor analysis Stages
The first stage of the competition analyzing. At this stage, the main competitors are selected. Here it is necessary to take into account its own sphere of activity, size of the company, and many other factors. Data from the survey questionnaires conducted among its clients. Geotagging competitors if it is needed, for example, a retailer anywhere in St. Petersburg is unlikely to be a competitor of a similar network in Moscow.
Or another example: cable production plant in Saransk, most likely, is a direct competitor of the plant in Podolsk, near Moscow, in spite of their good distance from each other. Or the small wholesale company that sells lamps gladly share snip off from a major retailer of the same scope.
The second stage of the competition analyzing. Select information from the one that managed to get in the process of gathering, that managed to dig up. This information about competitors needs to disassemble and sort through, forming the base of competitors, identify what is crucial and what is of secondary importance.
Third stage. Actually the competitor analysis. As an example, I try to describe the principle of the analysis of competition on the small retail sales of spare parts. In fact, the principles are the same, different nuances. Very important here is the question that we analyze the competition. It all depends on the tasks.
Sometimes as the problem may be to determine market capacity in the absence of any information or share of the company in a particular region. Perhaps the task of brand awareness of the company in comparison with its competitors. While all this is difficult to implement, but it is possible, it all depends on the time spent and the budget. I will consider another case easier. Analyze the need assortment, prices, location, in particular competitors.
The brief description of the analysis of competitors.
Why do I need to carry out analysis of competitors? This is what I wrote in the article need to analyze the company's competitors. There is literally one sentence. The competitive analysis allows us to understand that we have to sell, at what price it is better to do and what tools to use to increase sales.
Competitors can we have a lot, but the information on them at our disposal is usually poor. Actually, where to find information about competitors, I also published a small manual. In short, the use of any tools. And if the details, I suggest to go to the above link and update the information in memory.
However, it is time to go directly to the competitor analysis. Let's start with the steps.
competitor analysis Stages
The first stage of the competition analyzing. At this stage, the main competitors are selected. Here it is necessary to take into account its own sphere of activity, size of the company, and many other factors. Data from the survey questionnaires conducted among its clients. Geotagging competitors if it is needed, for example, a retailer anywhere in St. Petersburg is unlikely to be a competitor of a similar network in Moscow.
Or another example: cable production plant in Saransk, most likely, is a direct competitor of the plant in Podolsk, near Moscow, in spite of their good distance from each other. Or the small wholesale company that sells lamps gladly share snip off from a major retailer of the same scope.
The second stage of the competition analyzing. Select information from the one that managed to get in the process of gathering, that managed to dig up. This information about competitors needs to disassemble and sort through, forming the base of competitors, identify what is crucial and what is of secondary importance.
Third stage. Actually the competitor analysis. As an example, I try to describe the principle of the analysis of competition on the small retail sales of spare parts. In fact, the principles are the same, different nuances. Very important here is the question that we analyze the competition. It all depends on the tasks.
Sometimes as the problem may be to determine market capacity in the absence of any information or share of the company in a particular region. Perhaps the task of brand awareness of the company in comparison with its competitors. While all this is difficult to implement, but it is possible, it all depends on the time spent and the budget. I will consider another case easier. Analyze the need assortment, prices, location, in particular competitors.
The brief description of the analysis of competitors.
Learning from price lists, preferably in Excel format (it's just much easier to work). If we are unable to find to Excel, then you need to analyze what it is. We determine the list of competitor products, associate it with its own range of companies. Spending popozitsionnoe price comparisons.
If you are unable to find out who a rival provider can identify the level of margins. How to do it? Yes, elementary. Call the supplier and ask him the price list, figuring passing additional options to reduce the price of, say, a discount for volume purchases. The resulting price compared with the price list of a competitor and voila level markups before his eyes. Yes, of course, there may be an error, but it is easy to level, knowing their sales, the approximate size, and the number of competitor stores. Based on your own parameters can be calculated the average amount of purchases and as a result the percentage discount.
Naturally, this calculation is not very accurate, but the overall picture may emerge quite clearly. So, based on only a few of prices, which do not get very problematic, we see represented assortment, price level, and margin competitor. Comparing these data with their own range of products and prices, get a lot of reasons to think, and whether we are fine.
The fourth stage of the competition analyzing. Analyze competitors traffic. Under the traffic, I do not mean the attendance of competitors site, although it is also, if possible, at least, will be a better understanding of who is on the network. However, here, I mean competitors in the patency of stores. To obtain such information is useful to all well-known method called supervision, of course with the direct competitor to visit. It is also possible to carry out some kind of analysis of the competitor's checks, and with good accuracy. To do this, make a few purchases, the cost does not matter, and look at the check. Looking at the number of the check, shift, time of purchase, knowing the number of cash registers in the store can be an error of only 5.10% to determine the average daily number of buyers. Experienced in the field of retail analytics to not require much effort. Perhaps sometime later to tell how to do it.
In the fifth stage, the analysis of competitors pays attention to the USP (unique selling proposition) competitors. The main objective in this case - is understanding what a competitor is better than us. Shipping, discounts, promotions, and bonuses - all this is necessary to pay close attention. What are the sales channels used competitors, and which ones we do not use? How goes the advertising company a competitor? What are the main types of advertising uses a competitor? What are the sources of advertising, such as billboards, flyers, advertising in the media? Whether a competitor participates in exhibitions? Why is all this necessary? Firstly, USP - is itself not only as such a proposal but also ways of presenting it. Second, analysis of competitor's advertising campaign will allow us to find new sources of customer acquisition.
bitva-konkurentov
The sixth stage of the competitive analysis - a SWOT analysis of some major competitors. Yes, exactly, it is necessary to try to expand the competitor on the shelves. Of course, having a limited amount of information to make it extremely difficult, but worth a try. In case of a successful outcome is to understand in which direction to move your company, and what steps to take in the current competition.
Last stage - mixing everything together. All the data are assembled in a small or very small report with conclusions, recommendations, and course data.
Reader, if you ever carry out competitor analysis? What are the nuances and peculiarities encountered in the course of it? What methods were used? Write in the comments.
Market research with classical methods, described more Jack Trout and Philip Kotler, to date, have no expediency. Consumer market B2C can not escape from the most common in this segment of quantitative research and focus groups, which are often used by companies in the market segments: retail trade in food products (tea, coffee, alcoholic beverages, beer, tobacco - cigarettes, soft drinks Coca-Cola and Pepsi), in the production segment of the market (sausage, juice, milk, butter), are now common practices for listed companies to fade into the background, because the customers who come to the marketing agencies are increasingly interested in the analysis of competitors - the collection of detailed market information on competitors. That information, which in principle is not in the media.
The analysis of competitors at the stage of marketing research
For a number of large companies operating in the industrial markets, modern marketing has become a serious competitive struggle, the result of which is a complete transformation of the classical research methods. These activities are aimed at revealing classified information representing a trade secret, the disclosure of which any company employee cannot simply be dismissed from the company, but even to prosecute.
The experience of the agency TOP EXPERT some industrial plants such as metallurgical holdings and oil companies have very strict control over the security services, there are principles of psychological impact on employees of the company, consisting of the fact that the employee is required to sign a special document "On the non-disclosure of trade secrets enterprise. " But if we estimate zdravomyslyasche practiced event, it is clear why this is done, - the security service if the company employs 20 thousand staff, keep track and monitor all physically cannot, therefore, selects as a measure of psychological intimidation alleged threat to their employees.
In fact, "worthless" described "horror stories" as if to look at this issue from a legal perspective, to prove that the trade secret was disclosed exactly a person and not another, virtually impossible. Also, we are witnessing the fact that the market freely available database of customers MTS database the Unified State Register, the base of the SCC - Customs Committee, and a lot of other information that is on the one hand to spread illegal, but at the same time, no one has announced that someone it has managed to attract for the theft of this information.
And in general, if we consider the criteria by which to assess the work of the security services in the enterprise, that to them in the first place should include: - How much security service managed to attract employees to criminal liability.
We present a list of items that are usually interested customers to gather information about their competitors:
Information about a competitor consumers;
Exact data on the volume of shipments of a competitor;
Analysis of marketing activities, advertising, and PR - activities of competitors;
Analysis of prices on competitors goods and services;
Strategy assortment policy of goods, products, and services;
Planned competitive investment program;
The calculation of the cost of products manufactured by a competitor.
Item 2) is the most difficult in the work related to competitive intelligence. The first thing that most of the customers are interested in at this point: The total amount of sales of a competitor for a certain period (month, year) in quantitative and monetary terms. The above statement of the problem in relation to those companies, which information is freely available, it is possible to rely on information statistics bodies - Rosstat, but the information contained in these sources of marketing information often does not reflect the real picture, and therefore require further evaluation by communicating with a competitor and identifying information directly from him.
This issue is solved, and the Agency TOP EXPERT copes with the solution of such problems, having set its own optimal legends, we have developed thanks to the great experience of competitive intelligence - gathering information and analyzing the activities of competitors. Our approach, in this case, is as follows: an Optimum legend in the competitive intelligence - it is 80% effective solution to the problem. The cost of such an event - analysis of competitors at a price our agency ranges from 5 000 to 10 000 rubles per one object of the study.
Often, the customer has required not just information, retold with the words, for example, the sales manager of the company competitive - so it is necessary to input information directly in the form of a documentary, in which it has a competitor. We are talking in this case about the database on receipt of delivery, competitor products. Standard Method - Mystery shopper who only managed to seize and present on the market, marketing agencies, does not work here. We can say that now customers from marketing companies require what they do not do at all.
Methods for obtaining secret information is different, the trust - to recruit any of the professionals of a competitor, but the process is time-consuming. Implementation of the measures described clearly seems like industrial espionage, for which from a legal point of view, is a criminal offense. This activity is more about the work of detective agencies rather than marketing companies.
Average statistical data on how much the client is willing to pay for a database of shipments of a single competitor, saying that this figure varies between 150 000 and 400 000 for the object, depending on the scale of the object of study, that is a competitor, and the volume of information collected (volume information may be up to several tens of megabytes in compressed form). But the probability of obtaining a focused database of any particular company is less than 30% and is accompanied by an increased risk.
During the period January - July 2009 in the segment of services in market research - competition analysis has become the most popular for customers to solve the following issues, which are engaged in agency TOP EXPERT, and offers services to its customers: "Examine the behavior of competitors in the market after the crisis" : What is the pricing policy is carried out competitors; What is the total amount of sales for the period; Which provide discounts to its customers - consumers; What is their marketing and PR-activity; What exclusive offers competitors lure consumers and so on.
The markets on which it is advisable to use as a tool to analyze the competition: telecommunications market - analysis of competitors tariffs for telephone services and the internet; The banking market - analysis of tariff rates on bank deposits and loans; Insurance market - analysis of tariffs CASCO insurance services; The real estate market - an analysis of rental rates for renting offices and warehouses; The market complex power equipment - analysis of product prices.
In conclusion, we give an example relating to the collection of information on the insurance market - rates for vehicle insurance company ROSNO AVTOKASKO program.
BASIC INSURANCE RATES ROSNO Insurance Company
Attention: For a correct determination of the size of the insured amount of the tariff, established in EUR or RUR, must be translated into USD at the exchange rate ruling at the date of concluding the insurance contract.
The analysis of competitors at the stage of marketing research
For a number of large companies operating in the industrial markets, modern marketing has become a serious competitive struggle, the result of which is a complete transformation of the classical research methods. These activities are aimed at revealing classified information representing a trade secret, the disclosure of which any company employee cannot simply be dismissed from the company, but even to prosecute.
The experience of the agency TOP EXPERT some industrial plants such as metallurgical holdings and oil companies have very strict control over the security services, there are principles of psychological impact on employees of the company, consisting of the fact that the employee is required to sign a special document "On the non-disclosure of trade secrets enterprise. " But if we estimate zdravomyslyasche practiced event, it is clear why this is done, - the security service if the company employs 20 thousand staff, keep track and monitor all physically cannot, therefore, selects as a measure of psychological intimidation alleged threat to their employees.
In fact, "worthless" described "horror stories" as if to look at this issue from a legal perspective, to prove that the trade secret was disclosed exactly a person and not another, virtually impossible. Also, we are witnessing the fact that the market freely available database of customers MTS database the Unified State Register, the base of the SCC - Customs Committee, and a lot of other information that is on the one hand to spread illegal, but at the same time, no one has announced that someone it has managed to attract for the theft of this information.
And in general, if we consider the criteria by which to assess the work of the security services in the enterprise, that to them in the first place should include: - How much security service managed to attract employees to criminal liability.
We present a list of items that are usually interested customers to gather information about their competitors:
Information about a competitor consumers;
Exact data on the volume of shipments of a competitor;
Analysis of marketing activities, advertising, and PR - activities of competitors;
Analysis of prices on competitors goods and services;
Strategy assortment policy of goods, products, and services;
Planned competitive investment program;
The calculation of the cost of products manufactured by a competitor.
Item 2) is the most difficult in the work related to competitive intelligence. The first thing that most of the customers are interested in at this point: The total amount of sales of a competitor for a certain period (month, year) in quantitative and monetary terms. The above statement of the problem in relation to those companies, which information is freely available, it is possible to rely on information statistics bodies - Rosstat, but the information contained in these sources of marketing information often does not reflect the real picture, and therefore require further evaluation by communicating with a competitor and identifying information directly from him.
This issue is solved, and the Agency TOP EXPERT copes with the solution of such problems, having set its own optimal legends, we have developed thanks to the great experience of competitive intelligence - gathering information and analyzing the activities of competitors. Our approach, in this case, is as follows: an Optimum legend in the competitive intelligence - it is 80% effective solution to the problem. The cost of such an event - analysis of competitors at a price our agency ranges from 5 000 to 10 000 rubles per one object of the study.
Often, the customer has required not just information, retold with the words, for example, the sales manager of the company competitive - so it is necessary to input information directly in the form of a documentary, in which it has a competitor. We are talking in this case about the database on receipt of delivery, competitor products. Standard Method - Mystery shopper who only managed to seize and present on the market, marketing agencies, does not work here. We can say that now customers from marketing companies require what they do not do at all.
Methods for obtaining secret information is different, the trust - to recruit any of the professionals of a competitor, but the process is time-consuming. Implementation of the measures described clearly seems like industrial espionage, for which from a legal point of view, is a criminal offense. This activity is more about the work of detective agencies rather than marketing companies.
Average statistical data on how much the client is willing to pay for a database of shipments of a single competitor, saying that this figure varies between 150 000 and 400 000 for the object, depending on the scale of the object of study, that is a competitor, and the volume of information collected (volume information may be up to several tens of megabytes in compressed form). But the probability of obtaining a focused database of any particular company is less than 30% and is accompanied by an increased risk.
During the period January - July 2009 in the segment of services in market research - competition analysis has become the most popular for customers to solve the following issues, which are engaged in agency TOP EXPERT, and offers services to its customers: "Examine the behavior of competitors in the market after the crisis" : What is the pricing policy is carried out competitors; What is the total amount of sales for the period; Which provide discounts to its customers - consumers; What is their marketing and PR-activity; What exclusive offers competitors lure consumers and so on.
The markets on which it is advisable to use as a tool to analyze the competition: telecommunications market - analysis of competitors tariffs for telephone services and the internet; The banking market - analysis of tariff rates on bank deposits and loans; Insurance market - analysis of tariffs CASCO insurance services; The real estate market - an analysis of rental rates for renting offices and warehouses; The market complex power equipment - analysis of product prices.
In conclusion, we give an example relating to the collection of information on the insurance market - rates for vehicle insurance company ROSNO AVTOKASKO program.
BASIC INSURANCE RATES ROSNO Insurance Company
Attention: For a correct determination of the size of the insured amount of the tariff, established in EUR or RUR, must be translated into USD at the exchange rate ruling at the date of concluding the insurance contract.
Nice blog about competitor analysis.Thanks for sharing.Competitor Analysis
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