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Market and competitor insights

While insights into our clients’ markets and competitors are always a core element of our strategy development work, they can also stand alone as a valuable tool for clients in making more discrete strategic decisions.

Drivers of competitor performance

We analyse the businesses of competing or peer firms to deliver insight into sources of competitive advantage. We have expertise in undertaking detailed cost benchmarking to pinpoint specific areas of advantage, as well as highlighting differences in capabilities, business model and strategy, and explaining the impact that these have on performance.

We also facilitate war games to test new strategies against likely competitor reaction or to support our clients in developing responses to competitor activity.

Market attractiveness

We assess market size and growth, profit pools, competitive situation, regulatory factors and barriers to entry to determine the attractiveness of markets. This is often the precursor to development of a market entry strategy, or informs the evaluation of an acquisition candidate.

Customer requirements

Another of our core areas of expertise lies in assessing the evolving requirements of our clients’ customers and potential customers through conducting in-depth interviews that are objective and strategic, rather than mired in the distractions of day-to-day dealings. Regardless of whether they are manufacturers, wholesalers or retailers, the insights that we gain into customer strategies are critical in understanding what they are looking for from suppliers, and how they evaluate our client relative to its competitors. These perspectives can inform strategy development and/or influence investment decisions to enhance competitive advantage.

Turning insights into strategy

Often external analysis either confirms or reveals a need for strategic change. We consider the existing business models and operating constraints of our clients against the backdrop of the market and competitive situation, and develop strategies to address their specific strategic opportunities and challenges. This may, for example, involve applying learnings from best practice companies to secure competitive advantage, developing strategies to enter new, attractive markets, or refining existing strategies to better meet customer needs.

Example assignments

Consumer products: global leader in salty snacks seeking to enter major market in Central Europe.

Consumer products: global food company seeking to understand drivers of its competitors’ superior performance in a key category.

Consumer products: dairy company wishing to understand its competitors better so as to refine its strategy.

Consumer products: leading commodity ingredients company seeking to expand into speciality ingredients.

Business-to-business services: international construction and project management group seeking to learn from peers to reduce volatility of profits.

Industrial products: industrial minerals processor wishing to enter Brazilian market.