Marketing Strategy and Competitive Positioning pdf ebook

Published sources include company reports, technical (trade) reports, industry studies 
and surveys commissioned by governments or industry associations. For example, in 
consumer goods markets, Which? provides comprehensive and useful reports that com-
pare product performance from a customer perspective. Obviously, websites and web 
forums are excellent sources of data; however, the quality and usefulness of these sources 
can vary, depending on the sector or industry. Increasingly, customers seeking informa-
tion about products and services turn to customer reviews for trusted and hopefully 
helpful insights and feedback into the experiences of others. Well-known examples of 
such advice, or ‘reviews’ as they are often called, can be seen on websites such as Amazon 
and TripAdvisor, but there are many, many more, of course.
● 
Data sharing can take place in industry forums such as conferences, through discus-
sions in formal and informal settings. Indeed, in most industries it is common for 
employees of competing firms to meet from time to time, and exchange information 
with each other either consciously or subconsciously. This does not necessarily imply 
particularly sinister or unsavoury practices, more information exchanges (often within 
broader general discussions) between interested, knowledgeable and well-informed 
professionals.
● 
Direct interviews might occur with customers, distributors, former employees of com-
petitors, regulators and government officials. Informed sources, such as those listed, may 
also be useful in collecting data on competitor operations for benchmarking purposes. 
Customers that have defected to a close competitor are also a great source of com-
parative data, and competitors’ customers in particular are a rich source of information 
on competitor processes. Questioning customers on the levels of service received, for 
example, or the manner in which complaints are handled, can identify the underlying 
processes used to deliver a particular service.

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