Strategic Marketing Strategy Essay Example for Free

Strategic merchandise Strategy EssayThis analysis provides both an offensive and defensive strategical context through which to locate opportunities and threats. Competitor analysis is normally with the focus on the challengers as rivals? and the objective is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the rivals in straddle to develop strategies to fight the battle?. The focus of adversary analysis is thus not only to defecate an advantage over direct competitors but also to search for starting points for collaboration. (Jooste, Strydom, Berndt du Plessis, 2008, p. 96).The focus will be to upshot the following Who Woolworths? present and latent competitors are What positions they have established in the food market What their strategic objectives and thrusts are What their present and future strategies are What their strengths and weaknesses are What their response patterns are In order to answer these questions effectively, a framework for competitor analysis will b e used. This framework is comprised of four main components (divided into sub-components), for each one of which will be discussed in detail.These four main steps in performing a competitor analysis include identifying the competitor analysing strategic groups analysing key competitors and forecasting likely response strategies. 1. 1 Identifying the competitor The first step or component of this framework is to identify the competitors, bearing in mind that competitors tummy be classified into different categories. Identifying one? s competitors might seem like a unambiguous task, but in actuality the range of actual and potential competitors faced by an organisation is much broader than appears to be, redden though it is much more difficult to ascertain who potential? ustomers are. 3 1. 2 Direct competitors versus potential competitors According to Unisa (2010), arguing is an activity that occurs between rival companies that produce similar offerings and between industries tha t compete to punish similar needs of the same customers. For example, rival companies would include BMW, Mercedes Benz and Audi and rival industries would include motor car and wheel industries. These rival companies are called competitors and two common methods used to identify direct competitors include customer perceptions and strategic groups.Identifying competitors using customer perceptions means asking customers whom and what they consider when making their purchase choices. The second method involves identifying competitors whose competitive strategies conflict with organisation? s strategies. These competitors can be labelled as direct?. Direct aspiration include competitors competing to satisfy the same customer need industry competition product line competition organisational competition and brand competition. 1. Identifying Woolworths competitors As noted above, it is possible to classify competitors according to different levels. Woolworths is a phoner that compet es against different competitors in different product categories. According to Cant and Machado (2010), Woolworths? competitors in the retail super market field include Spar, Checkers, Pick n Pay, Shoprite and Massmart. In the retail clothing market, Woolworths? direct competition includes Truworths, Foschini, Edgars, Mr Price, tarry and Ackermans/Pep. 2.