Competitive Environment

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What is a Competitive Environment? Meaning.

The Competitive Environment is the part of a company's external environment that consists of other firms trying to win customers in the same market. It is the segment of the industry that includes all immediate rivals.

Levels of Competition

With regard to competition, there are at least four levels that can be distinguished:

1. Product Competition. This is competition focused on the same market segment. For example: Diet Pepsi and Diet Coke.
2. Product Category Competition. This is between products with the same characteristics, such as various soft drinks.
3. Generic Competition. This is competition between products that respond to the same needs of customers, such as drinks.
4. Budget Competition. This competition is for the money of the customer (share of wallet), such as between food and entertainment.

To analyze the strategic position of a firm in its industry and compare it with its direct and indirect competitors we can use a technique called "Strategic Group Analysis".

To analyze the positioning of a firm or brand in the minds of the consumers and compare it with its competitors we can use a technique called "Perceptual Mapping".

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Compare with: Five Competitive Forces  |  Industry Attractiveness  |  Competitive Advantage  |  Shared Value  |  PEST Analysis  |  Strategic Fit  |  Benchmarking  |  Oligopoly  |  Competitive Pricing  |  Competitive Position  |  Competitive Intelligence  |  Barriers to Entry  |  Globalization  |  Cartel  |  Horizontal Integration  |  Horizontal Merger  |  First Mover Advantage  |  Second-mover Strategy  |  Blue Ocean Strategy  |  Macro-Environment  |  Market Segmentation  |  Glocalization  |  Positioning  |  Organizational Resilience  |  Time to Market

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