What does it mean when a company has a competitive advantage?

Definition: A competitive advantage is the unique ability of a firm to utilize its resources effectively, managing to improve customer value and position itself ahead of the competition. In other words, it’s something that a company does better than its competitors because of some proprietary process, service, or brand.

What Does Competitive Advantage Mean?

What is the definition of competitive advantage? A firm gains a competitive advantage either through lower cost offerings (cost advantage) or through product differentiation (differentiation advantage). The firm exploits its resources, such as brand equity, brand recognition, distribution network or patents and trademarks, to create a cost advantage.

The effective utilization of its resources develops the firm’s distinctive competencies, which facilitate innovation, efficiency, and product quality, thus improving customer responsiveness and customer satisfaction. In the same way, a firm that seeks to achieve a competitive advantage targets larger markets, aiming to differentiate its offerings, increase its market share, and strengthen its brand recognition.

Let’s look at an example.

Example

There are several great examples of differentiation comparative advantage, such as Nike, Google, and Honda. All these brands achieve important economies of scale by their strong brand name that increases customer loyalty and customer satisfaction.

Nike offers a great variety of sports goods that can satisfy any consumer, and in turn, consumers are willing to pay a premium for the Nike products because they trust the company, and they like its offerings. Thus, through differentiation, Nike gains a competitive edge against other sports goods brands.

Google is the number one search engine and the best website for optimization searches that returns the most accurate results in no time. Google has achieved a competitive advantage by offering innovative services, such as Google Search, Gmail, Google Finance, Google Docs, and more, maintains an incredibly powerful infrastructure and occupies 70% of the Internet market.

Honda capitalizes on its strong brand reputation to offer reliable vehicles, which consistently rank very high in terms of fuel efficiency, value for money, and quality. In addition, Honda is one of the first car companies to release a hybrid vehicle and continues to be a leader in the field.

Therefore, in the real business world, firms gain a competitive edge by capitalizing on their know-how, technological infrastructure, the cost of production, and overall resources to be able to offer customer value and high-quality products.

Summary Definition

Define Competitive Advantage: A competitive advantage is when a company is able to out perform its competitors by running its operations more efficiently, making better, less expensive products, and becoming more appealing to consumers.

What does it mean when a company has a competitive advantage?

To stay ahead, you must be able to show the unique value your business offers. Understanding your customers and your competitors can help you develop your value proposition.

On this page

Your competitive advantage is the combination of marketing elements that sets your business apart. It's about the unique benefit customers get when they do business with you. Practical examples include:

  • free home delivery
  • a money-back guarantee
  • personalised service.

Finding your competitive advantage will help you to make the most of your existing strengths and to prioritise improvements. A strong competitive advantage will:

  • highlight customer benefits
  • reflect your business strengths
  • be clear, simple and unique
  • change over time to adapt to new conditions.

The following 3 steps can help you find your competitive advantage.

To uncover gaps in the market, you need to analyse and understand your customers and your competitors. This will show why you're making sales (the drivers for your business) and the reasons why not (the barriers against your business).

Use the free market research kit and refer to your marketing strategy.

Ask yourself:

  • why do customers buy from my business?
  • why do customers buy from my competitors?
  • why do potential customers choose not buy at all?
Read more about being a customer-focused business

When customers buy a product or service, they're actually buying the benefits they expect to get from it. They are buying the experience and the outcome.

How does your competitive advantage benefit your customers? For example:

  • do your products make their life simpler, or more exciting?
  • do your services make them feel better?

Remember that different benefits may appeal to different customers.

Imagine you're running an award-winning sandwich shop. You:

  • source fresh, chemical-free, local ingredients
  • make high-quality gourmet sandwiches to order.

Different customers will be attracted by different benefits. They may, for example:

  • like to have gourmet sandwiches for lunch
  • need sandwiches made to order to accommodate food allergies
  • want to support local growers and farmers.

Find out what trends are shaping the market and what benefits your customers want. Then find practical ways to address those needs.

Use our template for reviewing your 7 Ps of marketing to help identify:

  • the benefits you're offering
  • what makes your business unique.

While doing this, ask yourself:

  • how important are the added benefits you're offering really to customers?
  • how well does your business do at offering these benefits compared to your competition?

Focus on, and promote, benefits:

  • that customers really value
  • in areas where your business outperforms your competitors.

Check that your marketing collateral includes the most compelling benefits.

One way to stand out from your competitors is to innovate. Focus on solving problems, even problems your customers are not yet aware of. You could, for example, change existing or design new:

  • products
  • services
  • experiences
  • business processes.

Learn more about how to achieve growth through business innovation.

Map out the end-to-end customer journey to see where customers might:

  • experience issues when doing business with you (pain points)
  • be pleasantly surprised or impressed (wow factors).

This will help you plan and make business improvements.

Your marketing programs will be more focused and effective when you:

Improve this further by being clear about your customer value proposition (CVP).

A good CVP is a short, powerful statement about how you deliver value to your customers.

It answers the question:

What value do you promise to deliver to customers in exchange for their payment?

A business typically has 1 value proposition. It's about the big picture—their main and consistent difference.

Your value proposition links your:

The CVP:

  • is often used as a core statement in business plans and marketing strategy documents
  • guides external communication and how you go to market. For example, it will enable you to promote your difference, effectively pitch to stakeholders and increase sales conversion.

You can use these 3 points to quickly clarify your CVP:

  1. You know how... (the problems)
  2. Well, what we do... (our solutions)
  3. In fact... (our wow factors)

Example CVP

Think about the sandwich shop offering a gourmet alternative to customers.

  1. You know how… it's hard to find a quality sandwich at a reasonable price in our local area? Lunch time can become just another chore in your day.
  2. Well, what we do… is ask you what you really want. We then handmake every sandwich to order using the best, chemical-free, locally sourced ingredients.
  3. In fact… we get to know you by name—and your favourite sandwich. And we like to have a chat. That's all part of our award-winning service.

To write a more comprehensive CVP, answer these questions:

  • What are the problems we're solving for our customers?
  • What outcomes do they want to achieve?
  • What benefits do customers get from our products and services? This can be practical or emotional.
  • What sets our brand apart from the competition in terms of value? Why should customers choose and use our brand?

Example CVP

Think about the sandwich shop and how it compares to a chain of sandwich shops.

'Lunch time should be your time. Time to relax and enjoy. Time to get away from it all. Something to look forward too. But all too often it's the opposite of these things—more stress and heavy food. That's why our sandwiches are made with love, for what you love.

Choose your ingredients and we'll make every sandwich fresh to order.

You'll be supporting the local growers and farmers and you'll be supporting us, a family-owned business in the local community. You'll enjoy the friendly chat and the gourmet food, without the gourmet price. It's the award-winning service and taste that will keep you coming back.'

Business is about exchanging value. Value is based on what the customers thinks about the price they paid relative to the benefits they received. What will the answer be if a customer asks: What's in it for me (WIIFM)?

Read more about pricing products and services.

Keep the following in mind when you evaluate your customer value proposition:

  • existing business capability – current state
  • proposed enhancements – ideal future
  • the roadmap to get there – action plan.

What does it mean when a company has a competitive advantage?

Develop your customer value proposition (CVP) by:

Based on your competitive advantage, you'll have one or more unique selling points (USPs).

A USP:

  • is a short, snappy and memorable line
  • conveys what sets you apart from competitors
  • is mostly used for marketing communications
  • is also known as a 'unique selling proposition'.

It answers the question:

Why should customers buy from you?

You'll need a USP, or a series of USPs, when you run a marketing campaign. You'll also need to add it to the creative brief if you decide to partner with an agency.

The most effective way to stand out in a crowded market is with a unique selling point coupled with a distinctive brand.

The USP must convey the benefit you deliver, relative to competitors, that your target persona values most. This benefit may be real or perceived.

You’ll likely need many versions of your USPs, depending on your:

  • products and services
  • target segments
  • direct competitors.

To create and deliver high-impact marketing communications, follow these steps:

  1. Analyse your market research insights.
  2. Identify potential gaps/opportunities.
  3. Consider the needs of your customers.
  4. Draft and test your USPs.

Use the name 'unique selling point' as a guide:

  • unique – highlight a meaningful difference
  • selling – deliver the message in a persuasive way
  • point – deliver a single-minded message.

Think about potential areas like:

  • products or services not currently offered by competitors
  • customer groups not currently catered for by competitors
  • aspects of your business that are different from competitors.

Your USPs should be true to your business—you must be able to deliver the promise.

Example USPs

Using the local sandwich shop as an example and looking at its CVPs, we can identify the main points of difference and write USPs to match:

  • Service: 'Every single sandwich made fresh with love.'
  • Choice of ingredients: 'Only the finest, chemical-free ingredients.'
  • Local: 'Our local farmers and growers say thanks.'

While competition may be fierce, it's important to still follow fair and legal practices. Every business must comply with the relevant laws while trying to find a position in the market.

The most important legislation to be aware of is the Competition and Consumer Act 2010. It provides a fair and competitive operating environment and covers:

  • contract law and unfair contract terms
  • consumer rights when buying goods and services
  • product safety
  • unsolicited consumer agreements, including door-to-door and telephone sales
  • penalties, enforcement powers and the rights of consumers to seek compensation.

To understand your rights and responsibilities in the field of competition law, you can read:

Maintain your relevance

The only constant in business is change. That's why it's important to regularly review the trends that are shaping your market. These could include things like new:

  • behaviours
  • technologies
  • competitors
  • solutions.

You may need to evolve your business, but change also creates opportunities. This will require change management. Find out more about how to adapt and change your business.

The marketing field is always changing too. There's often an overemphasis on 'shiny new things.' It's good to stay up to date, but always:

  • refer to the fundamentals of marketing
  • adopt a strategic approach.

Your goal is to achieve your marketing objectives. To support this journey, make sure you refer to industry sources and external partners for:

Visit the Australian Marketing Institute to find information on best practice and standards.

Also consider...

  • Last reviewed: 29 Aug 2022
  • Last updated: 29 Aug 2022