Price Compression Number One Threat to Businesses in 2007, Says Aberdeen Report
Wednesday, 04 April 2007
According to the 2007 Aberdeen Report, the chief threat businesses face this year is price compression. Sixty-three percent (63 percent) of the survey’s 3,170 respondents named price compression as one of their primary competitive threats (No. 1 threat for 35 percent), with 18 percent identifying market-share erosion as the predominant issue, and 17 percent naming employee retention as the key challenge.
Those identifying pricing pressures (58 percent) or market-share issues (55 percent) as challenges responded unanimously with the same planned counter-strike, namely investment in sales and marketing.
Meanwhile, companies primarily concerned about employee retention plan to mitigate their risk by investing in additional staffing, a top two budget item for 60 percent of this group.
European companies are slightly more concerned than their North American counterparts about price compression (39 percent to 35 percent) and people retention (18 percent to 16 percent), but are less worried about market share erosion (15 percent to 18 percent).
Regardless of geography, price compression is a more pressing factor for small businesses (under $50 million US) with 63 percent citing it as their primary problem versus 16 percent of companies with revenues over $250 million US.
The destructive tendencies of the top three 2007 competitive threats can be mitigated, in part, by strategic investments in customer and employee facing technology, explains Alan Hubbard, senior vice president, Sales & Marketing Group, Aberdeen Research. “Investments in the areas of personalization and analytics can have a pronounced impact on business deterrents and profitable growth. These technologies shape the customer experience and provide invaluable insight into market dynamics. Better information and real-time insight into customers and consumers are key components to managing price pressures and market share issues. In the end better business also means happier employees leading to improved retention.”