Competitive Forces Model

Understand the six competitive forces

What is the Competitive Forces Model?

The Competitive Forces Model is an important tool used in strategic analysis to analyze the competitiveness in an industry. The model is more commonly referred to as the Porter’s Five Forces Model, which includes the following five forces: intensity of rivalry, threat of potential new entrants, bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers, and threat of substitute goods and/or services.

In our competitive forces model, we include a sixth force, the power of complementary goods and/or services providers. The model helps a company understand the risks in the industry it is operating in and decide how it wants to execute its strategies in response to competition.

Competitive Forces Model - Diagram

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Intensity of Industry Rivalry

There are multiple factors that can impact the intensity of rivalry within an industry.

Concentration of rivals – the more competitors, the more intense the rivalry
Product homogeneity – industries selling very similar products are likely to be more competitive
Consumer switching costs – if it costs consumers a lot to switch from one company’s product to a competitor’s, the company is likely to face less competition
Excess production capacity – when there is excess production capacity available in an industry, there is a higher chance of increased rivalry as companies find the industry more attractive to enter
Brand loyalty – rivalry is high when customers have low brand loyalty
Network effects – refers to the positive effect on the value of a product when there is an additional user of the product. When a network effect exists, the value of a product or service increases as more people are using it.

Threat of Potential Entrants

The threat of potential entrants is impacted by things such as:

Brand loyalty
Cost advantage or economies of scale – The threat of potential entrants tends to be higher when companies can realize economies of scale by mass production
Switching costs
Network effects
Excess production capacity
Government regulation – industries with strict government regulation pose a higher barrier to potential new entrants
Barriers to exit – when exiting an industry requires high costs, companies are less likely to enter the industry in the first place
Investment in specialist equipment – companies also consider the amount of capital that needs to be invested in specialist equipment when entering an industry
High fixed costs – things such as specialist equipment, properties, and land are examples of high fixed costs
Specialized skills – when entering an industry requiring specialized skills or techniques, there is a higher barrier to entry for potential entrants

Bargaining Power of Buyers

The bargaining power of buyers is high when:

Buyers are large or concentrated, so their decisions to purchase a product/service have bigger impacts on the company
Buyers purchase a large percentage of volume
Buyers have good information about the product, such as product pricing and demand

Buyers are price-sensitive when:

There are many industry competitors, giving the buyers more choices with lower prices and better product attributes
There are many substitutes available
Switching costs are low, so buyers are indifferent between purchasing products from a company or its rivals
Product homogeneity is high

Bargaining Power of Suppliers

The bargaining power of suppliers is high when:

Suppliers are large or concentrated
Suppliers can credibly threaten forward integration in the industry
Rivals purchase a small percentage of the suppliers’ products

Purchasers’ price elasticity is high when:

There are few alternative suppliers available
There are few substitute inputs available
Switching costs are high for purchasers

Threat of Substitute Goods/Services

Companies are likely to experience a high threat of substitute goods/services when:

Switching costs are low for customers
Substitutes have superior pricing relative to the current products
Substitutes have better attributes or performance characteristics

Power of Complementary Good/Service Providers

Complementary goods or services can add value to the existing products in an industry. However, when complements have unattractive features or do not provide any value to consumers, they can actually become an issue for the industry by slowing growth and limiting profitability.

When developing strategies for a business, decision-makers should consider how they can potentially encourage complement providers to integrate and become a part of the business. Successful integration with complement providers is likely to expand market opportunities and bring profit-enhancing benefits to the business.

More Resources

Thank you for reading CFI’s guide to the Competitive Forces Model. Additional relevant CFI resources include: