The telematics industry has evolved from a largely military and navigational system to a commercialized business tool which will continue to become one of the most important and sophisticated industrial communication components of the next century. From basic GPS systems like Google Maps, to the not-so futuristic remote maintenance systems and operation systems, to self-driving…

For companies starting out with intelligence functions, terms like primary research and secondary research may have surfaced, but lacked context. So if you’ve had questions like: “When is research needed?” or, “What is secondary research?” Allow us clear up a few things. The good news about secondary research is that most of the work has…

Defensive Strategies Enhance and Protect Your Firm’s Competitive Strategies Two questions that commonly silenced the room during strategic and scenario business planning presentations: 1. How are our competitors going to react to these strategies? 2. What are we doing about retaining certain customer segments at risk because we know they’re considering the competition? If your…

Every traditional retail store has felt the pain of online competition. But the truth is, things are going to change even more drastically for consumer product goods as Amazon enters into the Private Label sphere, launching its own product lines such as Happy Belly (food products), Wickedly Prime (snack foods) and Mama Bear (baby products).…

Emerging Threats: Customer Switching Strategies – Channel Partners as Competitors Problem Many companies are being caught by surprise by a recent trend: threats to their revenue and margins as a result of customer (buyer) consolidation and substitution strategies. These strategies are helping channel partners (buyers/distributors/dealers) significantly increase their bargaining power in a number of market…

Entering adjacent markets is touted as less risky than entering new markets. Why then do so many companies underperform their growth expectations when executing these strategies? Growth strategies to enter adjacent geographic, product or service markets are supposed to be less risky and offer more upside because they leverage the core capabilities of the current…

Online shopping and e-commerce channels are driving retailers to develop solutions that keep the retail experience relevant to consumers. One such strategy is leveraging POS technology to produce essentially an “endless aisle.” The endless aisle strategy offers customers unlimited inventory and assortment ‒ whether they’re shopping online or in the physical store. Over the last…

Innovation and new product launches are key growth drivers for successful technology companies. Marketing teams are well versed at taking ideas from concept through product, pricing, promotion and distribution strategies to commercialize with the perfect positioning to drive sales growth. Then, complaints start rolling in and warranty or support costs blow-out the budget. What went…

Proactive’s Intelligence2day® provides up-to-the-minute, easily–accessed, ready-to-use intelligence to shape strategic and tactical business decisions. Case in Point: A Fortune 500 pharmaceutical company had launched a widely-used best-in-class drug, but knew that competitors had on–market and late-stage developmental assets that threatened their current market share. View Case Study