戦略研究 (No. 52): 差別化の難しい商品には手を出さない。(April 12, 2010)
アサヒビールが、ハウス食品のミネラルウォーター部門を買収する。ハウス食品は、83年に「六甲のおいしい水」で市場に参入した国産ミネラルウォーターの先駆けであるが、最近は、大手飲料メーカーとの価格競争に巻き込まれて、販売量が激減している。ミネラルウォーターのように、差別化が難しい商品は、価格競争に耐える能力が不可欠である。競争相手で値下げをすれば、値下げして対抗するしかない。量販店で大幅に値下げしている大手メーカーの商品がシェアを伸ばし、値下げできないメーカーのシェアが低下するのは当然である。差別化の難しい商品は、ブランド名だけで勝負はできない。有名ブランドの、輸入ミネラルウォーターも、希望小売価格が分からないほどの安値で売られている。景気の停滞で、ミネラルウォーターの販売量がさらに減少することが予想される。ハウス食品のケースは、中堅企業は差別化の難しい商品に手を出すべきではない実例を示している。(Written by Shigeo Sunahara of CBC, Inc.)
No. 52: Stay away from hard-to-differentiate products (April 12, 2010)
Asahi Breweries has decided to acquire House Foods Corp.’s mineral water division. As the pioneer, House Foods paved the way for Japanese mineral water products by introducing “Rokko’s Delicious Water” in 1983. However, sales of its mineral water have been decreasing drastically lately because of the fierce competition with larger beverage makers. The ability to live with price competition is vital to market products hard to differentiate. If competitors reduce the price, there is no way left for you to reduce the price to endure the competition. It is quite natural that leading makers capable of reducing price considerably increase the share, while smaller makers incapable of reducing price decrease the share in volume retailers. It is hardly possible for a hard-to-differentiate product to compete successfully in the market only with the brand name. At present, even such famous import brands as Volvic and Vittel are being sold at such low prices that no one can tell their suggested retail prices. Because economy does not seem to recover soon, sales of mineral water are supposed to continue declining. The House Foods case gives us a lesson that medium-sized companies had better stay away from hard-to-differentiate products. (Written by Shigeo Sunahara of CBC. Inc.)
No. 52: Stay away from hard-to-differentiate products (April 12, 2010)
Asahi Breweries has decided to acquire House Foods Corp.’s mineral water division. As the pioneer, House Foods paved the way for Japanese mineral water products by introducing “Rokko’s Delicious Water” in 1983. However, sales of its mineral water have been decreasing drastically lately because of the fierce competition with larger beverage makers. The ability to live with price competition is vital to market products hard to differentiate. If competitors reduce the price, there is no way left for you to reduce the price to endure the competition. It is quite natural that leading makers capable of reducing price considerably increase the share, while smaller makers incapable of reducing price decrease the share in volume retailers. It is hardly possible for a hard-to-differentiate product to compete successfully in the market only with the brand name. At present, even such famous import brands as Volvic and Vittel are being sold at such low prices that no one can tell their suggested retail prices. Because economy does not seem to recover soon, sales of mineral water are supposed to continue declining. The House Foods case gives us a lesson that medium-sized companies had better stay away from hard-to-differentiate products. (Written by Shigeo Sunahara of CBC. Inc.)
