Competitive intelligence practice in liquor retailing: evidence from a longitudinal case analysis

Abstract

Purpose

Competitive intelligence (CI) is a vital tool for any company to survive and remain competitive in today’s hypercompetitive and uncertain business environment. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the use of CI in liquor retailing in the USA.

Design/methodology/approach

An exploratory single longitudinal case study was performed through observation and semi-structured interviews plus examining documents from secondary sources in two phases. Content analysis was used for the data analysis.

Findings

Regardless of the small size of the company, the owner has an active attitude toward monitoring competition by using various sources of information and converting it into intelligence for making sound decisions for both short-term and long-term competitiveness. Also, the central role of the owner in the CI process has been verified.

Originality/value

This study responds to calls for more case studies in the field and is the first one to explore CI in the liquor retailing ecosystem by using a longitudinal case study. In general, studies of CI in retailing are limited. It has clear value to CI practices for retailers in the USA and in general.

Citation

Priporas, C.V. (2019), "Competitive intelligence practice in liquor retailing: evidence from a longitudinal case analysis", International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 47 No. 9, pp. 997-1010. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJRDM-08-2018-0177