• Existing loyalty to major brands
• Incentives for using a particular buyer (such as frequent shopper programs)
• High fixed costs
• Scarcity of resources
• High costs of switching companies
• Government restrictions or legislation
Power of Suppliers - This is how much pressure suppliers can place on a business. If one supplier has a large enough impact to affect a company's margins and volumes, then it holds substantial power. Here are a few reasons that suppliers might have power:
• There are very few suppliers of a particular product
• There are no substitutes
• Switching to another (competitive) product is very costly
• The product is extremely important to buyers - can't do without it
• The supplying industry has a higher profitability than the buying industry
Power of Buyers - This is how much pressure customers can place on a business. If one customer has a large enough impact to affect a company's margins and volumes, then the customer hold substantial power. Here are a few reasons that customers might have power:
• Small number of buyers
• Purchases large volumes
• Switching to another (competitive) product is simple
• The product is not extremely important to buyers; they can do without the product for a period of time
• Customers are price sensitive
Availability of Substitutes - What is the likelihood that someone will switch to a competitive product or service? If the cost of switching is low, then this poses a serious threat. Here are a few factors that can affect the threat of substitutes:
• The main issue is the similarity of substitutes. For example, if the price of coffee rises substantially, a coffee drinker may switch over to a beverage like tea.
• If