Demystifying the Sustainable Competitive Advantage of Sualkuchi Silk Products: Perspectives of Buyers and Sellers

Abstract

India’s Assam silk products are well known and popular across the globe but have been facing stiff competition from numerous competitors. In this regard, there is a need to analyse the sustainable competitive advantages of Assam silk products to devise defensive strategies to sustain the age-old industry. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify the sustainable competitive advantages of the Assam silk products from buyers’ and sellers’ perspectives. Data were collected from 200 sellers and buyers through a standardised structured questionnaire; namely, the Buyers’ and Sellers’ Agreement Scale (BSAS). We employed the one-sample and independent-sample t-tests for the data estimation. The findings indicated that the Assam silk products had different levels of sustainable competitive advantages that mainly included quality, geographical indications, designs, durability, customer loyalty, customer base, timely delivery, product differentiation, product uniqueness, and innovation. The findings were new because this was the first study that identified the sustainable competitive advantages of India’s Assam silk industry, which occupies a significant position in the world. The study will benefit India’s Assam silk industry in devising strategies to face the challenges in sustaining and growing its business for a long time.