Benchmarking as a Marketing Tool to Ensure the Competitiveness of Trading Enterprises

Abstract

The article is devoted to solving theoretical, methodological and applied aspects of benchmarking by trade enterprises in the context of globalization of commodity markets and integration of Ukraine into international trade and economic relations. The economic essence and the purpose of benchmarking as a marketing tool for ensuring competitive advantages are disclosed. The main prerequisites, the motives that presuppose the use of benchmarking in the activities of enterprises are considered. The modern approaches to benchmarking management are specified. Classification features are distinguished, types of benchmarking and scope of their use are characterized. The peculiarities of benchmarking of business processes of retail enterprises, the major success factors (assortment and laying out of goods, quality of goods/services, technology of purchase, saving of the buyers’ expenses, interaction with staff, store atmosphere, perception of the store by consumers) and the main management tasks in the process of change management, the solution of which will allow the retail trade enterprise to respond promptly to changes in market conditions and optimally combine goals and objectives of commercial activities with the needs of consumers. The factors that hinder the use of benchmarking by trade enterprises are described, in particular, the weak development of strategic analysis functions, the high cost of benchmarking research, and the deficiency of information field. Prospects for further exploration are determined as research of the mechanism and tools for the formation of information and communication provision of the benchmarking process in order to provide feedback in the processes of planning, control and adjustment.