Examining the role of social media analytics in providing competitive intelligence- The impacts and limitations

Abstract

This study examines the role of social media analytics (SMA) in providing competitive intelligence (CI). Building on CI theory, the data from qualitative semi-structured interviews with respondents belonging to social media, manufacturing, telecommunication, IT and service industries were analyzed using Nvivo coding and matrix queries. The results show that SMA provides an expanded CI beyond the previous limits of customers/markets and competitors, including insights on supply chains, costs and information-flow. Moreover, SMA-driven CI can provide visibility to supply chain uncertainties enabling improvements in demand planning and inventory management. SMA can provide CI about competitors’ strengths and weaknesses and customers’ dynamics; however, the bi-directional nature of CI could be determinantal if SM-linked customers are not educated/kept informed. Matrix query results illuminate the differences/similarities in respondents’ views. Academically, the study shows that SMA provides expanded CI to businesses beyond previously known scope of competitor analysis.