| Abstract: | Abstract The balsamic vinegar of Modena (BVM) is one of the most popular among the emerging Italian food products worldwide. This industry is characterised by a strong heterogeneity of the operators and by a relevant growth of sales and export. This paper first describes the main features of the market environment and the factors allowing all the BVM producers to gain a competitive advantage and their ability to compete. Second, a perceptual competitiveness map of BVM industry describing the competitive environment and highlighting the competitive factors managed by the enterprises are drawn using discriminant analysis. Cluster analysis is also applied to group the operators according to their position in the marketplace and to their competitive features. The study is useful to identify new opportunities for company differentiation and potential market niches or market segments with a lower level of competition. The analysis highlights that there is a low level of differentiation amongst the competitive arena, and the opportunities for differentiation appears linked to the following main drivers: an increased perceived level of quality, the introduction of an innovative products, the management of the price level and the identification of new attractive markets. |
