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Research is very important in competitive analysis, from early in the project when conceptualizing the e-commerce plan, to later long after the system has been implemented in order to continually assess the competition vis-a-vis the business's capabilities.

You need to research your positions in the search engine wars to assess the effectiveness of your SEO.  Competitors come and go, and a few stay; you need to know your competitors.  What are their specialties, their proclivities, their competitiveness?  Are they so big and effective that they may swallow you?  Do they play unfairly in the search engine wars or in any other venue in the marketplace?  Are they perhaps doing something unethical or illegal?

We mention the term "intelligence" here because it connotes a more creative level of research other than collecting publicly available information.  Industrial espionage is practiced in the real world, and it is evident in greater numbers on the Internet.  Are you allied with a vendor that is familiar with those tactics and successful in combating such from malicious perpetrators?  Are you just suspicious and you need a helping hand in recognizing this facet of the Internet?

Sadly, this is one area where too many vendors are lacking.

E-Commerce   Web Marketing   Site Development   Hosting   Software Development    Research/Intelligence