COMPETITIVE FORCES
With the aim of identify the SWOT analysis, their objectives and strategies, how do they respond to the key external variables, the vulnerability, new firms entering or old firms leaving the industry, the profitability and what substitute service could be a threat of each direct rival for the industry, such as CRAIGSLIST, AIRBNB, MASTER HOME, METROCUADRADO y FINCARAIZ.
Establishing that Craigslist and Airbnb are our “Major Competitors”
GRAIGLIST
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
1. A well-known and trusted brand.
2. Large revenues from a simple business model that clearly works.
3. Small, tightly-integrated company.
Weaknesses
1. Not compatible with modern platforms (smart phones, iPads and other tablets.)
2. Usefulness declining with increasing spam.
3. Site is now cluttered and not easy to navigate.
4. Help forum is idiosyncratic and unhelpful.
Opportunities
1. Craigslist could more effectively monetize their services, probably increasing revenue by an order of magnitude.
Threats
1. Craigslist could be made liable for content.
2. Google's many competitively-priced services (e.g. Google Base).
3. Integrated Apple services (iPod, iPhone, iPad, and their applications).
4. Look-alikes that improve on Craigslist's current weaknesses.
TAKEN FROM
http://www.ecommerce-digest.com/craigslist-case-study.html
OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIES
Under the fact that they have provided thousands of California foster youth with the housing, employment, and educational support needed to make the difficult transition from foster care to independent living. With these critical resources, youth are significantly more likely to overcome homelessness, poverty, low educational achievement, and poor health. First Place now leverages our unique position and reputation as a high quality service provider to advocate for change on behalf of all foster youth, following the grouth goal, they've already partnered with some of the largest, most sophisticated retailers and OEMs in the world (Amazon, Bose, and Costco to name a few), but it´s not done yet! In this role, they'll own and grow new and existing multi-million $ business segments by utilizing proven sales development and strategic account management skills, ultimately driving the business to meet year-over-year growth targets for our largest accounts (and then some). This high-visibility position is a key player in new partner initiatives, and he/she will collaborate closely with Sales, Marketing, Customer Experience, and Senior Management to drive revenue growth and product/service innovations.
TAKEN FROM
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/npo/5414723623.html
EXTERNAL TRENDS
“Craigslist & the Economy: Predicting Unemployment and Foreclosure Trends from Online Classified Advertisements”: The sharp rise of the E-labor market presents the internet as a viable tool to gauge the rate of unemployment. A 2001 survey by the Canadian Public Service Commission showed that 78% of public service external recruits used the internet for their job search. And in the U.S., over 8.64% of the population engages in online job search. While this percentage might seem small, it is still higher that the highest national unemployment rate during the past decade of 6.7%.
https://cnx.org/contents/eBCGDrm-@1/Craigslist--the-EconomyPredict
After conducting a series of tests to eliminate other possible causes that might be driving the HIV trends such as increased testing in a community, the researchers discovered that the upward shift was influenced by ads in Craigslist’s personals sections, not the site’s escort service ads. This finding was in line with existing research that shows internet-facilitated sex workers are less likely to participate in risky sexual practices with clients.
“Our study results suggest that there is a new social route of HIV transmission that is taking place in this digital era,” says Chan. “Health care practitioners and policymakers have to look more closely at online platforms to assess how its usage may facilitate the spread of HIV and STDs across the country.”
Under the political trends, each division of Craigslist, is ruled by the lws and policies of each state.
AIRBNB
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
-experienced business units
-monetary assistance provided
-high profitability and revenue
-existing distribution and sales networks
Weaknesses
-investments in research and development
-tax structure
-future profitability
-future debt rating
-small business units
-high loan rates are possible
-productivity
Opportunities
-growing demand
-new products and services
-global markets
-new acquisitions
-income level is at a constant increase
Threats
-growing competition and lower profitability
-price changes
-rising cost of raw materials
-cash flow
-increase in labor costs
-financial capacity
-increasing rates of interest
TAKEN FROM
http://www.swotanalysis24.com/swot-a/3491-swot-analysis-airbnb.html
STRATEGY OF COMPETITIVE POSITIONING AND BRAND STRATEGY
As the principal Competitive positioning, Growth is evening out, but still strong, also Airbnb still small compared to traditional players, taking on account that Airbnb is playing versus the hotel industry, LA stakeholders pursue Airbnb for impact on local housing.
As the Brand strategy, fisrte, the aim is to grow in geographies and products, that’s why Airbnb launches global campaigns on the back of rebrand, where rebrand comes with updated websites and apps.
TAKEN FROM
http://www.euromonitor.com/airbnb-inc-in-travel/report
EXTERNAL TRENDS
As fo the Economic trends, on behalf of Airbnb, an online service for short-term vacation rentals, HR&A conducted an economic impact assessment of Airbnb rental activities in San Francisco and New York City. Airbnb is a leader in the “sharing economy,” a new trend in the sharing of resources facilitated by network technologies and social tools, and HR&A’s reports are among the most in-depth studies to date of the impacts of this economic trend. The studies reveal multiple ways in which the new economic activities associated with Airbnb — which has grown exponentially since 2008 to serve 9 million guests in cities around the world — have significant impacts on a city and its neighborhoods, businesses, and residents: Airbnb benefits its many hosts, who use Airbnb to supplement their income; Airbnb impacts neighborhoods that are off the main hotel beat, distributing visitor spending across many neighborhoods and businesses throughout the city; Airbnb benefits the city as a whole. In San Francisco, it generated $56 million in direct and indirect spending in one year and supported 380 full-time equivalent jobs. In New York, it generated $632 million in economic activity in New York and supported 4,580 jobs throughout all five boroughs.; Much of this economic activity is new. Even as hotel occupancy has climbed, the number of Airbnb reservations has grown dramatically, indicating that many Airbnb users are a different visitor segment than hotel guests. Airbnb brings new economic spending to cities from visitors who are price-sensitive and seek a “live like a local” experience they may not otherwise find in conventional accommodation; and Airbnb also enables cities to become more competitive by attracting skilled workers and incentivizing relocation with innovative short-term stay opportunities.
HR&A’s studies have been covered by WNYC, The Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, Real Estate Weekly, Media Post, New York Business Journal, Digital Journal, Tech Hive, Curbed, Morningstar, Forbes, TechCrunch, Marketwire, and The Huffington Post, among other news sources. It also attracted substantial attention from policy experts, and elected officials. The official press release for the New York Study is available online.
TAKEN FROM
http://www.hraadvisors.com/featured/economic-impacts-of-airbnb/
As Cultural trend, Part of AirBnB’s appeal is the power it gives potential guests. Not just the power of choice, but the power of locale, of character, of personality. Search any city’s listings on AirBnB, and you’re guaranteed to see a recurring sales pitch amongst hosts: Experience the real New York, the real Paris, the real Melbourne—and do it for less!
The implication is that traditional properties do not represent an authentic experience of the area, the city, the locale. AirBnB can effectively make this claim because it gives travelers access to residential neighbourhoods where hotels simply don’t exist. Moreover, a hotel brand (especially a global one) can seem quite stuffy next to a loft apartment decorated with local art. AirBnB gives you options that aren’t just corporate logos and standard fittings—it gives you people. Each host on AirBnB is his or her own brand, and the transaction between guest and host is an eminently personal one.
The important thing is to question the long-standing wisdom. Do guests prefer hotel staff to be friendly in a highly guarded manner, or would a more personal approach be effective? What would compel the guest to remember people, faces and names instead of just a logo or points balance?
TAKEN FROM
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/airbnb-vs-hospitality-industry-trend-toward-personal-dean
ANALYSIS
For this major competitors, we could determine that they wont be to vulnerable to our alternative possible strategies, due to the scope and market share they have had reached. Also, the possible substitute need to present to the industry a new way to solve the individuals needs on the most profitable way possible, like perhaps, a different time setting agreement and flexible agreements, as HOMESUITE does, so it takes a commission on the rental, so the prices are higher than if you went through the landlord directly. Some of the landlords they work with are normally corporate rentals, while others are putting their properties up for rent on a monthly basis rather than yearly.
