Initially, this term was used by the authors Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne, but recently this phrase has already become a household name and is well known to those who are related to business.
The term "blue ocean" is applied to a business in a niche where there is still no competition. In contrast to the "crimson ocean" filled with the "blood" of competitors. In the blue ocean, it is much more likely to catch fish, since you are alone there. But is a blue ocean strategy always needed, and how to find it.
To begin with, it is worth determining whether this very blue ocean is needed in your industry. If you sell FMCG products and everything is going well, then this may not be the way to go. For example, if you have a bakery or grocery store. Although the business is very competitive, people buy food and bread every day, and here you need to focus on the quality of the products, polite employees, and excellent service. Then you will already have a competitive edge and stand out favorably. And it's better to spend all your efforts on debugging the system and scaling the business than on finding an incomprehensible new niche.
Here, the "blue ocean" may appear not in the product itself, but in some innovations. For example, if no one in the area offers home delivery of groceries, do so first. If you work in a small town where local shops do not accept bank cards, then install a terminal.
The easiest way to “skim the cream” with a new product or service is to follow the European and American markets. Most of the ideas come to our country from there. This is how the first fitness clubs and barbershops appeared in our cities. And many different products. There is one catch here: the difference in mentality, so there is always a share of risk.
One of the options to differentiate yourself from competitors in this industry is to become the best specialist in a narrow segment of services. For example, if you are a hairdresser, then specialize only in blond dyeing, undergo training, constantly improve, buy the best materials, invest in advertising, and then you can rightfully raise the prices for your services and become number one in the city / region. … This is an example of entering the blue ocean even in such a conservative industry as hairdressing.
When trying to offer the market something unusual and new, it is important to predict whether this product or service will be needed at all. It so happens that it is not on the market, not because no one has thought of it yet, but because no one will buy it. Then, instead of the blue ocean, there will be failure and losses.
The blue ocean turns scarlet very quickly. When you achieve success in a low-competitive field, immediately there are those who want to repeat it. Then it is already necessary to apply other strategies: honing the service, improving the goods, expanding the assortment. Otherwise, competitors may bypass you, even if they were originally your followers.
