Business Commons^™

Street Vending And Competitive Advantage: Towards Building A Theoretical Framework, Aborampah Amoah-Mensah

The Qualitative Report

The study examines the strategies adopted by street vendors or hawkers in Ghana in a bid to gain competitive advantage. Drawing on six focus group meetings held with street vendors in two sub-metropolitan assemblies (Bantama and Tafo) in Kumasi, Ghana, the study finds that street vendors adopt ten strategies – networking, multiple undifferentiated market strategy, the sale of convenient products, “dying and resurrecting” (strategic exit and return into business), regular changing of goods and services, exploitation of flexible operating hours, cost-based pricing strategy, sales promotion, trade credit and locational advantage – to gain competitive advantage. Using these strategies, a theoretical …