Whichever the case, if you follow this strategy you are very likely not to succeed for these reasons:

1. Benchmarking other sectors is a good idea. It is actually a good source of information and can be really helpful. However, the problem is that there are many particularities in each sector that make ir really difficult to emulate what is working for each of them. Moreover, your own sector will have its own complexities to be considered. This is specially the case of distribution where the purchasing behavior and channels capabilities change dramatically from sector to sector.

2. If you wait for your competitor to take the first step you will be in two possible scnearios. The first one is that they fail in their trial. What is usually done when this happens is that you reject what has happened and try to disguise it, giving the impression that the results are much better that they are. So you may be copying something that did not work! And in the second possible scenario, it might have worked well for your competitor and by the time you have copied him, he will have move forward and be again one step ahead of you.

My recommendation is therefore first, to be innovative and not to wait for others to make a move. Second, to be realistic about the capabilities of each channel (don´t expect for instance a category killer to give a good service). And third, never lose out of sight the purchasing behavior of your target group and their expected level of service.

By the way, big mistakes are usually ignoring the latest. When, as we all have studied in Marketing Foundamentals, it should be the starting point of our Marketing Strategy!

Ignacio Gafo