Moreover, it was very costly for the competitors to imitate what Harlequin’s was already able to leverage over their competitors with the market share that they had established. Harlequin series readers were brand loyal; four of five readers would continue to purchase their product from a survey conducted. The strongest advantage for Harlequin was that Harlequin’s series novels were not available on the back-list unlike other traditional single title books, so Harlequin retained these rights. Harlequin organized with a consistent quality product, standing orders, predictable retail patterns and was able to offer books at a low costs to customers. Overall, Harlequin retained a value, their unique distribution channel, and retained their rights that were hard to copy for competitors as well as having brand loyalty. With all these factors, Harlequin was able to have a consistent and sustained competitive advantage on the romance series
Moreover, it was very costly for the competitors to imitate what Harlequin’s was already able to leverage over their competitors with the market share that they had established. Harlequin series readers were brand loyal; four of five readers would continue to purchase their product from a survey conducted. The strongest advantage for Harlequin was that Harlequin’s series novels were not available on the back-list unlike other traditional single title books, so Harlequin retained these rights. Harlequin organized with a consistent quality product, standing orders, predictable retail patterns and was able to offer books at a low costs to customers. Overall, Harlequin retained a value, their unique distribution channel, and retained their rights that were hard to copy for competitors as well as having brand loyalty. With all these factors, Harlequin was able to have a consistent and sustained competitive advantage on the romance series