The bargaining leverage of suppliers increases when?

The bargaining leverage of suppliers increases when there are no good substitutes for the supplied items. In this situation, suppliers hold greater power over the industry because buyers have limited alternative options for fulfilling their needs. This lack of substitutes means that companies in the industry are more reliant on the suppliers for essential goods or services, allowing suppliers to potentially demand higher prices or more favorable terms.

When substitutes are scarce, the perceived value of the supplier's products increases, and buyers are less able to negotiate terms or switch to alternative suppliers without incurring significant costs or disruptions to their operations. This dynamic is a critical part of understanding supplier power in competitive analysis, closely related to Porter's Five Forces framework, where the strength of supplier bargaining power can significantly impact overall industry profitability and strategy formulation.