Benchmark
Winning companies
How market leaders score on the 9 durable differentiators. Use this to benchmark your own audit against companies operating at scale.
Industry case studies
Winning companies per industry
We audited 84 companies across 14 industries to validate our model. For each industry we compared 6 companies on financial metrics; revenue growth, EBITDA (margin), and stock performance. The companies that have durable differentiators are highlighted.
Why it pays to have a Durable Differentiator
Companies with 1 or more Durable Differentiators grow 2.4x faster, have 50% higher margin and outperform competitors on the stock market.
| Group | N | Avg Rev Growth (3y CAGR) | Avg EBITDA Margin | Avg 3-Yr Stock | Avg 5-Yr Stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| With durable differentiators | 26 | +18.3% | 15.0% | +9.8% | +21.2% |
| Without durable differentiators | 58 | +7.6% | 10.0% | -8.2% | -3.1% |
Averages parse the numeric cells of every company across every industry table below; non-numeric values (N/A (Private), Variable, etc.) are excluded from each metric's denominator.
E-commerce & Marketplaces
Cost Leadership · Customer Obsession · Information Intelligence · Platform Power · Agility & Experimentation
| Company | Durable Differentiators | Rev Growth (3y CAGR) | EBITDA Margin | 3-Yr Stock | 5-Yr Stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon amazon.com | 3 (Cost Leadership, Customer Obsession, Information Intelligence) | 11.0% | 14.2% | +3.5% | +11.2% |
| Shopify shopify.com | 2 (Platform Power, Agility & Experimentation) | 22.4% | 8.5% | +12.4% | +15.6% |
| Walmart walmart.com | 0 | 5.8% | 6.1% | +8.2% | +9.5% |
| Alibaba alibaba.com | 0 | 4.5% | 18.2% | -15.8% | -20.4% |
| Target target.com | 0 | 1.2% | 6.5% | -10.5% | +4.8% |
| eBay ebay.com | 0 | -1.5% | 28.5% | -5.2% | +2.1% |
| Avg — 1+ DDs | n = 2 | +16.7% | 11.3% | +8.0% | +13.4% |
| Avg — 0 DDs | n = 4 | +2.5% | 14.8% | -5.8% | -1.0% |
Online Travel
Agility & Experimentation · Platform Power · Cost Leadership
| Company | Durable Differentiators | Rev Growth (3y CAGR) | EBITDA Margin | 3-Yr Stock | 5-Yr Stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Booking.com booking.com | 3 (Agility & Experimentation, Platform Power, Cost Leadership) | 24.5% | 31.5% | +15.2% | +12.5% |
| Trip.com trip.com | 0 | 45.2% | 15.8% | +25.4% | -1.5% |
| Airbnb airbnb.com | 0 | 20.2% | 22.4% | -3.5% | +1.2% |
| Expedia expedia.com | 0 | 15.8% | 18.5% | +8.4% | -2.5% |
| TripAdvisor tripadvisor.com | 0 | 12.5% | 14.2% | -18.5% | -22.4% |
| Trivago trivago.com | 0 | -7.2% | 11.2% | -50.5% | -65.5% |
| Avg — 1+ DDs | n = 1 | +24.5% | 31.5% | +15.2% | +12.5% |
| Avg — 0 DDs | n = 5 | +17.3% | 16.4% | -7.7% | -18.1% |
Dutch Electronics Retail
Customer Obsession · Platform Power · Cost Leadership
| Company | Durable Differentiators | Rev Growth (3y CAGR) | EBITDA Margin | 3-Yr Stock | 5-Yr Stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon NL amazon.nl | 1 (Cost Leadership) | 15.2% | 14.2% | N/A (Sub. AMZN) | N/A (Sub. AMZN) |
| Bol.com bol.com | 1 (Platform Power) | 7.5% | 5.5% | N/A (Sub. Ahold) | N/A (Sub. Ahold) |
| Coolblue coolblue.nl | 1 (Customer Obsession) | 5.4% | 4.2% | N/A (Private) | N/A (Private) |
| Alternate alternate.nl | 0 | 3.0% | 3.5% | N/A (Private) | N/A (Private) |
| MediaMarkt mediamarkt.nl | 0 | 2.1% | 3.5% | -5.5% (CEC.DE) | -14.2% (CEC.DE) |
| Expert expert.nl | 0 | 1.5% | 2.0% | N/A (Private) | N/A (Private) |
| Avg — 1+ DDs | n = 3 | +9.4% | 8.0% | — | — |
| Avg — 0 DDs | n = 3 | +2.2% | 3.0% | -5.5% | -14.2% |
Premium Home Appliances
Disruptive or Continuous Innovation · Cost Leadership
| Company | Durable Differentiators | Rev Growth (3y CAGR) | EBITDA Margin | 3-Yr Stock | 5-Yr Stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shark sharkclean.com | 1 (Cost Leadership) | 18.5% | 12.4% | N/A (Recent IPO) | N/A (Recent IPO) |
| Dyson dyson.com | 1 (Disruptive or Continuous Innovation) | 6.5% | 18.5% | N/A (Private) | N/A (Private) |
| Hoover hoover.com | 0 | 4.5% | 7.5% | N/A (Sub. Haier) | N/A (Sub. Haier) |
| LG lg.com | 0 | 3.5% | 8.2% | +1.5% | +2.2% |
| Philips philips.com | 0 | -2.5% | 9.5% | -12.5% | -18.5% |
| Samsung samsung.com | 0 | -5.2% | 16.5% | +2.5% | +4.5% |
| Avg — 1+ DDs | n = 2 | +12.5% | 15.4% | — | — |
| Avg — 0 DDs | n = 4 | +0.1% | 10.4% | -2.8% | -3.9% |
Search & Digital Advertising
Information Intelligence · Platform Power · Cost Leadership
| Company | Durable Differentiators | Rev Growth (3y CAGR) | EBITDA Margin | 3-Yr Stock | 5-Yr Stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google (Alphabet) google.com | 2 (Information Intelligence, Platform Power) | 8.5% | 31.2% | +9.4% | +16.8% |
| Amazon amazon.com | 1 (Cost Leadership) | 11.0% | 14.2% | +3.5% | +11.2% |
| Microsoft microsoft.com | 0 | 14.8% | 48.2% | +18.5% | +24.5% |
| Meta meta.com | 0 | 11.2% | 41.5% | +22.5% | +14.2% |
| Apple apple.com | 0 | 2.5% | 32.5% | +5.5% | +20.5% |
| Yahoo yahoo.com | 0 | ~2.0% | ~15.0% | N/A (Private) | N/A (Private) |
| Avg — 1+ DDs | n = 2 | +9.8% | 22.7% | +6.5% | +14.0% |
| Avg — 0 DDs | n = 4 | +7.6% | 34.3% | +15.5% | +19.7% |
Home Furnishings
Cost Leadership · Authentic Purpose
| Company | Durable Differentiators | Rev Growth (3y CAGR) | EBITDA Margin | 3-Yr Stock | 5-Yr Stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IKEA ikea.com | 2 (Cost Leadership, Authentic Purpose) | 6.2% | 8.5% | N/A (Private) | N/A (Private) |
| Ashley Furniture ashleyfurniture.com | 0 | 2.5% | 6.5% | N/A (Private) | N/A (Private) |
| Target target.com | 0 | 1.2% | 6.5% | -10.5% | +4.8% |
| Home Depot homedepot.com | 0 | -1.5% | 16.5% | -2.5% | +8.5% |
| West Elm westelm.com | 0 | -4.5% | 14.5% | +12.5% (WSM) | +18.5% (WSM) |
| Wayfair wayfair.com | 0 | -8.5% | -2.5% | -35.5% | -28.5% |
| Avg — 1+ DDs | n = 1 | +6.2% | 8.5% | — | — |
| Avg — 0 DDs | n = 5 | -2.2% | 8.3% | -9.0% | +0.8% |
Toys
Authentic Purpose · Customer Obsession
| Company | Durable Differentiators | Rev Growth (3y CAGR) | EBITDA Margin | 3-Yr Stock | 5-Yr Stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEGO lego.com | 2 (Authentic Purpose, Customer Obsession) | 12.5% | 30.5% | N/A (Private) | N/A (Private) |
| Bandai Namco bandainamco.com | 0 | 8.5% | 16.5% | +4.5% | +8.5% |
| VTech vtech.com | 0 | -1.5% | 11.5% | -8.5% | -4.5% |
| Mattel mattel.com | 0 | -2.5% | 12.5% | -8.5% | -1.5% |
| Spin Master spinmaster.com | 0 | -3.5% | 18.5% | -5.5% | -2.5% |
| Hasbro hasbro.com | 0 | -10.5% | 15.5% | -15.5% | -12.5% |
| Avg — 1+ DDs | n = 1 | +12.5% | 30.5% | — | — |
| Avg — 0 DDs | n = 5 | -1.9% | 14.9% | -6.7% | -2.5% |
Streaming Entertainment
Information Intelligence · Platform Power
| Company | Durable Differentiators | Rev Growth (3y CAGR) | EBITDA Margin | 3-Yr Stock | 5-Yr Stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netflix netflix.com | 2 (Information Intelligence, Platform Power) | 9.5% | 22.5% | +6.5% | +12.5% |
| Disney+ disneyplus.com | 0 | 15.5% | N/A (Sub. DIS) | -15.5% (DIS) | -10.5% (DIS) |
| Amazon primevideo.com | 0 | 11.0% | 14.2% | +3.5% | +11.2% |
| Hulu hulu.com | 0 | 8.5% | N/A (Sub. DIS) | -15.5% (DIS) | -10.5% (DIS) |
| HBO hbomax.com | 0 | 5.5% | N/A (Sub. WBD) | -25.5% (WBD) | -20.5% (WBD) |
| Apple apple.com | 0 | 2.5% | 32.5% | +5.5% | +20.5% |
| Avg — 1+ DDs | n = 1 | +9.5% | 22.5% | +6.5% | +12.5% |
| Avg — 0 DDs | n = 5 | +8.6% | 23.4% | -9.5% | -2.0% |
Outdoor Apparel
Authentic Purpose · Customer Obsession · Disruptive or Continuous Innovation
| Company | Durable Differentiators | Rev Growth (3y CAGR) | EBITDA Margin | 3-Yr Stock | 5-Yr Stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patagonia patagonia.com | 2 (Authentic Purpose, Customer Obsession) | 8.5% | 15.5% | N/A (Private) | N/A (Private) |
| Arc'teryx arcteryx.com | 1 (Disruptive or Continuous Innovation) | 25.5% | 18.5% | N/A (Recent IPO) | N/A (Recent IPO) |
| Columbia columbia.com | 0 | 3.5% | 10.5% | -12.5% | -5.5% |
| The North Face thenorthface.com | 0 | 2.5% | 12.5% | -35.5% (VFC) | -25.5% (VFC) |
| REI rei.com | 0 | 1.5% | 2.5% | N/A (Co-op) | N/A (Co-op) |
| Marmot marmot.com | 0 | -4.5% | 8.5% | -20.5% (NWL) | -15.5% (NWL) |
| Avg — 1+ DDs | n = 2 | +17.0% | 17.0% | — | — |
| Avg — 0 DDs | n = 4 | +0.8% | 8.5% | -22.8% | -15.5% |
Energy Drinks
eSOV with Distinctive Brand Assets · Authentic Purpose · Disruptive or Continuous Innovation
| Company | Durable Differentiators | Rev Growth (3y CAGR) | EBITDA Margin | 3-Yr Stock | 5-Yr Stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Bull redbull.com | 2 (eSOV with Distinctive Brand Assets, Authentic Purpose) | 18.5% | 25.5% | N/A (Private) | N/A (Private) |
| Celsius celsius.com | 1 (Disruptive or Continuous Innovation) | 85.5% | 15.5% | +85.5% | +115.5% |
| Monster Energy monsterenergy.com | 0 | 12.5% | 28.5% | +12.5% | +18.5% |
| Rockstar rockstarenergy.com | 0 | 6.5% | 22.5% | +4.5% (PEP) | +8.5% (PEP) |
| Gatorade gatorade.com | 0 | 4.5% | 24.5% | +4.5% (PEP) | +8.5% (PEP) |
| 5-Hour Energy 5hourenergy.com | 0 | 1.5% | 30.5% | N/A (Private) | N/A (Private) |
| Avg — 1+ DDs | n = 2 | +52.0% | 20.5% | +85.5% | +115.5% |
| Avg — 0 DDs | n = 4 | +6.3% | 26.5% | +7.2% | +11.8% |
E-commerce Platforms
Platform Power · Agility & Experimentation · Cost Leadership · Customer Obsession
| Company | Durable Differentiators | Rev Growth (3y CAGR) | EBITDA Margin | 3-Yr Stock | 5-Yr Stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify shopify.com | 3 (Platform Power, Agility & Experimentation, Cost Leadership) | 22.4% | 8.5% | +12.4% | +15.6% |
| Squarespace squarespace.com | 1 (Customer Obsession) | 14.5% | 10.5% | +12.5% | +8.5% |
| WooCommerce woocommerce.com | 0 | 15.5% | 12.5% | N/A (Private) | N/A (Private) |
| Wix wix.com | 0 | 12.5% | 8.5% | +15.5% | +5.5% |
| Adobe adobe.com | 0 | 11.5% | 38.5% | +8.5% | +14.5% |
| BigCommerce bigcommerce.com | 0 | 10.5% | -12.5% | -35.5% | -28.5% |
| Avg — 1+ DDs | n = 2 | +18.4% | 9.5% | +12.4% | +12.1% |
| Avg — 0 DDs | n = 4 | +12.5% | 11.8% | -3.8% | -2.8% |
Audio Streaming
Information Intelligence · Culture & Talent · Platform Power
| Company | Durable Differentiators | Rev Growth (3y CAGR) | EBITDA Margin | 3-Yr Stock | 5-Yr Stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spotify spotify.com | 2 (Information Intelligence, Culture & Talent) | 18.5% | 2.5% | +8.5% | +6.5% |
| Apple Music music.apple.com | 1 (Platform Power) | 12.5% | N/A (Sub. AAPL) | +5.5% (AAPL) | +20.5% (AAPL) |
| YouTube Music music.youtube.com | 0 | 20.5% | N/A (Sub. GOOGL) | +9.4% (GOOGL) | +16.8% (GOOGL) |
| Amazon Music music.amazon.com | 0 | 14.5% | N/A (Sub. AMZN) | +3.5% (AMZN) | +11.2% (AMZN) |
| Deezer deezer.com | 0 | 8.5% | -10.5% | -45.5% | N/A (Recent IPO) |
| Tidal tidal.com | 0 | 4.5% | -15.5% | -18.5% (SQ) | -5.5% (SQ) |
| Avg — 1+ DDs | n = 2 | +15.5% | 2.5% | +7.0% | +13.5% |
| Avg — 0 DDs | n = 4 | +12.0% | -13.0% | -12.8% | +7.5% |
Electric Vehicles
Disruptive or Continuous Innovation · eSOV with Distinctive Brand Assets · Cost Leadership
| Company | Durable Differentiators | Rev Growth (3y CAGR) | EBITDA Margin | 3-Yr Stock | 5-Yr Stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla tesla.com | 2 (Disruptive or Continuous Innovation, eSOV with Distinctive Brand Assets) | 28.5% | 14.5% | -12.5% | +45.5% |
| BYD bydglobal.com | 1 (Cost Leadership) | 65.5% | 12.5% | +5.5% | +55.5% |
| Rivian rivian.com | 0 | 120.5% | -150.5% | -55.5% | N/A (Recent IPO) |
| GM gm.com | 0 | 10.5% | 10.5% | -2.5% | +2.5% |
| Ford ford.com | 0 | 8.5% | 9.5% | -5.5% | +4.5% |
| Volkswagen volkswagen.com | 0 | 8.5% | 11.5% | -12.5% | -8.5% |
| Avg — 1+ DDs | n = 2 | +47.0% | 13.5% | -3.5% | +50.5% |
| Avg — 0 DDs | n = 4 | +37.0% | -29.8% | -19.0% | -0.5% |
European Online Fashion
Agility & Experimentation · Authentic Purpose · Cost Leadership · Platform Power
| Company | Durable Differentiators | Rev Growth (3y CAGR) | EBITDA Margin | 3-Yr Stock | 5-Yr Stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zalando zalando.com | 2 (Agility & Experimentation, Authentic Purpose) | -1.5% | 4.5% | -35.5% | -18.5% |
| Zara zara.com | 1 (Platform Power) | 14.5% | 18.5% | +18.5% (ITX) | +12.5% (ITX) |
| H&M hm.com | 1 (Cost Leadership) | 4.5% | 12.5% | +5.5% | -2.5% |
| Boozt boozt.com | 0 | 10.6% | 5.1% | +21.4% | -31.1% |
| About You aboutyou.com | 0 | 8.5% | -4.5% | -55.5% | N/A (Recent IPO) |
| ASOS asos.com | 0 | -8.5% | -2.5% | -45.5% | -35.5% |
| Avg — 1+ DDs | n = 3 | +5.8% | 11.8% | -3.8% | -2.8% |
| Avg — 0 DDs | n = 3 | +3.5% | -0.6% | -26.5% | -33.3% |
Categories anchored on a single durable differentiator (the one each market-defining company owns most distinctly). Metrics: avg YoY revenue growth 2022-2024, avg EBITDA margin 2022-2024, avg stock return for the three- and five-year windows ending 2024. Bracketed tickers (PEP, GOOGL, AAPL, etc.) indicate the stock return belongs to the parent. "N/A (Private)" / "(Recent IPO)" / "(Sub. X)" mean no separate public listing for the window.
AEX
AEX index - current state
Durable Differentiator scores (1-5) for every AEX-listed company across the 9 strategic levers. Bright yellow flags a unique category leader; muted yellow signals a shared top; cyan marks a strong position (3-4); pink/red indicate weak performance; grey = no audit data yet.
| Durable Differentiator | ABN AMRO | Adyen | Aegon | Ahold Delhaize | AkzoNobel | ArcelorMittal | ASM International | ASML | a.s.r. | Besi | Heineken | IMCD | ING | KPN | NN Group | Philips | Prosus | Randstad | RELX | Shell | Unilever | Universal Music | Wolters Kluwer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agility & Experimentation | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Authentic Purpose | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Cost Leadership | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Culture & Talent | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Customer Obsession | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Information Intelligence | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| eSOV with Distinctive Brand Assets | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 |
| Platform Power | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 |
| Disruptive or Continuous Innovation | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| Avg score (maturity) | 3.67 (RUN) | 3.67 (RUN) | 3.56 (RUN) | 4.22 (RUN) | 4.11 (RUN) | 4.56 (FLY) | 4.11 (RUN) | 4.44 (RUN) | 3.56 (RUN) | 3.67 (RUN) | 4.33 (RUN) | 3.44 (WALK) | 3.78 (RUN) | 4.11 (RUN) | 3.89 (RUN) | 4.00 (RUN) | 3.67 (RUN) | 4.11 (RUN) | 4.00 (RUN) | 4.22 (RUN) | 3.89 (RUN) | 4.11 (RUN) | 3.56 (RUN) |
Coming soon
Underperformers
Companies that lost their differentiators- what fell off and when.
Coming soon
AMX (Midkap)
Same scoring framework, applied to the Dutch midcap index for a broader view.
Coming soon
S&P 500
Cross-Atlantic benchmark to test the framework against US large-caps.