A strategy to be the industry's overall low-cost provider tends to be more appealing than a differentiation or best-cost or focus/market niche strategy when:
A. there are many ways to achieve product differentiation that buyers find appealing.
B. buyers use the product in a variety of different ways and have high switching costs in changing from one seller's product to another.
C. the offerings of rival firms are essentially identical, standardized, commodity-like products.
D. entry barriers are high and competition from substitutes is relatively weak.
E. the market is composed of many distinct segments with varying buyer needs and expectations.
Answer: the offerings of rival firms are essentially identical, standardized, commodity-like products.