Benchmarking is really all about comparing one business against other similar businesses. It allows businesses to compare their financial performance against their peers. This lets them know how they are going in relative terms, and highlights areas where improvements can be made. In nearly every industry, certain businesses outperform others. This is because they are doing certain things in a certain way. By understanding exactly what it is these businesses are doing it's possible to identify the 'best practices' being used. Lesser performing businesses can then see what areas can be improved upon and put strategies in place to improve.
At its simplest, benchmarking is: