Operational efficiency vs low cost strategy

What is the difference between operational efficiency and a low cost strategy? Why is one a strategy and the other not?

As a recap, a strategy is a plan to win. It is a set of actions that will take you from where you are now to a winning position.

Operational efficiency is taking what you have, and making it more efficient. A low cost strategy is making your product noticeably cheaper than competitors - which involves decisions throughout the entire business from sales to marketing to product.

Copying a businesses operational efficiency is easy as you can just use the tools they use. Copying a low cost strategy is a very different thing, it would involve changing how you work entirely to mimic the low cost nature of the entire business.

Operational efficiency is not a strategy because you cannot “win” by saving a little cost in your business - especially since your competitor can copy this and you are back to square one. You cannot gain a lasting advantage this way.