Competitor analysis: who you are really up against and where you can win

Questions this report answers

• Who are our direct and indirect competitors, and whom do customers compare us with?
• How do rivals' products, prices and terms compare with ours?
• How does each competitor position itself, and which segments does it target?
• How strong are their channels and digital footprint?
• Where do customers rate competitors above us, and why?
• Which rivals are growing, and what will they do next?
• Which positions in the market are still empty?

When you need it

Competitive questions surface at predictable moments. Before a launch, you need to know what customers will compare the new product with and on what terms. Before a price change, you need the prices rivals actually charge after discounts and bundles, not their list prices. When a new entrant appears — a venture-backed start-up, a foreign chain or a retailer's private label — you need to know quickly whether it threatens your core customers or a segment you can afford to cede. And when the sales team keeps losing deals to the same rival, management needs an outside view of why.

A one-off study also makes a sound baseline for a competitive intelligence programme that is then refreshed every quarter or half-year.

It is the wrong tool for estimating the size of a market or forecasting future demand; that calls for market sizing. Nor does it explain the economics of a whole sector — if margins are falling for everyone, start with an industry analysis. And if all you need is a list of competitor websites, a few hours of your own searching will do the job, and a commissioned study would be wasted.

Sample table of contents

1. Executive summary
   your position, the main threats and the most promising gaps
2. Competitive set
   direct, indirect and emerging rivals, and how they were chosen
3. Methodology
   sources, audit dates, survey sample
4. Competitor profiles
   ownership, size, strategy, strengths and weaknesses
5. Offer benchmark
   products, features, warranties, service levels
6. Price benchmark
   list and transaction prices, discounts, terms
7. Positioning and messaging
   claims, tone, target segments, perceptual map
8. Channels and distribution
   retail, direct, marketplaces, partners, reach
9. Digital footprint
   search visibility, social media, paid advertising, reviews
10. Customer perception
    ratings on the attributes that drive choice
11. Gaps and recommendations
    open positions, defensive moves, quick wins

Methodology and sources

Defining the competitive set

We start from the buyer's point of view, not the industry directory. Interviews and a short survey ask customers which alternatives they considered last time, which often surfaces indirect competitors — a spreadsheet instead of software, a local tradesman instead of a national service — that internal lists miss.

Evidence for every comparison

Offers and prices are collected from websites, price lists and marketplaces, and verified through mystery shopping where transaction prices or service quality matter. Company accounts supply size and growth. Digital footprint is measured through search visibility, social activity, ad libraries and review platforms; digital market analysis covers search demand and social conversation in depth.

Official business data prevents misreadings. Eurostat reports that in 2025, 41.5% of Bulgarian enterprises with ten or more employees used social media, against 83.8% in the Netherlands and 63.6% across the EU. A Bulgarian rival with no social presence is therefore unremarkable; the same absence in the Dutch market would be a real signal.

Customer perception

Where the decision warrants it, a CAWI survey of category buyers rates each competitor on the attributes that drive choice. Results are plotted on a perceptual map to show which positions are crowded and which are empty.

Ethical limits

Mystery shopping stays within the interaction any genuine customer would have. We do not use pretexting to extract confidential data, solicit trade secrets from competitors' staff or use leaked documents, in line with the ICC/ESOMAR International Code.

What you receive

• Competitor analysis report (PDF) with profiles, benchmarks and recommendations
• Feature and price matrix in Excel, filterable by competitor and segment
• Perceptual map and positioning summary
• Digital footprint scorecard per competitor
• Dated mystery-shopping records and screenshots, where used
• Workshop with product, sales and marketing teams

How the project runs

1. Briefing and initial competitor list — 2–3 days
2. Customer interviews to validate the set — 1 week
3. Desk audit of offers, prices, channels and digital footprint — 1–2 weeks
4. Mystery shopping and customer survey, if included — 1–2 weeks, in parallel
5. Analysis, perceptual mapping and gap identification — 1 week
6. Report, presentation and workshop — 3–5 days

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

• Analysing only the rivals you already know. Ask customers what they compared you with; the most dangerous competitor is often indirect or new.
• Comparing list prices. Bundles, delivery charges and contract terms change the real picture, so collect transaction prices where possible.
• Copying competitors' strengths. Matching rivals feature for feature rarely wins; look for attributes customers value that nobody delivers well.
• Treating the study as a one-off. Offers and prices change constantly; schedule a light update every quarter or half-year.
• Crossing ethical lines. Obtaining confidential documents or misleading competitors' staff creates legal and reputational risk.

Who it suits

Updated: 5 Nov 2026