Competitors. Everyone has them – and whether you’d like to believe it or not, they are already stealing your prospects and customers. That’s why you want to be a step ahead of your competitors instead of wondering where your customers are going.
So how do you stay one step ahead? How do you win over buyers before your competitors do, or even better, pull their attention away from the competition? It starts with strategic, research-driven competitive analysis.
In this guide, our competitive analysis company will walk you through the basics of this type of research, the methodologies behind it, the components of a competitor assessment, why your business should conduct one, and more.
Competitor analysis is a strategic process used to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your competition.
It typically looks at areas such as:
The goal is to understand where your brand stands in the competitive landscape and uncover advantages you can use to move ahead.
You’ve heard the phrase…
“Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”
In strategic business planning, nothing could be more relevant. A well-performed competitive analysis allows you to monitor rivals, anticipate their next moves, use weaknesses against them, and confidently differentiate your brand.
Unlike a basic SWOT analysis, these projects go deeper. The best competitive analyses combine qualitative and quantitative research to reveal insights that help you identify opportunities for improvement, highlight areas where you may be falling behind, and update strategies with real data.In the end, your organization receives clear, actionable intelligence on opportunities to pursue and threats to prepare for.
Whether you’re a startup or an established company, every organization deals with competitors. To get the most out of a competitive analysis, you’ll want to identify who your main competitors are.
Not all competitors are created equal, and not all represent the same level of threat to your brand. That’s why it helps to segment them into categories, so you know which competitors you can learn the most from and where the greater risks are.
At the broadest level, competitors fall into one of two camps:
Knowing both types ensures your analysis doesn’t miss threats that feel “outside” your industry but still compete for your customers’ attention and dollars.
Once you’ve identified whether competitors are direct or indirect, the next step is to understand what role they play in the broader market. Not all direct competitors fight with the same strength, and not all indirect competitors carry the same influence.
To simplify, at Drive Research we often group competitors into four main categories: market leaders, challengers, followers, and nichers which we’ll outline below with the example of athletic shoe brands.
Market leaders are the dominant players in the industry, often holding the largest share. They usually lead in brand recognition, innovation, marketing spend, pricing power, and distribution. Leaders set the tone, influence trends, and shape customer expectations.
An example of a market leader for our “athletic shoe brand” would be Nike.
Market challengers are strong competitors working to capture market share from leaders. They may not be number one, but they actively push to overtake the top brands through innovation, aggressive pricing, or visibility.
An example of a market challenger for our “athletic shoe brand” would be Adidas.
Market followers hold a stable position but don’t drive innovation. They tend to imitate successful strategies rather than test new concepts. These brands often compete on price or by offering simplified versions of premium products.
An example of a market follower for our “athletic shoe brand” would be Sketchers.
Market nichers carve out specialized segments by focusing on a well-defined audience. Instead of competing broadly, they tailor products, messaging, and distribution to meet the needs of their niche. Many start small but scale after winning loyalty from their core customers.
An example of a market nicher for our “athletic shoe brand” would be Fabletics.
The well-executed competitive analysis research project can help your business overcome some of the obstacles holding your brand back (like high customer churn) and gives you an opportunity to see what other brands are doing.
By seeing what’s working for other brands, you can often take those insights and use them as a roadmap to make better business decisions for your own brand
Keep reading for some of the highest impact benefits we’ve helped our clients get from completing a competitive analysis project.
Or for a quick recap, watch as our team discusses the benefits of conducting competitive market research.
Many of our clients use competitive analysis on an ongoing basis, rather than as a one-time study. This regular feedback creates a powerful advantage, allowing brands to benchmark competitors not just against today’s performance or strategy, but against how those strategies have evolved over time.
With consistent benchmarking, businesses can move from being reactive to proactive. If a competitor drops their prices or consistently launches new products, you’ll see it in real time and have the chance to adjust your own strategy quickly, giving you an edge.
Frequent data collection also keeps you tuned in to many parts of your competitors’ business—products, pricing, services, and marketing offers. By tracking shifts in these areas, you gain insight into how trends are changing and by how much.
The alternative is waiting months or even a full year to learn about these changes, leaving you behind. A steady flow of competitor data gives you the confidence to make sharper, faster, and more successful business decisions.
Yes, we’re going there—your unique selling proposition (USP) 🙄. It might sound like old-school jargon, but in competitive analysis research, it’s front and center.
Ask yourself and/or your team questions like:
These kinds of questions don’t always have instant answers.
But here’s the thing: your competitive edge often lives in those answers, if you can define them clearly.
If you’re struggling to pin them down, a competitor analysis can bring clarity quickly. It’s designed to help you uncover what might otherwise stay fuzzy or overlooked.
Another important piece of competitive research is digging into your competitors’ product or service offerings. The more detail you gather about what they provide, the easier it becomes to spot overlaps, gaps, and opportunities for improvement in your own strategy.
To simplify, here are five things you should examine when conducting a brand competitive audit.
A research-driven competitive analysis doesn’t just uncover what products or services your competitors offer. It also reveals how they position themselves and the messaging they lean on to stand out.
Maybe one competitor highlights low prices. Another might focus on speed. Others could emphasize advanced tech (AI gets a lot of play these days), luxury quality, or highly personalized options.
Each competitor usually has a unique mix of talking points and knowing what they emphasize can show you where your own message stacks up.
So what does this look like in practice? Here’s a simple side-by-side view of competitor messaging and how you can position your brand to stand out.
| Competitor Messaging | Your Brand Opportunity |
|---|---|
| 💲 “Lowest prices guaranteed” | Highlight added value beyond cost (e.g., better service, long-term ROI) |
| ⚡ “Fastest delivery in the market” | Emphasize reliability and consistency alongside speed |
| 🤖 “Cutting-edge AI technology” | Showcase your balance of tech + human expertise |
| 💎 “Premium quality, luxury feel” | Reinforce quality standards with proof points (reviews, case studies) |
| 🎯 “Custom solutions for every client” | Call out personalization in your marketing if you offer it but don’t highlight it yet |
These are the insights a competitive analysis uncovers. It helps you identify the small but powerful adjustments to your sales and marketing message that could make all the difference.
One of the smartest ways to get ahead of competitors is by uncovering where they’re falling short. Luckily, a lot of that information is already out there through online reviews and ratings where customers leave unfiltered feedback.
But that’s just the start.
With the help of a market research company, you can go deeper through online surveys designed to capture exactly how a competitor’s customers feel about them.
Once you know what’s missing, you can position your brand as the stronger alternative.
Say customers are constantly frustrated with a competitor’s shipping times…
If your brand delivers in under 48 hours, that’s not just an operational win, it’s a messaging opportunity. Highlighting that difference in your marketing and branding makes it clear where you outperform.
Every weakness in your competitors’ customer experience is a chance for your brand to shine. A well-executed competitive assessment (especially one backed by surveys and exclusive data) uncovers those gaps and gives you the confidence to use them to your advantage.
The goal of a competitive analysis is to get a 360-degree view of your brand’s position in the market in comparison to your competitors strengths and where areas of improvement are.
Like other forms of market research, competitive analysis projects are highly customizable. The methodology, scope, and depth are flexible depending on your goals and wants. Some brands don’t need more specific parts like pricing or reviews while others might require it.
\A skilled market research firm will tailor the project to your goals and what your brand can benefit from the most.
We’ll discuss the most common components of a competitive assessment project. They can be all included in one project or not but they are at least different sections you can elect to include or not.
In today’s digital world, your brand’s website is often the first impression your brand makes and in a competitive market, that impression should be findable and functional.
While many organizations focus on the visual design of the site, these efforts don’t mean much without any visibility.
A strong SEO strategy is crucial to ensure your site can appear for terms your audience is searching for. It’s especially important for your core services or products for your audience to be able to find them easily.
In fact, websites on the first page of Google captures over 90% of organic search traffic.
For this reason, as part of our competitive analysis, our team always includes a detailed website and SEO audit so you know how your site is performing compared to your competitors and how you can improve it.
We look at core factors like:
Alongside SEO we also assess user experience on your site (along with competitors) and how the navigation makes sense, content quality, content clarity, and overall usability. This looks at whether your site meets expectations of your audience compared to your competitors’ sites and the gaps in which you can improve your site or even outperform your competitors.
User experience can also be its own standalone project because of its depth. Our team can conduct moderated website testing, where users share their screen while exploring the site just like how a real user would act on the site, and provide detailed feedback about the experience.
As part of the competitive analysis, our team conducts a thorough audit of competitors products/service offerings to help you understand how yours measures up to the rest of the market.
The goal is to understand where your brand is in terms of market coverage and the value proposition your positioning showcases.
Our team is looking for two main things when diving into this part of the analysis:
We organize these findings into a visual matrix that allows you to quickly find competitive advantages or disadvantages. We’re especially looking for opportunities for brands to be able to innovate, meet customer needs, and other product opportunities.
We’ve helped clients in various industries like ecommerce, healthcare, financial services, and more track their market performance over time with our competitive analysis projects.
Pricing has a big influence on how people see your brand. Whether you’re aiming to be the affordable option, the premium choice, or somewhere in between, your messaging needs to line up with that strategy.
As part of a competitive analysis, we recommend digging into pricing for both your brand and your competitors to understand where you stand today—and how those positions shift over time.
For instance, we track this data across different time periods (3, 6, or 12 months), giving you a clear view of how often competitors change their prices and whether you’re staying ahead, falling behind, or right in line.
To make it easy, we pull everything into a visual pricing matrix. At a glance, you’ll see whether you’re overpricing, underpricing, or positioned exactly where you want to be.
Our team has used this approach to help clients in ecommerce, healthcare, financial services, and more keep tabs on pricing strategy and make smarter moves over time.
The marketing audit reviews all of the marketing messaging and outreach being used by your competitors.
This might include items such as:
Our competitive analysis market research company logs all of the marketing activities into a matrix and attaches all marketing files to the project folder for your review.
After reviewing all of the different types of marketing, Drive Research outlines the key messages and brand values the competitors consistently use in the outreach to generate sales.
The marketing audit also reviews social media platforms your competitors use and logs which have a presence on including type(s) of content shared and frequency.
This could include an inventory of platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and others. The social media portion of the competitive analysis will also review any ads being run on platforms.
Recommended Reading: How to Run A Competitive Analysis in Marketing
Traditional audits focus on what your competitors are saying about themselves, but in our audits we make sure to look at what customers are saying about them (and how they feel about them). This aims to look at below surface level items about customer feedback, language, tone, and emotional triggers.
There are the main ways to find competitor reviews:
By analyzing the data across all these channels, we look for patterns in language about competitors that show positive, neutral, or negative sentiments. We especially note them if the reviews are tied to specific products, services, or customer experiences.
These insights are helpful in shaping your brand’s positioning, marketing language, and overall messaging. It’s because the data you’re learning from is your competitor’s customers’ direct feelings.
Similar to the multiple types of competitor analysis, there are a variety of ways market research companies like Drive Research can collect the data.
Typically, primary and secondary components are included in this type of study but can vary based on what type of competitive assessment you would like to complete.
For example, if Company A only wants to conduct a website competitor analysis, then a third-party would likely use desk research to collect this data.
If Company B wants to audit its competition’s marketing efforts, pricing structures, and product lines, then a third party would use a hybrid approach with multiple data collection methodologies.
To help give you a better idea, let’s discuss the four most common methodologies a competitor research company can use to complete your analysis.
This is a simple one, but searching Google for information is a tried and true basic research method. In fact, our team sometimes calls ourselves professional Googlers.
A more specific example of how Google is used in market research is compiling information about competitors.
For example, if a hotel is conducting a competitive assessment it would be valuable to understand:
This example just scratches the surface of the types of information available via desk research.
Similar to Google, Census data is used by market researchers to learn more about the market, which is a key piece to a competitive assessment.
The benefit of using Census data is the ability to understand where the market has been, where it currently is, and projections.
There are a ton of different types of information you can learn from Census data, but primarily demographic information. This includes:
At Drive Research, our team uses a proprietary in-house data system to provide this type of market data for our clients.
Our subscription to Alteryx data gives us access to millions of data points on consumers across the U.S., more than what the Census.gov site offers a general user.
This type of secondary research can be customized based on the needs of the competitive assessment.
Wondering how your brand perception, awareness, and satisfaction stack up against competitors from the minds of consumers? Why not ask? Online surveys are a great, easy, and cost-effective way to learn more about your competitors.
Online surveys are a customizable research tool used for measuring, meaning that if you want to place a numeric value on how well your brand is perceived compared to several competitors an online survey will answer that.
An added bonus to this data collection approach is that surveys can be completed quickly. At Drive Research, our team can complete a competitive assessment online survey project in as little as 1-2 weeks!
What types of online surveys are most commonly used for competitive research?
Our competitor analysis research firm often recommends brand awareness or brand equity surveys.
There are two examples of studies that help organizations gain an impartial view of how the market perceives competitors and why their customers have chosen their business over yours.
A brand awareness study is typically a brief online survey that includes roughly 10 to 15 questions.
The main purpose of the study is to measure levels of awareness of the sponsoring brand as well as its key competitors. It may also address the usage and perception of the brands tested.
In addition to these questions, the survey may also cover basic demographic questions to identify gaps in the market.
A brand equity study is typically an online survey that has 15 to 25 questions. Similar to the brand awareness study, it measures levels of awareness, usage, and perception.
It will also cover other key performance indicators like:
In-depth interviews (IDIs) are a qualitative market research method used to gather feedback from key stakeholders.
An IDI discussion guide is customized based on the research objectives. The guide is precise in question language, order, etc. During the conversation, market researchers will ask strategic follow-up questions to ensure the right information is gathered.
Once the IDI is complete, the researchers write a summary based on the conversation keeping the interviewee anonymous. After all the interviews have been completed, a report will be created based on the findings.
Why in-depth interviews?
The beauty of IDIs is that the conversation can reach deeper, more specific levels than what can be learned through an online survey, Google search, and Census data.
Online surveys are powerful, but if the research goal is to understand in-depth feedback from a few specific contacts, an IDI might be the right choice or addition for your market research project.
Read this blog post to learn more about the 13-step process for conducting in-depth interviews.
Mystery shopping is a unique way of gathering in-depth detail on the front-line staff experience with your brand as well as competitors.
Also, contrary to popular belief mystery shopping does not have to be in-person. Our competitive assessment company has completed mystery shopping studies over the phone and online with customer service reps.
It’s all about the purchase experience and gathering information on how that is completed.
Similar to an in-depth interview (IDI), mystery shopping typically follows a script or guide. A market research company, such as Drive Research, creates a guide for mystery shoppers to follow.
As mystery shoppers complete the tasks outlined, they are able to take notes and provide ratings to highlight helpfulness, friendliness, expertise, etc.
The value of mystery shopping truly comes from the development of the guide.
A market research company uses best practices when designing the guide to help ensure a high return on investment (ROI).
In addition to learning more about competitors’ sales processes, brands can also learn about:
The time to complete a mystery shopping experience can range from 20 minutes to over an hour. It all depends on the goals and objectives of the research.
Research data often represents a point-in-time measurement. To have the most accurate and actionable information available at all times, you will need to stay up to date on competitor analysis for your company.
It’s possible to make the wrong decisions from wrong or outdated observations and data. Therefore, updating research periodically is key.
It can be annually, semi-annually, quarterly, monthly, or even always-on or active. Having information on the most recent strategies, tactics and results gives you a confident perspective to base any changes or decisions.
Yes. And you can contact us right here to get a quote. Okay, moving on to the next section…
Alright, fine. Let’s add some context to why organizations should hire a competitive intelligence company for your analysis.
Or watch this short video before choosing to conduct market research in-house.
Most often companies looking to conduct competitor research reach out to a third party because they simply do not have the time or resources to do so.
No one will argue competitive research isn’t extremely valuable. But what often happens is it gets pushed to the back-burner at an organization because it is extremely time-consuming.
Researching, logging, and inventorying all of this information can take a lot of time.
It involves many hours of visiting competitor websites and including the information into a template that can be easily understood and repurposed with the sales team and management.
A market research team typically has a systematic process to make the data collection period more efficient.
So, while you are tackling your other priorities at your organization, let a competitive analysis market research firm work in tandem with you to collect this information.
This specific benefit of hiring a competitor market research company is crucial if you plan to share the data in your marketing efforts.
Will potential customers trust data points that claim your brand is better than a competitor if the research was conducted in-house?
Consumers are smart. They can easily detect stealth marketing or false advertising. One easy way to avoid this is by partnering with an independent third-party research company you can source in all marketing materials.
As the sponsor of a competitive analysis project, it is crucial the study be blinded. A blinded study is one that does not disclose the sponsor of the market research to the respondent.
In short, this means you will be conducting this competitor research anonymously by partnering with a third party.
If utilizing an online survey in your competitor analysis, the main benefit of a blinded study is that it takes response bias out of the equation.
However, using an online survey component or not, conducting the research anonymously assures competitors do not find out you are mystery shopping them.
Conduct a third-party competitive analysis and earn quality, actionable data
Request a Quote
A common misconception about market research is that it is extremely expensive and likely only affordable for million-dollar companies.
The truth of the matter is, that the scope of a competitive assessment can vary greatly. There are many factors that can drive the cost of a market research project up or down.
It can be helpful to provide some insight into your project when requesting a quote from a third party.
The only way to get a finite estimate for your specific competitor analysis is by contacting our team. By sharing your objectives and specifications for this project, we can create a customized proposal for you to review.
Luckily our team works fast. On average, we can send our proposals back to prospective clients within 24 to 48 hours.
Here are a few questions a competitor market research company is sure to ask you before they provide a cost estimate.
As we discussed earlier in the guide, a competitive assessment generally consists of four components:
The price of competitor analysis increases with every component that is included.
Again, there are many different approaches to collecting data for a competitor assessment. An online survey will be cheaper than an in-person mystery shopping program.
Not many organizations know exactly how they’d like to collect competitor data when consulting a third party – and that’s okay too!
Drive Research can work with you to provide a variety of pricing options and recommend which approach is best based on your objectives and budget.
The competitive landscape changes for every industry and business size. There are some markets that are more saturated than others and naturally have more competition.
The more competitors you’d like to include in an audit, the higher your project scope will be. There is a big difference between auditing 25 different brands than auditing 5.
Sharing a rough estimate of how many businesses you’d like to include in your competitor analysis can help the market research company provide a more accurate proposal cost and methodology recommendation.
Arguably the most important part of any market research study is how organizations use the data they are given.
The saying, “knowledge is power” is popular for a reason.
As a part of all competitive assessments completed by Drive Research, we like to offer unique recommendations for how our clients can turn their insights into action.
In other words, our market research company helps offer context to the long list of charts and graphs.
In this section of our ultimate guide, we’ll uncover three popular ways organizations can use data collected in a competitor analysis.
One of the strongest outcomes of conducting a competitive analysis is understanding where there are gaps in the market.
This insight first comes from understanding what products and services your competitors are offering.
Then in an online survey or in-depth interview, we can ask target audiences what they are least satisfied with and what improvements can be made to these said products and services.
The improvements and factors of dissatisfaction mentioned can be used as a starting point for your brand to create a new and improved model.
Potential gaps in the market can also be discovered beyond products and services, but also among certain demographics.
Take for example the brand Dollar Shave Club.
This California-based company delivers razors and other personal grooming products to customers for home delivery on a monthly basis. Dollar Shave Club heavily targets and markets this subscription to men, completely ignoring the notion that women use razors too.
Here lies a gap in the market and the potential to serve a whole new audience of consumers.
Razor brands like Billie took advantage of this market gap in the subscription industry and in their words, “was created to champion womankind.”
Billie now has an estimated annual revenue of $15.5 million since it was created in 2017.
The data collected in a competitor analysis can not only add context to your brand messaging, but also your marketing strategy.
Where are your competitors’ advertising? Are they finding success?
What social media channels are your competitors active on that you are not?
What type of email nurture campaigns are your competitors sending?
Going one step further, you can incorporate the data collected by customers and prospects from a competitive assessment in your marketing efforts. This includes:
A unique way our clients use data from a competitive analysis in their marketing efforts is with a competitor compare card.
This is where adding a consumer online survey can be helpful in a competitive assessment. The survey can ask respondents details about their experience using your competitors’ products or services as well as your own.
A competitor comparison card showcases the components (price, customer satisfaction, quality of the product, etc.) where your organization outperforms the competition in a graphically appealing way.
Compare cards can be used on your website, or as a physical handout.
Pricing is never a simple exercise. While some industries may easily be able to adjust their prices or rates on the fly, it can be more challenging for others.
After conducting a competitor analysis and you realize your pricing structure is much higher than others in your market – what is the reason for this?
Is it that you offer a much higher quality of product or service?
Is it because you are a more luxury brand?
Whatever the reason may be it is important to address them with prospects and customers.
Remember! Brands have more leverage than they may realize than just offering the lowest price.
Focus on other elements that bring value to the customer experience. However, this starts by gauging where your pricing falls among others in your sector.
On the other hand, if your pricing structure is much lower than others in your market you must determine if this is helping or hurting your business.
If your customers love your product and would pay more, then chances are you can raise your profit margins.
If your customers choose your product solely because it is the most cost-effective, then leverage this in your sales and marketing materials.
Need help analyzing your competition using market research? Lean on Drive Research to review your competition and give you a portfolio of information including service offerings, rates, marketing messaging, and much more.
Contact Drive Research today!
