kienbui1995/competitive-analysis

Competitive Analysis

When to Use

When entering a new market, building a new feature, or needing to understand how your product is positioned vs alternatives.

Core Jobs

1. Map the Competitive Landscape

Categories:

• Direct: Same problem, same audience (head-to-head)
• Indirect: Same problem, different approach
• Substitute: Different problem, but steals the same budget/attention

For each competitor:

• Target customer segment
• Core value proposition (in their own words — use their homepage)
• Pricing model
• Key differentiators

2. Feature Comparison Matrix

Build a table: Your product vs top 3–5 competitors Columns: Must-have features, differentiating features, missing features Mark: ✅ Strong, ⚠️ Weak, ❌ Missing

3. Position Your Differentiator

Find the gap: What do users need that nobody does well? Frame it: "For [audience], [product] is the [category] that [benefit] — unlike [competitor] which [their weakness]."

4. Monitor Over Time

• Set up Google Alerts for competitor names
• Follow their changelog/blog/Twitter
• Review quarterly: what changed, what new players appeared?

Key Outputs

• Competitive landscape map
• Feature comparison matrix
• Positioning statement
• Quarterly update template

Anti-Patterns

• Copying competitors instead of differentiating
• Only analyzing direct competitors (missing indirect threats)
• Static analysis — competitive landscape changes fast
• Letting competitor features drive your roadmap