Competitive Analysis

Overview

Shallow competitive research (checking a few websites) is not enough. This playbook gives you a systematic way to dissect competitors across strategy, product, pricing, marketing, operations, and reviews — then synthesise findings into exploitable gaps and a positioning wedge.

Step 1: Identify and Tier Your Competitors

Not all competitors are equal. Categorize them before diving in.

Direct competitors: Solve the exact same problem for the exact same customer. These are your primary benchmarks.

Indirect competitors: Solve a related problem or serve the same customer with a different solution. These matter because your customer is choosing between ALL of them (including doing nothing).

Aspirational competitors: Not in your niche yet, but could be. Larger or more established players who might expand into your space. Monitor these — they reveal what "winning at scale" looks like.

Identify 3-5 direct, 2-3 indirect, and 1-2 aspirational. You don't need to deep-dive all of them — focus your deepest analysis on your top 3 direct competitors.