Competitive Analysis

Competitive Analysis

Purpose

Produce a structured competitive analysis: who competes, how they compare, where gaps exist, and what differentiation strategy to pursue.

Input: Product idea or category, target customer segment, known competitors (optional), geography Output: Competitive Analysis Report with landscape map, feature matrix, SWOT per player, and strategic recommendations Examples: See [examples.md](examples.md) for worked input/output.

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Workflow

Step 1: Define market scope

Clarify:

• Category — what job-to-be-done or product category
• Segment — SMB vs enterprise, geography, vertical
• Substitutes — manual workflows, spreadsheets, status quo
• Time horizon — current players vs emerging (12–18 months)

If scope is too broad, narrow to one segment before researching.

Step 2: Build competitor long list

| Source | Method | |--------|--------| | User input | Named competitors | | Search | Category + "alternative", G2/Capterra categories | | Substitutes | Adjacent tools solving same job | | Emerging | Recent funding, Product Hunt, AI-native entrants |

Target 5–12 relevant players; tier into direct, indirect, substitute.

Step 3: Profile each competitor

Per competitor capture:

| Dimension | Data | |-----------|------| | Positioning | One-line value prop | | Target customer | Segment and persona | | Pricing model | Free/freemium/enterprise | | Strengths | 2–3 defensible advantages | | Weaknesses | Gaps, complaints, tech debt signals | | AI capability | Native AI vs bolt-on (if applicable) |

Mark confidence: verified (public source) vs inferred (state explicitly).

Step 4: Build feature comparison matrix

Rows = capabilities users care about (from JTBD, not vendor feature lists). Columns = top 5–8 competitors + your product (planned).

Scoring: Strong · Partial · Missing · ? Unknown

Highlight rows where no incumbent excels — white space.

Step 5: Positioning analysis

Plot on 2 axes that matter to buyers (e.g., ease vs power, price vs depth). Identify overcrowded quadrants and open space.

Run per-competitor SWOT (brief) and your product SWOT against the field.

Step 6: Strategic recommendations

| Type | Output | |------|--------| | Differentiation | 2–3 wedges competitors cannot easily copy | | Table stakes | Features you must match to be credible | | Avoid | Areas dominated by incumbents with network effects | | Partnerships | Integrate vs compete decisions | | Risks | Incumbent response, commoditization |

Tie recommendations to value-proposition-designer and feature-prioritization inputs.

Step 7: Validate

Run Validation checklist.

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Decision Rules

| Condition | Action | |-----------|--------| | <3 identifiable competitors | Expand to substitutes and manual alternatives | | User claims "no competitors" | Challenge; document status quo as competitor | | Data older than 12 months | Flag stale; prefer recent pricing/feature pages | | Enterprise vs SMB mix | Split matrix by segment — do not blend | | AI product category | Add AI-native comparison row (RAG, agents, eval) |

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Validation

• [ ] Market scope and segment defined
• [ ] ≥5 competitors profiled with sources cited
• [ ] Feature matrix uses buyer-centric capabilities (≥8 rows)
• [ ] White-space opportunities identified
• [ ] Positioning map with labeled axes
• [ ] SWOT for your product vs field
• [ ] Actionable recommendations (differentiation + table stakes)
• [ ] Confidence labels on inferred data

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Anti-patterns

• Feature laundry list — matrix rows mirror vendor marketing pages.
• Competitor worship — copying incumbents without wedge strategy.
• Stale analysis — pricing from 2022 in fast-moving AI markets.
• Ignoring status quo — "Excel + email" is often the real competitor.
• No strategic so-what — report ends at matrix without recommendations.

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Best Practices

• Interview 3–5 target users: "what did you evaluate before buying X?"
• Weight matrix rows by customer priority (from discovery interviews).
• Refresh competitive snapshot quarterly for AI product categories.
• Link output to idea-validator assumptions and prd-generator non-goals.
• Separate global players from regional niche entrants.

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Output Structure

# Competitive Analysis: [Category / Product]

## Scope
[Segment, geography, horizon]

## Landscape
| Tier | Players | Role |
|------|---------|------|

## Competitor Profiles
### [Name]
[Positioning, pricing, strengths, weaknesses, AI]

## Feature Matrix
| Capability | Us | A | B | C |
|------------|----|---|---|---|

## Positioning Map
[2-axis description + placement]

## White Space
[Opportunities]

## Strategic Recommendations
| Priority | Recommendation | Rationale |
|----------|----------------|-----------|

## Sources
[URLs, dates]

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Next Skills

| Outcome | Recommended Skill | |---------|-------------------| | Refine positioning | product/value-proposition-designer | | Plan market launch | growth/go-to-market-planner | | Validate idea assumptions | product/idea-validator | | Prioritize response features | product/feature-prioritization | | Write PRD with competitive context | product/prd-generator | | Technical differentiation (AI) | ai/ai-solution-architect |

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: patonkikh
• Source: patonkikh/APES
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.