Competitor analysis is the process of identifying key competitors and analyzing their strategies, offerings, strengths and weaknesses.

This information is incredibly valuable for businesses looking to gain an edge over the competition.

But just how important is managing competitor analysis? Let’s take a look at some of the crucial benefits:

1. Gain Insights into Customer Needs

Your business may attract some of the same target audience as your competitors. By studying their messaging, product offerings and marketing with a competitive analysis template, you can gain valuable insights into customer needs, pain points and desires within your industry.

This enables you to pinpoint market gaps and identify potential solutions to address unmet requirements. Competitor analysis helps you understand what customers respond to, so you can tailor your own strategies accordingly.

2. Anticipate Competitor Moves

When you monitor competitors closely, you can often detect shifts and changes before they happen. For example, you may come across news of an impending product launch or rebrand. This gives you time to prepare and react appropriately.

If a competitor lowers prices, you can proactively position your business differently to compete on value rather than price alone. Predicting major competitor moves helps prevent being caught off guard.

3. Uncover Potential Partnerships

A thorough competitor analysis can reveal potential opportunities for partnership and collaboration. If a competitor excels in an area your business does not, you may be able to join forces to provide an unmatched customer solution.

Competitor partnerships allow each brand to play to their strengths. Keep an open mind to partnership potential when analyzing competitors.

4. Pinpoint Your Competitive Advantage

Determining your competitive edge is one of the most important strategic exercises for any business. Competitor research allows you to objectively compare your business to others in the market.

You can then identify areas where you excel and leverage them in your marketing. Do you offer faster shipping times, better customer service or lower prices? Use competitor analysis to showcase your advantages.

5. Set Your Prices Strategically

Pricing is a key part of your brand positioning and marketing strategy. Competitor analysis provides pricing insights that allow you to set prices accordingly. If competitors charge premium pricing, you may have room to undercut.

If they attract customers through discounts and coupons, you need compelling reasons to charge more. Monitoring competitor pricing ensures you find the right price point.

6. Identify Key Performance Indicators

In order to track your progress against competitors, you need to identify relevant key performance indicators. These will vary by industry, but may include metrics like market share, revenue, growth rate, customer retention and more.

Use competitor analysis to select KPIs that help you measure your performance against specific competitors, and the industry at large.

7. Make Strategic Business Decisions

Competitor intelligence directly informs many important business decisions, including which products to develop, where to expand geographically, when to ramp up marketing efforts and more.

Executives and decision makers rely heavily on competitor research findings to set company strategy. The insights it provides are invaluable.

Regular competitor analysis gives you an informed, objective overview of the competitive landscape. It empowers your business to stay agile, build competitive advantage, anticipate opportunities and threats, and craft data-driven strategies.

While it requires an investment of time and resources, the effort pays dividends across all areas of your business. Competitor research is essential for making smart tactical and strategic decisions.