Competitor Analysis Skill
Perform data-grounded competitor analysis producing an executive-summary markdown document with cited sources.
Workflow Overview
- Extract business information from provided details or website
- Define target customer profile (required)
- Identify top 5 competitors via web search
- Research each competitor across key dimensions
- Identify market gaps and opportunities
- Synthesize findings into structured report with citations
Step 1: Extract Business Information
If user provides a website URL:
- Fetch the URL using
web_fetch - Extract: company name, value proposition, target market, products/services, pricing (if visible), key differentiators
If user provides business details directly:
- Parse the provided information
- Identify any gaps that require web research to fill
Required business context to gather:
- Company name and description
- Industry/vertical
- Target customer segment (B2B/B2C, size, geography)
- Core products/services
- Pricing model (if discoverable)
- Key value propositions
Step 2: Define Target Customer Profile
This step is required. Understanding the target customer enables accurate assessment of direct vs. indirect competitors and market positioning.
Research and document the target customer across these dimensions:
Firmographics
- Company size (employees, revenue range)
- Industry/vertical focus
- Geographic markets served
- Technology maturity level
Psychographics & Pain Points
- Top 3-5 pain points the product addresses
- Primary goals and desired outcomes
- Current alternatives or workarounds
- Decision-making criteria and priorities
- Budgetary constraints
Behavioral Patterns
- How customers currently solve this problem
- Where they search for solutions
- Typical buying process and timeline
- Key stakeholders in purchase decision
Market Sizing (if discoverable)
- Total addressable market (TAM) estimates
- Serviceable addressable market (SAM)
- Market growth trends and projections
Research approaches:
- Search "[industry] market size" and "[product category] target market"
- Review the subject company's "customers" or "case studies" pages
- Check industry reports, analyst research, market studies
- Use the subject company's messaging to infer customer profile
For detailed examples and frameworks, refer to references/competitive-analysis-framework.md.
Step 3: Identify Top 5 Competitors
Run targeted searches to find direct competitors:
Search queries to use:
- "[company name] competitors"
- "[product category] companies"
- "[industry] [target market] solutions"
- "alternatives to [company name]"
- "[core service] providers [geography if relevant]"Select the top 5 most relevant direct competitors based on:
- Similar target market and customer segment
- Overlapping product/service offerings
- Comparable business model
- Market presence and visibility in search results
Step 4: Research Each Competitor
For each competitor, gather data across four dimensions:
4a. Market Positioning & Messaging
- Fetch competitor homepage and about page
- Extract: tagline, value proposition, target audience messaging
- Note: tone, positioning (premium/budget/mid-market), key claims
4b. Pricing & Business Model
- Search "[competitor] pricing" and fetch pricing pages
- Document: pricing tiers, model (subscription/one-time/freemium), entry price point
- If pricing not public, note this and search for any available information
4c. Product/Feature Comparison
- Review product pages and feature lists
- Identify: core features, unique capabilities, integrations, limitations
- Note any recent product launches or announcements
4d. Funding & Company Size
- Search "[competitor] funding" and "[competitor] company size"
- Check for: Crunchbase mentions, LinkedIn company size, press releases
- Document: funding rounds, total raised, employee count estimates, founding year
Step 5: Identify Market Gaps & Opportunities
After researching competitors, systematically identify gaps in the competitive landscape:
What to Look For
Underserved customer segments:
- Which customer types or use cases do competitors ignore or serve poorly?
- Are there geographic, size, or industry segments with limited options?
Feature/capability gaps:
- What functionality is missing across all competitors?
- What do customers request that no one provides well?
- What emerging needs are competitors slow to address?
Positioning gaps:
- What market positions are unclaimed? (e.g., "affordable enterprise-grade", "developer-first", "compliance-focused")
- Are there price points without strong offerings?
- Are there business models (e.g., usage-based, freemium) competitors avoid?
Approach/philosophy gaps:
- Do all competitors share assumptions the subject company challenges?
- Are there cultural or regional needs competitors overlook?
Document 3-5 specific gaps with supporting evidence from competitor research.
Step 6: Synthesize Report
Generate markdown report following the exact structure below.
Output Template
# Competitive Analysis: [Subject Company Name]
**Analysis Date:** [Current Date]
**Industry:** [Industry/Vertical]
**Target Market:** [B2B/B2C, segment details]
---
## Executive Summary
[2-3 paragraph synthesis of competitive landscape. Include: market position of subject company relative to competitors, key competitive advantages and vulnerabilities, most significant competitive threats. Every claim must reference a source using format [Source N](#Sources).]
---
## Target Customer Profile
### Primary Target Segment
**Firmographics:**
- Company size: [Employee count, revenue range]
- Industry focus: [Primary industries/verticals]
- Geographic markets: [Regions served]
- Technology maturity: [Early adopter/mainstream/conservative]
**Pain Points & Goals:**
- [Pain point 1 with description] [Source N](#Sources)
- [Pain point 2 with description] [Source N](#Sources)
- [Pain point 3 with description] [Source N](#Sources)
- Current alternatives: [What customers use today without this product]
- Decision criteria: [What matters most when evaluating solutions]
**Behavioral Patterns:**
- Current solution approach: [How they solve this problem today]
- Search/discovery: [Where they look for solutions]
- Buying process: [Typical purchase timeline and stakeholders]
**Market Sizing (if discoverable):**
- Total addressable market: [TAM estimate] [Source N](#Sources)
- Serviceable addressable market: [SAM for realistic target] [Source N](#Sources)
- Market growth: [YoY growth rate or projections] [Source N](#Sources)
---
## Competitive Matrix
| Dimension | [Subject] | [Competitor 1] | [Competitor 2] | [Competitor 3] | [Competitor 4] | [Competitor 5] |
|-----------|-----------|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
| **Positioning** | [Premium/Mid/Budget] | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| **Target Customer** | [Segment] | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| **Pricing Model** | [Model] | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| **Entry Price** | [$X/mo or N/A] | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| **Key Differentiator** | [1-liner] | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| **Primary Weakness vs [Subject]** | N/A | [Weakness] | [Weakness] | [Weakness] | [Weakness] | [Weakness] |
| **Funding Stage** | [Stage/Amount] | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| **Est. Company Size** | [Employees] | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
---
## Market Gaps & Opportunities
### Underserved Customer Segments
- **[Gap 1]:** [Description of customer segment or use case competitors miss] [Source N](#Sources)
- **[Gap 2]:** [Description] [Source N](#Sources)
### Feature/Capability Gaps
- **[Gap 1]:** [Functionality that no competitor provides well] [Source N](#Sources)
- **[Gap 2]:** [Description] [Source N](#Sources)
### Positioning/Business Model Gaps
- **[Gap 1]:** [Market position or business model no one claims] [Source N](#Sources)
- **[Gap 2]:** [Description] [Source N](#Sources)
### Strategic Implications
[1-2 sentences on how these gaps create opportunity for the subject company or reveal market evolution trends] [Source N](#Sources)
---
## Competitor Deep Dives
### [Competitor 1 Name]
**Overview:** [1-2 sentences on what they do and who they serve] [Source N](#Sources)
**Market Positioning:** [How they position themselves, key messaging themes] [Source N](#Sources)
**Pricing & Business Model:** [Pricing structure, tiers, model] [Source N](#Sources)
**Key Products/Features:** [Core offerings, standout capabilities] [Source N](#Sources)
**Funding & Scale:** [Funding history, company size indicators] [Source N](#Sources)
**Competitive Threat Level:** [High/Medium/Low] — [1 sentence justification]
---
[Repeat for Competitors 2-5]
---
## SWOT Analysis: [Subject Company]
### Strengths
- [Strength 1 with supporting evidence] [Source N](#Sources)
- [Strength 2 with supporting evidence] [Source N](#Sources)
- [Strength 3 with supporting evidence] [Source N](#Sources)
### Weaknesses
- [Weakness 1 based on competitive gaps] [Source N](#Sources)
- [Weakness 2 based on competitive gaps] [Source N](#Sources)
- [Weakness 3 based on competitive gaps] [Source N](#Sources)
### Opportunities
- [Opportunity 1 based on market/competitor analysis] [Source N](#Sources)
- [Opportunity 2 based on market/competitor analysis] [Source N](#Sources)
- [Opportunity 3 based on market/competitor analysis] [Source N](#Sources)
### Competitive Moats & Defensibility
Identify what makes the subject company's competitive advantages sustainable and difficult to replicate:
- **[Moat Type 1]:** [Description of the moat] — [Why it's defensible: time, cost, network effects, etc.] [Source N](#Sources)
- **[Moat Type 2]:** [Description] — [Why defensible] [Source N](#Sources)
Common moat types: network effects, data moats, brand moats, regulatory moats, cost advantages, integration depth, specialization/focus, cultural/geographic expertise, switching costs.
---
## Competitive Threats & Mitigation
### Near-Term Threats (0-12 months)
#### [Threat 1 Title]
- **Description:** [What could happen]
- **Likelihood:** [High/Medium/Low] — [Brief justification]
- **Impact:** [High/Medium/Low] — [Potential damage if occurs]
- **Mitigation:** [Specific actions to reduce threat] [Source N](#Sources)
#### [Threat 2 Title]
- **Description:** [What could happen]
- **Likelihood:** [High/Medium/Low] — [Brief justification]
- **Impact:** [High/Medium/Low] — [Potential damage if occurs]
- **Mitigation:** [Specific actions to reduce threat] [Source N](#Sources)
### Medium to Long-Term Threats (12+ months)
#### [Threat 3 Title]
- **Description:** [What could happen]
- **Likelihood:** [High/Medium/Low] — [Brief justification]
- **Impact:** [High/Medium/Low] — [Potential damage if occurs]
- **Mitigation:** [Specific actions to reduce threat] [Source N](#Sources)
*Note: Timeframes and likelihood estimates are flexible. Adapt based on industry velocity and market dynamics.*
---
## Strategic Recommendations
Based on this analysis, consider:
1. **[Recommendation 1]:** [Actionable recommendation with rationale tied to findings] [Source N](#Sources)
2. **[Recommendation 2]:** [Actionable recommendation with rationale tied to findings] [Source N](#Sources)
3. **[Recommendation 3]:** [Actionable recommendation with rationale tied to findings] [Source N](#Sources)
---
## Sources
[1] [Source Title] — [URL] — Accessed [Date]
[2] [Source Title] — [URL] — Accessed [Date]
[3] ...Citation Requirements
Inline citations are mandatory. Every factual claim must include [Source N](#Sources) reference.
- Number sources sequentially as encountered
- Include the exact URL in the Sources section
- If information comes from multiple sources, cite all:
[Source 1, 3](#Sources) - For claims that cannot be verified, explicitly state: "Unable to verify from public sources"
- Prefer primary sources (company websites, press releases) over secondary (news articles, blogs)
Quality Checklist
Before finalizing report, verify:
- Target Customer Profile completed with firmographics, pain points, and behavioral patterns
- All 5 competitors researched across all 4 dimensions
- Every factual claim has inline citation
- Competitive matrix is complete with no empty cells (use "N/A" or "Not disclosed" if needed)
- Market Gaps section identifies at least 3 specific gaps with evidence
- SWOT items are specific and evidence-based, not generic
- Competitive Moats explain why advantages are defensible, not just listing strengths
- Threat analysis includes likelihood/impact ratings and mitigation strategies for each threat
- Recommendations are actionable and tied to specific findings
- Sources section includes all referenced URLs
Error Handling
If competitor website is inaccessible: Note in report, use available search results and news coverage instead.
If pricing not public: State "Pricing not publicly disclosed" and note any indirect indicators (e.g., "enterprise sales model suggested by 'Contact Us' pricing page").
If funding data unavailable: Search for alternative signals: LinkedIn employee count, office locations, news mentions of growth.
If fewer than 5 clear competitors exist: Include available competitors and note the market context (e.g., "Emerging market with limited direct competitors").