---
name: 08-competitor-research-global
description: "3-tier competitor analysis (direct, indirect, secondary) for global markets — positioning, SWOT, content benchmark, market gap. Tools: SimilarWeb, Ahrefs, Semrush, Minea (dropshipping). Trigger: 'competitor research', 'competitive analysis', 'what competitors are doing', 'competitor analysis', 'market research'."
metadata:
  version: 1.0.0
  category: strategy
license: MIT
triggers:
  - "competitor research"
  - "competitive analysis"
  - "what competitors are doing"
  - "competitor analysis"
  - "market research"
related:
  - 09-customer-insight-global
  - 00-marketing-plan-global
  - 02-campaign-brief-global
  - 05-ad-copy-global
  - 29-dropshipping-mastery-global
---

# Competitive Research (Global)

## Information gathering

Ask user up to 4 questions before starting:

1. **What's your product / service?** (Industry, price tier, primary audience)
2. **Name 2-5 competitors you know** (brand names, page/TikTok/website links if available)
3. **What worries you most about competitors?** (Cheaper pricing? Better content? Stronger ads? Market share?)
4. **Goal after this report?** (Reposition? Improve content? Find market gap? Run ads more effectively?)

### Auto-research via tools (if available)

#### A. Global research tools

| Tool | What it does | Free tier? |
|------|--------------|-----------|
| **SimilarWeb** | Website traffic estimation, top sources, competitor comparison | Yes (limited) |
| **Ahrefs** | SEO/backlink analysis, keyword competition | Trial only |
| **Semrush** | SEO, ads research, keyword gap, competitor traffic sources | Yes (limited) |
| **Meta Ads Library** | All competitor ads currently running on Meta — public, free | Yes (free) |
| **TikTok Creative Center** | Top performing ads by industry, region | Yes (free) |
| **Minea** | Dropshipping ad spy — top selling products on FB/TikTok | Trial only |
| **AdSpy / BigSpy** | Ad intelligence across platforms | Paid only |

#### B. Meta Ads Library (free, no signup needed)

For each competitor:
1. Go to `facebook.com/ads/library`
2. Filter by country + advertiser
3. Note: format mix (video/image/carousel), hooks used, CTAs, run duration
4. Compare against your ads -> find gaps and opportunities

#### C. Dropshipping-specific tools (Minea, Adspy, Pipiads)

For dropshipping competitor research:
- **Minea** — Track top FB/TikTok ads by product, find winning products
- **Pipiads** — TikTok Shop best sellers, ad performance data
- **AdSpy** — Search ads by keyword, advertiser, country

> See skill `29-dropshipping-mastery-global` for full dropshipping research workflow.

---

## 3-tier competitor model

Categorize competitors into 3 groups — don't just look at direct competitors:

| Tier | Definition | Criteria | Example (Mid-tier Spa) |
|------|------------|----------|------------------------|
| **Direct** | Same tier, same offering, same audience | Same price, same service, same area | Spa B same street, similar pricing |
| **Indirect potential** | Different offering but substitutable | Customer might pick them instead | Cosmetic clinic, at-home skincare, home beauty devices |
| **Secondary** | Same offering, different price tier | Competes when budget shifts | Premium spa (customer downgrades), budget spa (upgrades) |

### Selection rules

- Direct: pick 3-5 main competitors
- Indirect potential: pick 2-3 substitute categories
- Secondary: pick 1-2 competitors at adjacent price tier

---

## Per-competitor analysis structure

For each competitor, analyze 8 dimensions:

### 1. Brand positioning

| Element | Content |
|---------|---------|
| Main message | [Slogan, tagline, brand promise] |
| Visual style | [Color tone, photo style, video quality] |
| Price tier | [Low / Medium / High / Premium] |
| Target audience | [Gender, age, income, interests] |
| Stated USP | [What do they claim is their differentiation?] |

### 2. Strengths and weaknesses

| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|-----------|------------|
| [List 3-5] | [List 3-5] |

### 3. Content strategy

| Metric | Value |
|--------|-------|
| Main channel | [Facebook / TikTok / Instagram / YouTube / Email] |
| Posting frequency | [X posts/week] |
| Priority format | [Short video / Carousel / Long post / Reels] |
| Tone of voice | [Professional / Friendly / Humorous / Educational] |
| Content angle mix | [TOFU X% / MOFU X% / BOFU X%] |
| Best performing content | [Top 3 highest engagement posts/videos] |

### 4. Channels and platforms

| Channel | Yes / No | Followers / Likes | Activity rating |
|---------|----------|-------------------|-----------------|
| Facebook Page | | | |
| TikTok | | | |
| Instagram | | | |
| YouTube | | | |
| LinkedIn | | | |
| Website | | | |
| Email | | | |

### 5. Ad spend estimation

Estimation method (no need for absolute precision):

| Signal | How to read |
|--------|-------------|
| Sponsored posts/month | Count "Sponsored" labeled posts in Meta Ads Library |
| TikTok video ad volume | TikTok Creative Center -> Top Ads -> filter by industry |
| Website traffic | SimilarWeb (free tier) or Semrush |
| KOL/UGC volume | Count brand-tagged videos on TikTok |

| Estimated metric | Value |
|------------------|-------|
| Active ads (Meta Ads Library) | [X ads] |
| Estimated monthly ad spend | [$X — based on ad count x avg CPM] |
| Has UGC/KOL? | [Yes/No — if yes, estimated X people] |

### 6. Audience overlap

| Element | Overlap level |
|---------|---------------|
| Geography | [High / Medium / Low] |
| Age | [High / Medium / Low] |
| Income | [High / Medium / Low] |
| Interests | [High / Medium / Low] |
| Channels used | [High / Medium / Low] |

### 7. Pricing and business model

| Product/service | Competitor price | Your price | Difference |
|-----------------|------------------|------------|------------|
| [SKU 1] | | | |
| [SKU 2] | | | |
| [SKU 3] | | | |

### 8. Threat level assessment

| Competitor | Threat level | Reason |
|------------|--------------|--------|
| [Name] | High / Medium / Low | [1 short sentence] |

---

## SWOT — Your brand vs Competitors

### SWOT summary table

| | **Positive** | **Negative** |
|---|---|---|
| **Internal** | **STRENGTHS** — Your strengths competitors don't have or are weaker at | **WEAKNESSES** — Your weak points competitors exploit |
| **External** | **OPPORTUNITIES** — Market gaps competitors haven't claimed | **THREATS** — Competitor trends/moves threatening you |

### Detail

**Strengths**
| # | Strength | Which competitor weak here? | How to leverage |
|---|----------|----------------------------|-----------------|
| 1 | | | |
| 2 | | | |
| 3 | | | |

**Weaknesses**
| # | Weakness | Which competitor strong here? | How to fix |
|---|----------|------------------------------|------------|
| 1 | | | |
| 2 | | | |
| 3 | | | |

**Opportunities**
| # | Opportunity | Why competitors haven't done it? | Recommended action |
|---|-------------|----------------------------------|--------------------|
| 1 | | | |
| 2 | | | |
| 3 | | | |

**Threats**
| # | Threat | From which competitor? | Defense strategy |
|---|--------|------------------------|------------------|
| 1 | | | |
| 2 | | | |
| 3 | | | |

---

## Positioning Map

2x2 matrix — pick 2 axes that fit your industry:

### Default axes: Price x Perceived Quality

```
        HIGH QUALITY
             |
             |
  Comp C     |  [YOU]
  (cheap,    |  (mid price,
   good qual)|   good qual)
             |
------- LOW -------- HIGH ---- PRICE
             |
  Comp A     |  Comp B
  (cheap,    |  (high price,
   low qual) |   low qual)
             |
        LOW QUALITY
```

### Alternative axes (by industry)

| X-axis (horizontal) | Y-axis (vertical) | Best for |
|---------------------|-------------------|----------|
| Price | Perceived quality | Spa, F&B, fashion |
| Traditional vs Modern | Mainstream vs Niche | Education, tech |
| Convenience vs Experience | Mass vs Premium | F&B, retail |
| Online vs Offline | Self-serve vs Full service | Service, SaaS |

**How to read the map:**
- Crowded corner = fierce competition, avoid
- Empty corner = gap to claim
- Heavy corner = many competitors, need strong differentiator

---

## Find market gaps (Market Gap)

### 5 gap types framework

| Gap type | Check question | Finding |
|----------|---------------|---------|
| **Product gap** | What need are customers solving DIY because no one serves it? | |
| **Price gap** | What price tier has no one claimed? (between budget and premium) | |
| **Channel gap** | What channel are competitors ignoring? (Email? TikTok Shop? SEO?) | |
| **Content gap** | What angle hasn't been done? (behind scenes? educational? data-driven?) | |
| **Experience gap** | What customer journey step is no one doing well? | |

### Gap evaluation

| Gap | Attractiveness (1-5) | Feasibility (1-5) | Priority |
|-----|---------------------|-------------------|----------|
| [Gap 1] | | | High / Medium / Low |
| [Gap 2] | | | |
| [Gap 3] | | | |

---

## Content Benchmark — Best-performing competitor content

### Top-performing content analysis

For each competitor, pick top 5 posts/videos by engagement in last 30 days:

| # | Competitor | Format | Angle | Views/Reach | Engagement | Why effective? |
|---|------------|--------|-------|-------------|------------|----------------|
| 1 | | | | | | |
| 2 | | | | | | |
| 3 | | | | | | |
| 4 | | | | | | |
| 5 | | | | | | |

### Extract pattern

| Pattern | Description | Apply to you |
|---------|-------------|--------------|
| Common hook | [Hook style competitors use] | [Apply / Don't apply — reason] |
| Strong format | [Video/Carousel/Text most effective?] | |
| Posting time | [What hour, what day?] | |
| Common CTA | [What CTA type?] | |
| Viral element | [Common trait of effective content?] | |

---

## Learn vs Don't copy

### LEARN from competitors

| Lesson | From which competitor | How to apply |
|--------|----------------------|--------------|
| Effective content format | | [Adapt how] |
| Strong channel | | [Implementation] |
| Customer service | | [Improvement] |
| Pricing strategy | | [Adjustment] |

### DON'T copy

| Don't copy | Reason | Do this instead |
|------------|--------|-----------------|
| Copy content verbatim | Lose identity, suffer comparison | Take idea, adapt to your brand voice |
| Race to the bottom (price) | Unsustainable | Compete on value, not price |
| Imitate positioning | Become "cheap copy" | Find unique angle, differentiate |
| Follow trends they did | Late, lost effectiveness | Find new trends or new angle on old |

---

## Competitive moat assessment

| Moat type | Competitor has? | You have? | Action |
|-----------|-----------------|-----------|--------|
| **Brand recognition** — First-recall | | | |
| **Network effect** — More users = more attractive | | | |
| **Switching cost** — Hard for customers to leave | | | |
| **Data advantage** — Big customer data | | | |
| **Content library** — Large content library, strong SEO | | | |
| **Community** — Loyal community | | | |
| **Distribution** — Strong channel network | | | |

---

## Action table

### Priority recommendations

| # | Action | Based on finding | Urgency | Timeline |
|---|--------|------------------|---------|----------|
| 1 | | | High / Medium | Wk 1-2 |
| 2 | | | | Wk 2-4 |
| 3 | | | | Mo 2 |
| 4 | | | | Mo 3 |
| 5 | | | | Long-term |

---

## Cross-reference

- Need deeper customer understanding? -> Use `09-customer-insight-global`
- Want to reposition and write brief? -> Use `02-campaign-brief-global`
- Need differentiated copy? -> Use `05-ad-copy-global`
- Need competitive budget calculation? -> Use `10-reverse-kpi-global`
- Need full marketing plan? -> Use `00-marketing-plan-global`
- Dropshipping research? -> Use `29-dropshipping-mastery-global`

---

## Quality checklist

Before delivering report, check:

- [ ] Categorized competitors into 3 tiers (direct, indirect, secondary)
- [ ] Each competitor has all 8 analysis dimensions
- [ ] SWOT specific, not generic — each point names specific competitor
- [ ] Positioning map axes fit industry
- [ ] Found at least 3 market gaps
- [ ] Content benchmark has specific data (links, numbers), not vague observations
- [ ] "Learn vs Don't copy" section has specific actions
- [ ] Competitive moat assessed for both competitor and you
- [ ] Action table has timeline and urgency
- [ ] No unsupported claims — every conclusion has data or specific observation
