Top 25 Competitor Market Research Strategies 🕵️‍♂️

Everyone thinks they’ve got the best product…

Truth is, we all have competitor’s selling similar offerings, and you constantly see value propositions like “highest-quality!” or “truly the best service”, but these are not really differentiating, right? In fact, there is an argument to be made that most brands are not differentiating with their messaging, they are commoditizing.

To TRULY stand out, you’ll want to deeply know your competitors by doing serious competitive market research.

This can be done most effectively by targeting your competitors’ user’s in a Pollfish survey. In addition to that, here are 25 ways to study your competition.


1. Decode Your Competitor’s Target Audience 🔍

Let’s say you’re launching a beach-style clothing brand, and you’re wanting to understand your competitors customers. You can create a survey with a multi-select question towards the front and screen for those who have recently worn Hurley, Volcom, Quicksilver, etc. After that, ask whatever you want to know about them to better serve that audience!

Or, let’s say you’re Netflix, and you want understand perceptions of your brand vs. theirs. You could have a question like this:

Funny enough, you can actually skip these questions in Pollfish by just selecting these streaming behaviors of users directly from the list of 7,000 validated brand interactions we track with our consumer panel.


2. Analyze Their Messaging 🌌

It’s ALL about the UVP. Competitors’ brand messaging reveals their unique value propositions (UVPs). Take a cue from the beverage giant Monster Energy.

If Monster targets audiences interested in “competitive eSports gamers,” their slogan, social ads, and promotions likely emphasize high-energy performance. By comparing survey responses, like “Which energy drink do you trust for gaming?”—with 55% choosing Monster and 20% choosing Red Bull—you can refine your messaging to tap into this segment.


3. Competitor Content Audit 🕁

Content is a big channel for many brands, which means you can find what they’re doing to attract new business, and replicate it, but even better! Conduct a detailed audit of your competitors’ blogs, videos, and social posts.

Suppose you’re in SaaS, competing with an HR tech giant like BambooHR. Break their content into themes, e.g., “employee wellness” vs. “hiring best practices.” A survey asking HR professionals, “Which content helps you the most in your role?” reveals that 60% prefer BambooHR’s wellness focus. Use that intel to create better, more tailored content.


4. Study Ad Placements 🗽

This is tricky to do in “the wild” of the internet, because targeting is so complex and based on all sorts of algorithms. So the best way to do this is… with a survey! Advertising reveals a lot about your competitors’ strategies. For example, the fitness equipment industry leader Peloton might target audiences like “home gym enthusiasts” or “first-time exercisers.” Your survey could ask respondents, “Where have you seen Peloton ads?”—42% may mention YouTube. Now, you know where to direct your ad spend to compete.


5. Track Pricing Models 💸

Don’t know how to price? Nothing beats a Van Westendorp survey for that.

But, if you’re not ready for that, let’s consider an example. For instance, if your competitor is the well known e-commerce tool Shopify (below), and this is there pricing, your prospects will already have a tendency to bucket price values relative to them, and you’ll need to distinguish your offerings to deviate from the expected pricing.

Let’s consider another example, imagine competing with a subscription box service like Stitch Fix in the retail space. Use conjoint analysis to survey options like “Would you prefer a $20 styling fee with free returns or a $40 flat fee with discounts?” Analyzing responses might reveal that 65% prefer their model—a clue for your next move.


6. Deconstruct Product Features 🎡

Yes, yes, sell the benefits, not the features. But differentiated benefits actually stem from unique features. Survey your audience to determine what features resonate most with competitor offerings. For instance, if a competitor offers “customizable dashboards” for their project management software, ask users to rate its importance on a scale of 1-5. Results such as 70% choosing 5 (very important) show where you may need to prioritize development.

I like to use matrix questions to get a rank on a unique scale on multiple features at once. Here’s what a matrix question looks like in the Pollfish platform results page.

This example was about which aspect of AI which be most useful in support to office workers job duties. This is something an AI vendor could use to determine where to focus their features, towards text, audio, images, voice, etc! In this case, text ranked very strong with 113/400 choosing it as the #1 option, that’s useful data!

On the flip side, robotics ranked lowest at 159/400 as #5 (which makes sense because these are office workers).

See this full survey in Pollfish here!


7. Observe Industry Buzzwords 🧠

What’s the “very demure” of your industry? Competitors often latch onto trendy industry language. For example, in the sustainable beauty industry, Lush might emphasize “cruelty-free” and “zero-waste.” Create a survey asking, “Which words influence your purchasing decision most?” If 40% choose “zero-waste,” it’s a sign to adapt your messaging.


8. Monitor Social Media Engagement 📲

Social isn’t representative like a survey built on a quality Prodege audience, but can still help you gleam great insights. Dive into competitors’ social media interactions. Let’s say you’re tracking Dunkin’ in the quick-service restaurant industry. If their campaign targeting “coffee lovers” gets 10,000 shares and 80% positive sentiment, consider mimicking their style in your campaigns.


9. Evaluate Customer Service 🧳

Competitor customer service can be their Achilles’ heel. If Zappos excels with live chat—achieving 90% satisfaction rates—survey your respondents on preferred service channels. Insights like 50% preferring live chat can inform your strategy.


10. Examine Competitive Differentiators 🔄

Is your market commoditized? Probably. What sets your competitors apart aside from market share? Get that answer and you’ll find the gaps you can fill.

A snack brand like KIND might win loyalty with “wholesome ingredients.” Ask audiences, “Which of the following makes you loyal to a snack brand?” If 65% cite ingredient transparency, your next campaign has a clear direction.


11. Conduct Benchmark Studies 🎮

Benchmarks are great, and Prodege has trackers internally across many industries to help you here. A benchmark study measures where your competitors stand in key metrics.

Survey an audience segment like “technology enthusiasts,” asking, “Which smart home brand do you associate with innovation?” Results such as 55% choosing Google Nest over Amazon Echo show where you’re lagging.


12. Dissect Brand Loyalty Programs 🏆

Competitors’ loyalty programs often hide insights. Starbucks’ Rewards program attracts a whopping 28 million members. Run a survey asking, “Which loyalty feature matters most?” If 45% choose free mini-samples of any coffee, integrate that into your next iteration.


13. Spot Seasonal Trends 🍁

Competitors often time their offerings around trends. For instance, bike sales peak just before summer. Survey your audience with questions like, “Which month are you most likely to buy a new bike?”— 70% may say June, informing your seasonal strategy.


14. Reverse Engineer Product Launches 🎨

Analyze how competitors test concepts and rolls out new products. If Tesla promotes a new car via exclusive preorders, survey car buyers about “What excites you about product launches?”—responses like 55% choosing “exclusive access” help refine your rollout strategy.


15. Monitor Influencer Collaborations 📹

Competitors partnering with influencers can reveal targeting strategies. For example, Adidas might collaborate with niche “yoga influencers” to sell a new line.

Ask your audience, “Which influencers inspire your purchasing decisions?”—30% may mention specific yogis—a signal to emulate.


16. Investigate Product Reviews 🌍

Competitor reviews expose customer likes and dislikes. For instance, here’s a review of one of our competitors (that happened to be written on our own site).

Seeing these reviews help us get an idea of why and even how many users may defect from certain competitors. In this case our support team and easy pricing won this user over. You can find the same insights on your product in your market!


17. Track Market Share 🔄

In business, winner takes all. If you’re not in the share, or well-niched, you’re fighting for market share crumbs. Understanding market distribution clarifies competitor dominance of market share. And that informs your next steps.

If you’re a ride-share service for instance, ask, “Which ride-share app do you use most?” If Uber captures 70% of users, your market entry will require niche positioning.


18. Investigate Strategic Partnerships 💼

Competitor partnerships often align with growth objectives. If Airbnb partners with local tourism boards, survey travelers with, “Which platform improves your local experiences?” If 60% choose Airbnb, it’s time to evaluate similar collaborations.


19. Study Their Website UX 🌐

Competitors’ websites hold valuable UX insights. This is harder to target with a survey, but you can still find areas for improvement just by looking. Then, survey your own users with, “How would you rate your online shopping experience with X?”—Only 10% saying “easy-to-navigate” highlights where you might be falling short.


20. Evaluate Competitor Promotions 🎉

Promotions reveal how competitors drive demand. For example, Subway’s “$5 Footlong” campaign redefined value dining. However they recently switched that to a buy two deal…

Anyways, survey respondents with, “What deal would be too good to refuse?”.


21. Measure Brand Advocacy 🎗

NPS scores are a great way to benchmark how people think you compare to your competition. Competitors’ advocacy levels can be measured via Net Promoter Scores (NPS).

Ask, “How likely are you to recommend X to a friend?” If their score dwarfs yours, it’s time for some serious brand building.


22. Learn From Product Failures ❌

There’s nothing like a great product flop. Competitor flops are your treasure troves… but ONLY if you actually ask what happened! You’ve got to get the “why”. Ask, “Why didn’t you buy X’s product?” If 80% say “the new colors are awful,” you know what to avoid.


23. Assess Sustainability Efforts 🌿

Sustainability only applies in certain industries, but it is super important to some folks. In industries like fashion, brands like Patagonia win by promoting sustainability. Ask audiences, “How much do eco-friendly practices influence your decision?”—67% prioritizing this will steer your corporate strategy.


24. Analyze Global vs. Local Strategies 🌍

People in Surf City, USA and in Taipei, Taiwan are not always going to have the same consumer habits. Global competitors often tailor local strategies.

For instance, Coca-Cola’s regional flavors dominate. Survey consumers with, “Do you prefer global brands offering local options?” Insights guide your localization efforts.


25. Test Customer Acquisition Strategies 💳

Analyze how competitors draw in customers. For example, Netflix’s free trial strategy revolutionized streaming. Survey new users with, “What prompted you to try X?” If 60% cite “something the say on reddit”, adapt accordingly.


Closing Thoughts: Understanding your competitors isn’t just about knowing what they’re doing—it’s about knowing what you should be doing better.