| name | competitive-analysis |
| description | Use when the user asks to "analyze competitors", "map competitive landscape", "Porter's 5 Forces analysis", "competitor comparison", "competitive positioning", "identify competitors", "competitive intelligence", or needs competitor research methodology, market positioning analysis, or competitive strategy frameworks. |
| version | 0.4.2 |
Competitive Analysis
Systematically evaluate competitors to understand positioning, identify gaps, and inform strategy. Produces a finding per insight with a confidence tier and trend indicator.
Required Frameworks
| Framework | Output Section | Required | Condition |
|---|
| Porter's 5 Forces | Porter's 5 Forces Analysis | yes | — |
| Competitor Matrix | Competitive Matrix | yes | — |
| Positioning Map | Positioning Map | conditional | 2+ comparable dimensions available |
| Trend Indicators (INC/DEC/CONST) | throughout | yes | — |
When to Use
Entering a new market, evaluating positioning, identifying feature/pricing gaps, assessing competitive threats, planning differentiation, or producing board/investor-ready landscape documents — including emerging markets with only indirect or potential competitors.
Handling Incomplete Prompts
When the request lacks a market, industry, or competitor list, do NOT fabricate analysis. Acknowledge the request, ask clarifying questions (market/industry, product, known competitors, goal, target segment), and describe expected deliverables. Be helpful — never refuse outright.
Adapting for Emerging Markets / New Categories
Competitive analysis is MORE important for new categories, not less.
- Identify current substitutes (manual processes, consultants, existing tools, DIY).
- Map indirect competitors from adjacent markets who could pivot in.
- Identify potential entrants — well-funded adjacent players most likely to enter.
- Adapt Porter's: rivalry typically LOW (temporary), threat of new entry HIGH, threat of substitution VERY HIGH.
- Address first-mover and category-creation dynamics (advantages and risks).
- Recommend on category definition, switching costs, and monitoring entrants.
Porter's 5 Forces
For each force provide an explicit rating (HIGH/MODERATE/LOW/VERY HIGH), industry-specific factors, and an implications statement.
- Competitive Rivalry — competitor count/size, growth rate, differentiation, exit barriers. High rivalry = challenging margins.
- Supplier Power — concentration, switching costs, unique inputs, forward-integration threat. High power = cost pressure.
- Buyer Power — concentration, purchase volume, switching costs, price sensitivity. High power = pricing pressure.
- Threat of Substitution — alternatives, price-performance trade-off, switching costs, propensity to substitute. High threat = innovation pressure.
- Threat of New Entry — capital requirements, economies of scale, brand loyalty, regulatory barriers. High threat = margin pressure.
Competitor Matrix
| Dimension | Competitor A | Competitor B | Your Position |
|---|
| Market Share | % | % | % |
| Pricing | $-$$$ | $-$$$ | $-$$$ |
| Key Features | List | List | List |
| Strengths | List | List | List |
| Weaknesses | List | List | List |
| Trend | INC/DEC/CONST | INC/DEC/CONST | - |
Positioning Map
Visualize positioning on two key dimensions (e.g., feature richness vs. premium
positioning) as a Mermaid quadrantChart with labeled axes and all competitors as data
points. When the user specifies axes, use those exact dimensions. Precede the chart with
a rationale table explaining each placement. Any figure, chart, or diagram is rendered
as a fenced Mermaid code block (a mermaid info-string fence), never ASCII art, an
image link, or Graphviz/DOT; a required figure is never silently omitted — if the data
cannot support it, say so in prose. Plain tabular matter stays a Markdown table.
Research Process
- Identify competitors — direct, indirect, potential entrants, substitutes.
- Gather intelligence — websites, press, financials, job postings, social, reviews, analyst reports. Search patterns:
"[competitor] pricing", "[competitor] vs [alternative]", "[competitor] review", "[competitor] funding/revenue".
- Analyze — map to Porter's, build matrix, create positioning map, assign INC/DEC/CONST trends.
- Synthesize — advantages/disadvantages, market gaps, threat assessment, recommendations.
Trend Indicators (INC / DEC / CONST)
Apply three-valued logic to competitor trajectories:
- INC — growing share, expanding features, positive momentum.
- DEC — losing share, reducing investment, negative signals.
- CONST — stable, maintaining but not growing.
Output Structure
## Competitive Landscape Overview
## Porter's 5 Forces Analysis [force-by-force with ratings]
## Competitor Profiles [top 3-5]
## Competitive Matrix
## Positioning Map [Mermaid quadrant chart]
## Key Insights [insight + implication]
## Strategic Recommendations [specific, actionable, context-tailored]
When the user states a context (e.g., "small dev teams", "board presentation"), tailor every section to it. Generic analysis is not acceptable.
Confidence Tiers
- High — 3+ independent, recent (<12mo) sources that converge.
- Medium — 2 sources, OR sources >12mo old, OR indirect evidence.
- Low — single source, inference, or extrapolation.
Cross-reference sizing (validate share figures against TAM) and customer (switching costs, satisfaction gaps). Alert on an undiscovered competitor with >10% share, a share shift >20% in 12 months, or a disruptive new entrant.
Best Practices
Refresh quarterly, cross-validate across sources, note source reliability and dates, distinguish fact from speculation, consider regional variation, and watch competitor job postings for strategy hints.
