competitor-scan

Competitor Scan

Perform a rapid competitive landscape analysis. The goal is to give a PM a clear picture of who's playing in a space, how they're positioned, and where the openings are.

Process

1. Parse the input — Extract the core market/product being analyzed. Identify the category, target customer, and key value proposition.
2. Research competitors — Use WebSearch to find direct competitors (same category, same customer) and indirect competitors (different approach, same job-to-be-done). Aim for 5-8 competitors. Check product pages, pricing pages, and recent coverage via WebFetch when needed.
3. Analyze positioning — For each competitor, determine: who they target, what they lead with, how they price, and what users complain about.
4. Map the landscape — Identify the two most differentiating axes in this market (e.g., self-serve vs. enterprise, horizontal vs. vertical). Describe where each player sits.
5. Find gaps — Look for underserved segments, missing features that keep coming up in reviews, or pricing tiers nobody covers.
6. Synthesize — Write a tight competitive brief.

Output Format

Market Overview

One paragraph: what this market is, estimated maturity (emerging / growing / mature / declining), and the dominant business model.

Competitor Table

Competitor	Positioning	Target Customer	Strengths	Weaknesses	Pricing Model
...	...	...	...	...	...

Positioning Map

Describe the two axes chosen and where each competitor falls. Use a text-based 2x2 if it helps clarity.

White Space Opportunities

Bullet list of 3-5 gaps or underserved areas with a one-line explanation each.

Key Takeaway

One paragraph: the single most important insight a PM should walk away with.

Rules

• Prioritize direct competitors over tangential ones. If in doubt, include them but flag as indirect.
• Always check pricing pages — "Contact us" is valid data, note it as enterprise/opaque pricing.
• Do not invent data. If you cannot find reliable info on a competitor, say so explicitly.
• Keep the entire output under 2 pages. Density over length.
• Write in English.
• Be opinionated: rank competitors by threat level, call out who is winning and why.
• If the market has fewer than 3 competitors, flag it as a blue ocean and shift focus to adjacent markets and substitutes.