7 Key Areas of Competitive Intelligence

February 03, 2023

Gathering, analyzing, and sharing information about competitors and the competitive landscape is what we call competitive intelligence. This data can range from financials and product details to marketing plans.

Knowing their competitors gives companies the intel needed to understand their place in the market and make smart moves to strengthen their competitive advantage.

The primary objective of competitive intelligence is to generate actionable insights that can be applied to business strategy, product ideation, marketing, and other critical elements of the business.

There are 7 key areas in competitive intelligence, and depending on your business goals and/or stage, one or more of these might be helpful, if not absolutely necessary, to ensure your company's success:

1. Market analysis

Market analysis helps you understand the overall market and industry in which a business operates, including trends, growth potential, and major players. A thorough market analysis, when done right, helps you find clients by researching consumer behavior and economic trends so that you can tweak your business idea to the current trends. It also allows you to reduce risks from the very start and gather demographic information to better understand opportunities and limitations.

2. Competitor analysis

Competitor analysis identifies and evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of a business' competitors, including their products, strategies, and market position. Consistent competitor analyses can help you strategically promote your business, identify innovation opportunities, improve your products or services, and stand out from your competition.

3. Customer analysis

This analysis allows you to understand the needs and behaviors of your customers, including their preferences, buying habits, and decision-making processes. Evaluating client data provides information that will help you build robust predictive models, determine your prospects and the potential value of their behavior, and develop strategies to better meet their needs.

4. Distribution channel analysis

Identifying and assessing how products or services are distributed and sold to customers.

5. Product and technology analysis

Product analysis helps you understand the features, benefits, and performance of your competitors' products and services, as well as any new or emerging technologies that could impact the business.

When you know your competitors' products' strengths, weaknesses, and current position in the market, you can optimize the decision-making process when creating, redesigning, or marketing a product or service.

Knowing what you're competing against will help you better understand the needs of your target market and help you plan the right strategies to outperform them.

6. Financial analysis

Financial statements are a key source of information because they are standardized among competitors, full of priceless data, and easily available.

Financial analysis is fundamental to evaluating your competitors' economic performance and financial health. It is also used to identify economic trends and build long-term business plans. It can detect weaknesses within a business so that it can be used strategically to maximize profitability.

7. Industry Analysis

Industry analysis helps companies understand the competitive dynamics of an industry, learn about the current business environment, the level of competition within the industry, emerging competing industries, etc. Industry analysis takes into consideration technological changes and the influence of external factors, such as legislation, policing, and inflation.

This analysis sheds light on a company's position relative to other direct and cross-industry participants. It also helps pinpoint opportunities as well as threats and paints a strong picture of the current and future industry.

Carrying out these analyses comprehensively and systematically will help you draw a competitive landscape and learn how your company differentiates from others and which areas need to be improved and strengthened to always be one step ahead.

The key to thriving in an ever-changing business environment is understanding the differences between yourself and your competitors and using that to your full advantage. Our highly experienced professionals can guide you through the entire process.


We operate with a flexible, scalable staffing model leveraging subject matter experts as needed. We enable clients to generate profitable growth through the practical use of research, innovation, and technology. Whether your firm is a start-up or a Fortune 500, Peak Innovation is here to answer your toughest marketplace questions.

All you need to ensure you make the right decisions to help your business succeed, increase market share, and stay abreast of your competitors is one phone call away. Contact us at (844) 485-8070 or fill out the form on this website for questions about our services or to schedule a time to speak.