Glossary
Competitive strategy, defined plainly
The terms you meet in competitor analysis, strategy decks and business plans, each defined in a sentence, then explained with an example and what it means for a real business.
B
- Bargaining power of buyersThe bargaining power of buyers is how much power customers have over your prices. What drives buyer power, real examples, and what it means for how you price.
- Bargaining power of suppliersThe bargaining power of suppliers is how much power the firms you buy from hold over you. What drives it, why Google and Meta count, and what to do about it.
- Barriers to entryBarriers to entry are the advantages incumbents hold over newcomers. The seven types with examples, and how a small business should enter or defend a market.
- Brand mentionsBrand mentions are any place your brand is named online. Linked vs unlinked, why they matter for SEO and AI answers, and how to track yours and competitors'.
C
- Competitive advantageCompetitive advantage explained: what it is, the four main types with real examples, how to test whether yours is real, and how rivals wear one down.
- Competitive analysisWhat competitive analysis means, what it covers, the main types, what it should produce, and how it differs from competitive intelligence and monitoring.
- Competitive landscapeA competitive landscape is every option your customers weigh, mapped by segment and position. How to map one, a worked example, and how often to redo it.
- Competitive moatA competitive moat is what stops rivals taking your profits. The six main types with real examples, and what small businesses rely on when they have none.
- Competitive parityCompetitive parity has two meanings: matching rivals on price and features, and setting ad budgets to match theirs. Pros, cons and examples of each, plainly.
- Competitive positioningCompetitive positioning is the place you choose to own in customers' minds relative to rivals. The four choices, examples, and how to find an open position.
- Competitive rivalryCompetitive rivalry is the Porter force about how hard existing firms fight. What drives its intensity, real examples, and how to measure it in your own market.
- Competitive setWhat a competitive set is, the hotel comp set rules STR uses, the marketing meaning, and how to choose a comp set of 3 to 8 rivals and when to change it.
- CompetitorWhat is a competitor? A plain definition, a three-part test for who really competes with you, real examples, and why most competitor lists are wrong.
- Competitor-based pricingCompetitor-based pricing: the three positions (below, at, above), real examples, when it works, when it turns into a trap, and how to watch rival prices.
D
- Differentiation strategyA differentiation strategy wins by being different in ways buyers value. Porter's definition, the main types, examples, the risks, and a test against rivals.
- Direct competitorsDirect competitors sell the same thing to the same customer at a similar price. Examples, four ways to find yours, and the five things worth watching weekly.
F
- Fast followerA fast follower lets a rival launch first, then enters with a better version. Fast follower strategy, real examples, how monitoring helps, and the risks.
- First mover advantageFirst mover advantage is the edge from entering a market first. Where it comes from, what research says about pioneers, examples, and what it means for you.
I
M
- Market intelligenceMarket intelligence defined: the four parts it covers, where the information comes from, a worked example, and how it differs from competitive intelligence.
- Market leader, challenger, follower, nicherKotler's four competitive positions (market leader, challenger, follower and market nicher), the strategies for each, examples, and how to tell which you are.
- Market positioningMarket positioning explained: six classic strategies with examples, how to write your own, and how to read a competitor's position from their homepage and ads.
- Market saturationMarket saturation is when most buyers already have what you sell. The signs, how to measure it with free data, and how to compete in a saturated market.
- Market shareHow to calculate market share by revenue and by units, with a worked example, relative market share, and ways to estimate it when rivals keep revenue private.
- Marketing intelligenceMarketing intelligence is everyday information about your marketing environment. Real examples, how it differs from market research, and a weekly routine.
P
- Porter's generic strategiesPorter's generic strategies: cost leadership, differentiation, both kinds of focus, the stuck in the middle trap, and how to spot which one a rival is playing.
- Price warA price war is a cycle of rivals undercutting each other. How price wars start, real examples, the early warning signs, and how to respond without joining.
S
- Share of searchShare of search is your brand's slice of all brand searches in its category. Where it came from, how to calculate it free, a worked example, what it predicts.
- Social listening vs monitoringSocial listening vs social monitoring: monitoring answers single mentions, listening finds patterns in many. When you need each, the tools, where rivals fit.
- Sustainable competitive advantageWhat makes a sustainable competitive advantage last: Jay Barney's VRIO test, worked examples, and the outside signals that show one is starting to erode.
- Switching costsSwitching costs are what a customer gives up to change supplier. The three types, real examples, and how to lower them to win a rival's customers over.
T
- Threat of new entrantsThe threat of new entrants is how easily newcomers can enter your market. What raises and lowers it, who the entrants usually are, and how to spot them early.
- Threat of substitutesThe threat of substitutes is the risk that customers solve their problem another way. How substitutes differ from competitors, examples, and how to assess them.
- Types of competitorsExamples of competitors of every type, direct, indirect, substitute, budget and potential, side by side for three businesses, plus how often to watch each.
W
See it on your own competitors
Figo checks their ads, pages, rankings and reviews every week, then tells you what to do in plain words.