Competitive analysis beyond the product: attention, perception and habits

Analyzing the competition may seem, at first glance, like a simple task. You just need to see who offers a similar product, through the same channel, at a similar price, and targets the same type of customer. However, this classic approach leaves out many things. And what gets left out is often precisely what determines success or failure.

Today, market dynamics are more transversal, more diffuse, and more unpredictable. The boundaries between sectors are blurring, consumers change habits quickly, and technology allows new players to emerge from anywhere. In this context, continuing to see competition as something visible and direct is missing the forest for the trees.

We need to start considering that a competitor is not always a company already operating, or even someone selling something similar. Sometimes, the biggest threat is a disappearing need. Or a changing habit. Or a solution from another industry that completely reshapes what consumers expect from a category.

For example, many companies focus only on analyzing their immediate industry environment, without paying attention to what's coming. Not because they don’t want to, but because they don’t know how to look ahead. Yet there are signals. Not always obvious, but they exist: patterns from other industries behaving similarly, investors betting on adjacent solutions, technological advances that change the how more than the what. Anyone serious about competitive analysis must read not only what is happening but what is starting to take shape.

There are also brands that fail to take off simply because consumers don’t understand them. Or don’t believe in their offering. Or don’t see the value. And in these cases, interestingly, the competition isn’t another company. It’s inertia, distrust, lack of awareness. What blocks them is not the market, but perception. The key, then, is to reframe how we compete: not by attacking rivals, but by breaking down mental barriers. Creating new categories if necessary. Educating the consumer. Changing the conversation to make it clearer.

And then there are those silent competitors that seem unrelated to the industry but serve exactly the same purpose, albeit through a different path. Someone hosting dinner at home competes with a restaurant. Someone exercising with an app competes with a gym. Someone watching a series competes with the theatre. Real competition is not always on the adjacent shelf, but in the consumer’s time, attention, and daily routine.

Interestingly, identifying these indirect threats doesn't always have to trigger a defensive response. Sometimes, understanding them opens up opportunities. If an external solution meets the same need, why not explore ways to integrate it, collaborate, or draw inspiration from it? Why not study what makes it work and what expectations it sets? From such analysis can come ideas to better position yourself, differentiate, or even adapt your product to something more relevant.

At heart, this is about changing the logic of the question. It’s not just “Who sells what I sell?”, but “Who satisfies, replaces, or erodes the space I occupy in the consumer’s life?” This broader perspective forces us to rethink how we collect information, what we observe, and from what lens we analyze it. Competitive studies must increasingly become exercises in interpretation and context—not just lists of brands.

And when this type of analysis is done right, you don’t just identify threats. New ways of viewing the business emerge, new categories to explore, new positioning ideas that weren’t previously on the table. Ultimately, it transforms how we view the market and enriches decision-making.

Seeing competition where no one else sees it isn’t just a way to stay ahead. Above all, it’s a way to better understand the playing field.

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