Research Guides: MKTG 350: Introduction to Entrepreneurial Marketing: Competitive Analysis

Competitive Analysis

Competitive analysis takes into consideration factors such as the market size and the market share, financial position, and reputation of key competitors. While some databases provide pre-packaged SWOT reports for various companies, not all companies are covered. Also, pre-packaged SWOT reports are usually not available for product categories or lines of business. When you cannot find a pre-packaged report, you will need to compile relevant data on current and potential customers as well as competitors. Use the following resources to find company profiles including information on key competitors, their major brands, and products:

Specialized Databases for Competitive Analysis:

Statista This link opens in a new window Reports that provide an aggregate of a variety of data, mainly statistics. Search for data by industry, political issue, consumerism, companies or countries. The data reports provide sourcing information.
- This link opens in a new window

Each report is different depending on the industry. Look for sections like Companies and Leading Brands.

IBISWorld This link opens in a new window Limited to 30 downloads per session.  Covers about 680 U.S. industries written at the 5-digit level of NAICS. Each report contains key statistics, market characteristics, segmentation, industry conditions, performance and outlook. These reports are written by industry specialists. Each report is updated every 4 months.
- This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window

Look for the sections Competitor Landscape and Major Companies.

Business Source Premier This link opens in a new window Contains coverage for more than 2,300 journals covering a wide range of business topics. In addition, the databases includes access to company profiles, country reports, industry reports, market research reports and SWOT analyses.
- This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window

MarketLine Industry Profiles include a Market Rivalry section.

Specialized Databases for Competitor Lists:

Mergent Online This link opens in a new window Summary company records and EDGAR files for over 11,000 U.S. public corporations and 17,000 non-US public companies.
- This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window

Use Mergent Online to find competitor lists. This works best if you already know a leading company within your industry that you can build a list around.

Finding Competitor Lists in Mergent Online

Value Line Investment Survey Online This link opens in a new window Information and advice on approximately 1700 stocks, more than 90 industries, the stock market, and the economy. Provides year-ahead to three- to five-year probable relative price performance, projections of key financial measures, and commentary on current operations and future prospects. Last 5 years worth of stock information. Allows 3 simultaneous users.
- This link opens in a new window

Look for "Value Line Featured Lists" in the middle of the screen and choose an industry from the drop-down menu under "Industry Screens". Here you can find a list of companies within a chosen industry.