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I use a simple tracker to monitor our competitors' costs changes weekly. This recently enabled us to:

• Spot cyclical discount patterns
• Detect product bundling approaches
• Comprehend their pricing psychology

I dedicate at least 120 minutes each regularly analyzing our competitors':

• Online structure and user experience
• Content strategy and publishing frequency
• Online platforms activity
• Client testimonials and ratings
• Search strategy and positions

The most profitable Saudi brands understand that customers don't think in terms of channels. My financial client achieved a substantial improvement in potential customers after we connected their formerly disconnected channels.

I still laugh when clients tell me they're using the "latest" digital marketing techniques but haven't updated their approach since 2022. The digital landscape has transformed completely in just the past 12 months.

I now use several resources that have dramatically improved our competitive research:

• Search analysis platforms to monitor rivals' keyword performance
• Social listening software to track competitors' digital footprint
• Website analysis platforms to observe changes to their websites
• Communication monitoring to receive their marketing specialists in Riyadh communications

Last week, a entrepreneur lamented that his platform strategy was costing thousands of riyals with little results. After reviewing his strategy, I identified numerous serious mistakes that are remarkably frequent among Saudi businesses.

I advise organizing competitors as:

• Direct competitors (offering equivalent products/services)
• Secondary competitors (with some overlap)
• New threats (new entrants with game-changing capabilities)

When I established my retail business three years ago, I was sure that our special products would stand Find out more naturally. I dismissed competitor analysis as superfluous – a decision that nearly cost my entire company.

Not long ago, I observed as three rival companies invested heavily into expanding their business on a specific social media platform. Their efforts flopped as the channel appeared to be a poor fit for our sector.

Two quarters into operations, our sales were underwhelming. It wasn't until I chanced upon a thorough report about our market sector that I discovered how blind I'd been to the business environment around us.

Initiate by identifying ALL your competitors – not just the well-known ones. Throughout our analysis, we found that our most significant threat wasn't the established brand we were tracking, but a recent business with an novel model.