Competitive Analysis

Generate competitive intelligence that drives product decisions.

What This Skill Does

Analyzes competitor products to identify what features they have, where they excel, and where opportunities exist for differentiation. The output helps prioritize features and refine product positioning.

When to Use

Activate this skill when:

• User mentions competitor names or asks "what do competitors offer"
• Comparing features between products ("does X have feature Y?")
• Evaluating market differentiation for a new feature
• Preparing product positioning or strategy documents
• User says things like "competitive analysis", "market research", "competitor comparison"

How It Works

The analysis follows a systematic approach:

1. Identify competitors - Map user-provided names to known products
2. Gather feature data - Collect information about what competitors offer
3. Build comparison matrix - Create side-by-side feature comparison
4. Analyze gaps - Identify missing features, unique advantages, opportunities
5. Generate recommendations - Provide actionable strategic insights

Anti-Hallucination Rules

本 Skill 必须遵守 skills/shared/anti-hallucination-rules.md 中的约束：

• 搜索先行: 输出任何竞品数据前必须先使用 WebSearch/WebReader 访问竞品官网或文档
• 来源必注: 每个功能声明、定价、用户评价必须有 URL 来源
• 未知可接受: 无法确认的功能标注 "Unknown"，禁止编造
• 置信度: 每个功能声明标注 confidence (high/medium/low)
• 事实与推断分离: 明确区分已验证功能和推断

Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
competitors	list	Yes	Competitor products or company names to analyze
feature_focus	string	No	Specific feature area to focus on (e.g., "pricing", "user management")
analysis_depth	string	No	overview (quick), detailed (standard, default), or deep-dive (comprehensive)

Output Structure

The skill generates two outputs:

1. JSON file (context/competitive-analysis/{feature-name}-{date}.json) - Structured data for other skills to consume
2. Markdown report - Human-readable analysis with tables and recommendations

JSON Output Format

{
  "analyses": [{
    "id": "uuid",
    "timestamp": "2026-03-11T...",
    "competitors": ["Competitor A", "Competitor B"],
    "feature_matrix": {
      "Feature 1": {
        "our_product": "supported",
        "competitor_a": { "status": "supported", "confidence": "high", "source": { "url": "https://competitor-a.com/features", "fetched_at": "2026-03-11T..." } },
        "competitor_b": { "status": "partial", "confidence": "high", "source": { "url": "https://competitor-b.com/pricing", "fetched_at": "2026-03-11T..." } }
      }
    },
    "gaps": {
      "missing_features": [
        { "feature": "Feature X", "supported_by": ["Competitor A", "Competitor B"], "confidence": "high" }
      ],
      "unique_advantages": [
        { "feature": "Feature Z", "confidence": "medium", "basis": "No competitor found offering this" }
      ]
    },
    "opportunities": [{ "opportunity": "Opportunity 1", "confidence": "medium", "basis": "..." }],
    "recommendations": [{ "recommendation": "Recommendation 1", "priority": "high" }]
  }],
  "search_record": {
    "search_queries_used": ["Competitor A features 2026", "Competitor B pricing page"],
    "sources_accessed": [{ "url": "https://...", "title": "Competitor A Features", "used_for": "feature verification" }]
  },
  "last_updated": "2026-03-11T..."
}

Markdown Report Structure

# Competitive Analysis Report

## Overview
- Competitors analyzed: X
- Date: YYYY-MM-DD
- Focus area: XXX

## Feature Comparison Matrix
| Feature | Our Product | Competitor A | Competitor B |
|:--------|:------------|:-------------|:-------------|
| Feature 1 | ✅ | ✅ | ⚠️ |

## Gap Analysis
### Missing Features
- Feature X: Supported by competitors A and B, indicates market expectation...

### Unique Advantages
- Feature Z: Only we offer this, potential differentiator...

## Strategic Recommendations
1. Short-term: Address missing feature X for parity
2. Medium-term: Leverage unique advantage Z in marketing
3. Long-term: Consider差异化方向 Y

Analysis Depth Levels

Choose the appropriate depth based on your needs:

Depth	When to Use	What You Get
overview	Quick competitive check	Core features compared, 3 recommendations
detailed	Standard analysis (default)	Full feature matrix, gap analysis, 5 recommendations
deep-dive	Strategic decisions	User experience review, pricing analysis, user sentiment, 10 recommendations

Collaboration Modes

Mode	How It Works
autopilot	Completes full analysis automatically, generates report
copilot	Shows comparison matrix, waits for your confirmation on recommendations
manual	Provides competitor information, you complete the analysis

Quality Standards

Before delivering, the analysis should:

• Cover at least 2 competitors
• Compare 5+ core feature areas
• ALL feature claims have source URLs (competitor official page, docs, or verified third-party)
• ALL data points have confidence rating (high/medium/low)
• Features that cannot be verified are marked "Unknown" — do NOT fabricate
• Facts and inferences are clearly distinguished
• Search record is included proving searches were executed
• Provide 3+ actionable recommendations based on real data
• Distinguish between "missing features" and "strategic omissions"
• Be valid JSON for downstream skills to consume

Context Integration

This skill reads from and writes to the shared context:

Reads:

• context/market-analysis.json - Market trends that inform competitive landscape

Writes:

• context/competitive-analysis/{feature-name}-{date}.json - Analysis results for other skills (prd-gen, product-positioning)
• context/competitive-analysis/{feature-name}-{date}.md - Human-readable markdown report
• Legacy: context/competitive-analysis.json for backward compatibility

Example Usage

User: "How does our pricing compare to Stripe and Braintree?"
→ Activates competitive-analysis with feature_focus="pricing"

User: "What features do ClickUp and Asana have that we don't?"
→ Activates competitive-analysis for those competitors

User: "Do competitors offer dark mode?"
→ Activates competitive-analysis with feature_focus="dark mode"