Look at your market from the outside and you’ll see the same scene in nearly every category: dozens of stores piled up in the center: similar price, similar assortment, similar promise. Each one trying to be a slightly cheaper version of the next. It’s the most crowded spot and the one with the worst margins. The way out isn’t to be cheaper; it’s to own a place no one else owns.
The problem with the crowded center
When everyone positions at the same point, the only tiebreaker becomes price, and that’s when margin evaporates. It’s not theory: price is the number 1 factor in the Brazilian consumer’s decision, and 36% abandon the cart when they find it cheaper on another site. Fighting over the center means joining a race to the bottom that you only win by bleeding margin.
Compete in the crowded center
“We’re like everyone else, just a little cheaper.” Zero differentiation, constant price war, falling margin. The customer chooses over a few cents.
Own the white space
“We’re the store that specializes in X” (or the fastest, the most curated, the one with the best service). A position that justifies price and creates preference — without entering the war.
How to map your positioning
The perceptual map is the classic tool for seeing this: two axes, everyone plotted, and the empty space jumps out at you. The step by step:
| Axis | What it measures | Good when… |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Price position, from budget to premium | The market has clear price tiers |
| Perceived quality | How the customer rates the product/brand | There’s varying perception of quality |
| Assortment | Breadth vs specialization of the catalog | There are generalists and niche players |
| Convenience | Ease: delivery time, shipping, repurchase | Delivery/service differentiate |
| Service | Support, consulting, after-sales | The product needs help in the decision |
Pick two axes that truly matter in your customer’s decision, position each player from 0 to 10 based on real perception (not what you’d like it to be) and look for where there are fewer people. That empty quadrant is your white-space candidate.
Positioning isn’t eternal either. Competitors move, new ones enter, customer perception shifts. As Michael Porter taught in Competitive Strategy (1980), sustainable competitive advantage comes from a set of choices that are hard to copy, and you only see that by revisiting the map from time to time, not just once.
Referências e leitura complementar
- Ries, A.; Trout, J. (1981). Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind. McGraw-Hill.
- Porter, M. (1980). Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors. Free Press.
- Opinion Box (2025). Cart abandonment in e-commerce: causes and numbers. Opinion Box link .
- Neogrid (2024). Price is the factor that most influences the Brazilian consumer’s purchase decision. Neogrid link .
See your first competitor in minutes
14-day free trial, no card. Within minutes, the first detection shows up on your dashboard.
Create free account
