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Competitive intelligenceFree

Competitive Positioning Map

Plot yourself and your competitors on two axes (price, quality, assortment: you choose) and see the perceptual map on an interactive chart. The tool highlights the market’s white space and the competitor closest to you.

  • No sign-up
  • Runs in your browser

Perceived quality ↑

−   low → high   +
YouCompetitor ACompetitor B

−   Price   +

White space

Price ↑ · Perceived quality ↓

least crowded quadrant, with room to differentiate

Closest competitor

Competitor B

your most direct competitor on the map

Map axes

You and competitors

Price6.0
Perceived quality7.0
Price3.0
Perceived quality4.0
Price8.0
Perceived quality6.0

How to use

  • Pick two axes that matter to the purchase decision in your market (e.g. price × perceived quality).
  • Position each brand from 0 to 10 based on real customer perception, not on what you wish it were.
  • The emptiest quadrant is the white space: a position with little competition and room to differentiate.

How it works

How the Competitive Positioning Map works

A positioning map is a two-axis chart where you choose what each axis represents (price, quality, assortment) and plot yourself and your competitors as points on the plane. Each brand gets a score on both criteria and becomes a coordinate (x, y), forming a visual perceptual map of the market.

Example: on the horizontal axis you use price (0 = cheap, 10 = expensive) and on the vertical perceived quality (0 to 10). Your store sits at price 4 and quality 8; competitor A at price 9 and quality 9; competitor B at price 5 and quality 5. The tool plots all three and highlights who is closest to you and where there is white space with no one in it.

Tip for BR e-commerce: use axes your customer actually perceives, not internal numbers. Shipping cost and delivery time often weigh more than list price here. If every point clusters in one corner, that white space in the opposite corner may be your differentiation opportunity.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What is a competitive positioning map?

It’s a chart (also called a perceptual map) that places your brand and competitors on two perception axes, such as price and quality. It reveals where each one sits in the customer’s mind, who competes for the same space, and where there’s a gap to differentiate.

Which axes should I use in a perceptual map?

Use two attributes that truly weigh on the purchase decision in your market. The most common are price × perceived quality, but it could be assortment, convenience, service, exclusivity or delivery time. Pick the axes where customers actually compare.

How do I find the market’s white space?

The white space is the quadrant with the fewest competitors, a position the market hasn’t taken yet. The tool automatically highlights the emptiest quadrant. Note: not every empty space is good; confirm there’s demand for that combination of attributes.

Is positioning the same as price?

No. Price is just one axis. Positioning is the place your brand holds in the customer’s mind relative to competitors: it can be through quality, convenience, specialization or service. Competing on price alone is the weakest position; the map helps you find a differentiation that isn’t a discount.

Blog

Articles on this topic

See the blog

Strategy

Positioning map: how to find the white space in your market

Most stores compete in the "crowded center" — a slightly cheaper copy of everyone else. The way out is positioning: owning a distinct place in the customer’s mind. Here’s how to map it and find the white space.

9 min read

Pricing

Competitor cut their price: match, hold, or differentiate?

The reflex is to match instantly. But cutting your price without doing the math can destroy more margin than it brings in sales. See the discount break-even calculation, the data on Brazilian price sensitivity, and a clear rule for deciding.

10 min read

Strategy

Competitive Intelligence Playbook: what to monitor, how often, and what to do

Monitoring a competitor isn’t watching everything — it’s watching the right thing, at the right cadence, and acting. This playbook brings the frequency table by signal type, the signal→action matrix and the weekly routine to turn observation into decision.

12 min read

Analysis

How to compare competitors side by side (no spreadsheet)

Comparing competitors in a single isolated week misleads: you capture one at its peak and another in its hangover and call it a pattern. A side by side view puts up to 4 competitors on the same 60 day ruler: cadence, campaign mix, dominant platform and share of voice. What to read in each column and the decision it drives.

11 min read

Guide

Which competitors to monitor? The 3-circle method

Monitoring too many competitors spreads your team too thin; monitoring too few creates a blind spot. Here is the 3-circle method (direct rival, aspirational and category invader), the objective criteria for trimming the list, and the AI that suggests competitors by analyzing your own website.

10 min read