Competitive Positioning Map
Plot yourself and your competitors on two axes (price, quality, assortment — you choose) and visualize the perceptual map on an interactive chart. The tool highlights the market’s white space and the competitor closest to you.
Perceived quality ↑
− Price +
White space
Price ↑ · Perceived quality ↓
least-crowded quadrant — room to differentiate
Closest competitor
Competitor B
your most direct rival on the map
Map axes
You and competitors
How to use
- • Pick two axes that matter to the purchase decision in your market (e.g. price × perceived quality).
- • Position each player 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.
Competitive intelligence
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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.
