How to Conduct Competitor Analysis for B2B Exporters: Step-by-Step

Summary: Competitor analysis for B2B exporters is the systematic study of companies selling to the same buyers in your target market, and of the alternatives buyers use to meet the same need. You compare price, product range, certifications, delivery time, and distribution, then carry the results into your sales message and pricing. In our published case studies, the toughest competitor was often the buyer's status quo: "we already have a solution" or "this is an extra cost."

Competitor analysis shows who you are really up against when you enter a new market or try to grow in an existing one. This guide sets out the method step by step and shows, with examples from our published cases, how the analysis turns into a sales message. It is one part of B2B market research.

What Is Competitor Analysis and Why Does It Matter for B2B Exporters?

Competitor analysis examines the products, prices, strengths, weaknesses, and positioning of companies that sell to the same buyers in your target market. For exporters, that includes domestic competitors from your home country, local manufacturers in the target market, and suppliers from third countries.

Being strong at home does not mean you will hold the same position in Germany or the Gulf. Each market has its own competitors, price levels, and buyer expectations. A good analysis helps you:

• Price correctly: knowing the market's price range keeps you from losing deals or giving away margin.
• Find where you differ: a competitor's weak point (delivery time, flexibility, certification) becomes the center of your message.
• Prepare for objections: you know what to say when a buyer answers "we already have a supplier."
• Reduce risk: you do not walk unprepared into a market dominated by entrenched suppliers.

What Information Should You Gather About Competitors?

Information	Data to collect	Why it matters
Company profile	Founding year, headcount, production capacity	Shows the competitor's scale
Product range	Product types, specifications, certifications	Clarifies the segment you compete in
Pricing	Price range, payment terms, delivery terms	The basis for your own price
Market coverage	Countries served, buyer types, distribution channels	Reveals gaps
Digital presence	Website, local-language version, LinkedIn activity	Shows how buyers see the competitor
Buyer perception	References, reviews, trade fair impressions	Surfaces weak points
Trade data	Export volume and unit price by country	Shows competing countries' real performance

How Do You Identify Direct and Indirect Competitors in Export Markets?

Direct Competitors

Companies selling the same product to the same buyers in the same market. If you export industrial valves to Germany, other exporters from your country, Italian and Chinese manufacturers, and German producers are all direct competitors.

Indirect Competitors

Any option that meets the same need in a different way. In B2B, the strongest is often the buyer's status quo: the current supplier, an in-house team, or doing nothing at all.

Two of our published cases show this clearly:

• Solvera (software and consulting): many target companies had their own software teams, and the "we already have software" objection, combined with budget pressure, pushed technology investments down the list. The real competitor was the in-house solution. Messages were built around each executive's likely operational problem; over nine months, that led to 95 qualified meetings and more than 6 closed deals.
• ISEE Vision (machine vision): target companies saw these systems as an "extra cost." The competitor was doing nothing. Messages focused on accident prevention and efficiency; the campaign produced 8 proposal and site-visit opportunities with health-and-safety and quality departments.

Add the status quo to your competitor list and prepare a concrete answer to why the buyer should change what they do today.

How Do You Conduct Competitor Analysis Step by Step?

Step 1: Define Your Scope

Analyze one market at a time; your competitors in Germany and in Saudi Arabia are probably different. Decide whether you are comparing products or whole companies.

Step 2: Map Trade Flows and Volumes

Using your product's HS code in Trade Map or UN Comtrade, find the countries that sell the most into your target market, their market shares, unit prices, and year-on-year change. This shows where your competitors come from and at what price level they sell.

Step 3: Identify Specific Companies

Turn countries into company names using B2B platforms (Kompass, ThomasNet, Alibaba), trade fair exhibitor lists, LinkedIn, and searches in the target market's language. Start broad, then narrow to five to ten main competitors.

Step 4: Analyze Digital Presence and Content Strategy

Check each competitor's website, local-language pages, references, and LinkedIn activity. Tools such as SEMrush and SimilarWeb show traffic and search visibility, but in B2B, traffic is only loosely tied to sales, so weigh it alongside other evidence.

Step 5: Evaluate Pricing and Commercial Terms

Collect price ranges, minimum order quantities, payment terms, and delivery terms from price lists, trade fairs, buyer conversations, and trade data unit prices.

Step 6: Build SWOT Profiles for Each Competitor

For each main competitor, note what it does well, where it is weak, which segments it has not entered, and which of its moves could threaten you. Then compare everyone in one table:

Criterion	Your company	Competitor A	Competitor B	Competitor C
Price level	Medium	Low	High	Medium-high
Product quality	High	Medium	High	Medium
Delivery time	4 weeks	6 weeks	3 weeks	5 weeks
Certifications	ISO, CE	ISO	ISO, CE, UL	ISO
Local-language website	No	No	Yes	Yes
Countries served	5	12	3	8

What Digital Tools Can You Use for Competitor Analysis?

• Trade Map (ITC): free trade flows by HS code and country, including unit prices.
• SEMrush and SimilarWeb: website traffic, search keywords, and advertising activity.
• LinkedIn Sales Navigator: company size, new hires (for example, a new sales manager for your target market), and company news. See our LinkedIn B2B Sales Guide.
• Panjiva and ImportGenius: bill-of-lading data showing which buyers a competitor ships to.
• Google Alerts: news about competitor names.
• Crunchbase: funding and acquisition news.

Free vs. Paid Tools

Most of the analysis can be done with free sources: Trade Map, competitor websites, LinkedIn, and trade fair catalogs. Traffic and shipment-data tools are paid, and their prices vary by plan, so subscribe only once you know what you need.

How Do You Turn Competitor Intelligence into Market Entry Strategy?

Build a Competitive Positioning Map

Place yourself and your competitors on a two-axis map, such as price and delivery time. The most crowded area and the empty areas show where you can differentiate.

Define Your Value Proposition

Your difference usually sits in one of three places:

• Product: a certification, specification, or option competitors do not offer.
• Service: shorter delivery, lower minimum order, flexible payment, local-language support.
• Communication: a local-language website, relevant references, fast responses.

Reduce that difference to one sentence in the buyer's language and put it in your first outreach message. In the ISEE Vision case, the "extra cost" perception was met with accident-prevention and efficiency themes; at Solvera, the "we already have software" objection was met by focusing on each executive's operational problem. The analysis pays off when it becomes a sentence like that.

Prioritize Target Accounts

Start with buyers where your advantage is clearest: those served by a competitor with long delivery times, those without a local supplier, or those whose current supplier lacks a certification you have.

What Are the Most Common Mistakes in Competitor Analysis?

Looking only at direct competitors. The buyer's current supplier, in-house team, or the option to do nothing is often the strongest competitor.

Doing it once. Competitors change prices, enter new markets, and gain certifications. Update the analysis at least twice a year.

Relying only on digital data. A weak website does not mean a weak sales network. Cross-check with trade data and buyer conversations.

Not turning data into a message. Pages of tables are useless unless they boil down to one sentence the sales team can use.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should B2B exporters update their competitor analysis?

At least twice a year. If you are entering a new market or your sector is changing fast, every three months. Alerts on competitor names cover changes in between.

Can small exporters compete with large multinationals in foreign markets?

Yes, usually on flexibility rather than price: smaller minimum orders, faster samples, customization, and direct access to decision-makers. Our data also points to where smaller suppliers get the best hearing: LinkedIn invitations to people at companies with 51–500 employees were accepted about 35% of the time, against 19% at companies with more than 10,000 employees.

What is the minimum budget needed for competitor analysis tools?

You can start with free tools: Trade Map, competitor websites, LinkedIn, and trade fair catalogs. Add paid traffic or shipment-data tools only once a specific question requires them.

How do you analyze competitors when entering a market with limited public data?

Rely more on primary sources: conversations with buyers and distributors, trade fair visits, and a small outreach campaign whose replies reveal who buyers currently work with and what they would need to switch.

Should you focus on local competitors or other exporters in the target market?

Both. Local manufacturers often win on delivery time and relationships; other exporters often compete on price. Trade data shows how the market splits between imports and local production.

How does competitor analysis differ between developed and emerging export markets?

In developed markets, public data is richer and competitors are well established, so differentiation usually rests on certification, service, or niche specialization. In emerging markets, data is thinner and relationships matter more, so primary research and local partners carry more weight.

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Competitor analysis clarifies who you are up against and what you will say differently to the buyer. To review the competition in your target market together, see our Market Research service or talk to us in a free consultation.