Competitive analysis in B2B: More than just comparing prices

Many industrial companies know their most important competitors. Sales encounters them in tenders, customers name them in conversations, they are visible at trade fairs and products, services and references can be quickly compared online. Nevertheless, it often remains unclear why a competitor is awarded the contract in certain situations — or why he is perceived more strongly by potential customers.

This is exactly where the difference between a simple competitor observation and a professional competitor analysis begins.

In the B2B industrial environment, it is not enough to compare competitors only according to prices, product features or technical data sheets. Customers rarely make decisions based on individual specifications alone. Many other factors play a role, especially in the case of machines, systems, technical components, industrial software, medical technology or energy services: trust, risk, ability to deliver, service quality, industry knowledge, ability to integrate, references, total cost of ownership and the question of how well a provider understands the specific customer problem.

"Competitors don't always win because they have the better or cheaper product – but because they communicate the relevant customer benefits more clearly, minimize decision-making risks better or are more visible in the buying process."
Rickmer Görner, Head of Industry Markets DTO – B2B Research & Strategies

Especially in the current market situation, this transparency is becoming more important. The DIHK business survey at the beginning of 2026 shows that companies are still reluctant to invest in Germany: Only 23 percent are planning higher budgets, while 31 percent want to reduce their investments. If budgets are allocated more selectively, the pressure on providers to prove their benefits more clearly, credibly and in a more target group-specific way increases.

A well-founded competitive analysis therefore not only asks: Who offers what at what price? It examines how competitors position their services, which target groups they visibly address, which benefit arguments they use, which industries they prioritize and what content they offer along the customer journey. This includes websites, product documents, trade fair appearances, job advertisements, certifications, references, specialist articles, social media activities, sales partners, job advertisements and publicly available company information.

A competitor analysis becomes particularly valuable when it is combined with customer understanding. After all, it is not the internal view that determines whether a provider has a differentiated effect, but the perception of the market. A company can see itself as particularly innovative. However, if customers rate service, availability or process reliability as decisive factors for the purchase, the positioning misses the mark.

For marketing, a competitive analysis shows which messages are already strongly represented in the market — and where differentiation is still possible. If all suppliers advertise with "quality", "innovation", "flexibility" and "customer proximity", interchangeability is created. Stronger positioning only emerges when these terms are concretized: What quality is meant? Which innovation solves which problem? Which flexibility reduces which effort? What customer proximity can be proven?

For sales, a competitive analysis provides concrete argumentation aid. It shows which competitors appear frequently in which customer segments, which objections regularly arise and where one's own offer is perceived more or less strongly. This can be used to develop conversation guides, battle cards, benefit arguments, and better answers to pricing or comparison questions. The important thing here is not to badmouth competitors, but to explain one's own added value more precisely.

Market transparency is also valuable for product management. It shows which functions are becoming the market standard, which services complement competitors and which customer expectations are changing. Digitization in particular is creating new standards of comparison: According to Bitkom, 53 percent of German companies say they have problems coping with digitization; at the same time, 72 percent do not have a central strategy for digital transformation. For providers of technical solutions, this means that competitiveness is not only created through technology, but also through understandable orientation, simple implementation and clear benefit communication.

A professional competitive analysis should therefore take several levels into account. First, the market and target group view: Which customer segments are addressed? Secondly, the offer and performance perspective: Which products, services and business models are in competition? Thirdly, the communication perspective: What value propositions, evidence and content are used? Fourthly, the sales perspective: Which channels and partners are used to work on the market? And fifthly, the strategic view: Which position in the market has already been filled — and which is still open?

Consulting firms, industrial market researchers and B2B marketing experts create a neutral external view of the market, structure scattered information and translate observations into concrete decisions. This creates a reliable picture from individual competitive information: Where does the company stand in comparison? Which target groups are particularly competitive? Which competitors communicate more convincingly? Which positioning is credible, relevant and differentiating?

Competitive analysis is not a one-off project. Markets are changing: new providers are emerging, digital business models are emerging, customer requirements are shifting, and purchasing organizations are becoming more data-driven. With its current purchasing benchmarks, the BME points out, for example, that key figures and comparability in procurement play an important role in the strategic management of purchasing organizations. This also increases the pressure on suppliers to make their value verifiable beyond the pure product price.

The decisive question is therefore not only: What is the competition doing? Rather: What do we learn from this for our own positioning, communication and market development?

The crucial question is therefore not only: What can our product do?

If you use a competitor analysis correctly, you will gain more than a market overview. He gains clarity about how his own company is perceived, where differentiation is possible and how marketing, sales and product management can build a stronger market position together.