A practical guide for UK small businesses
Competitor analysis: make a clearer business decision
Before changing your prices, launching a service or spending more on marketing, understand the alternatives your customers can choose. Competitor analysis compares those offers and identifies questions worth investigating. Pocket Analysis turns public evidence into a personally reviewed PDF with sources, limits and practical next steps.
Compare research reports Look inside a sample first
What should you compare?
Start with one decision, one audience and a defined area. A local cleaning business, for example, may need to compare a recurring home-cleaning offer with other providers serving the same area. Comparing every cleaning service in the UK would answer a different question.
- Customer and service: who the offer serves, where it is available and what work is included.
- Price basis: hourly, per visit, per project or subscription; minimum bookings and additional charges.
- Positioning: the benefits the business emphasises and the evidence supporting them.
- Buying journey: how customers enquire, book and understand the offer.
- Evidence date: when a page was checked and whether a price or claim is still available.
Turn a price into a fair comparison
A lower headline price does not necessarily mean a lower total cost. Compare the same duration, frequency, scope and conditions. Record missing information instead of guessing it.
For illustration, an offer of £20 per hour with a three-hour minimum starts at £60 per visit. An offer of £25 per hour with a two-hour minimum starts at £50. These are hypothetical examples, not current supplier prices. They show why the minimum visit matters as much as the hourly rate.
The next action might be to make your own inclusions and minimum booking clearer. The comparison alone cannot prove what customers will pay or which offer will win.
Competitor research and market research answer different questions
Competitor research examines available alternatives and their positioning. Market research adds wider context, such as dated official statistics, customer needs and local conditions. A large national market figure is not the same as demand for your specific offer in your area.
Use public information as a starting point. Customer conversations, enquiries and small measured tests help you check whether a proposed change actually solves a problem.
A simple research process you can use
- Write the decision: for example, “Should I change my minimum booking?”
- Choose comparable competitors: businesses with a similar customer, service and geography.
- Record evidence: links, dates, prices, inclusions and any missing details.
- Separate fact from interpretation: a published price is an observation; a reason customers prefer it needs further evidence.
- Choose a next step: ask customers, clarify a service page or test one change, then measure the result.
Choose the amount of research your decision needs
Snapshot — £49
A focused starting point: an 8-page report comparing three competitors, with five keyword opportunities and a practical action plan. Useful for a defined first question.
Explore SnapshotDeep Dive — £79
A fuller one-off assessment: 12 pages, five competitors, ten keyword opportunities and wider market evidence where available. Useful when positioning or priorities need more context.
Explore Deep DiveMonthly Monitor — £130 per calendar month
Four 12-page reports per paid billing month, using your saved brief. Later reports explain what changed, why it matters and an action to consider. Choose this when ongoing comparison is useful; it renews until cancelled.
Explore Monthly MonitorWhat happens after you order?
Pay through Payhip, receive the secure questionnaire for your chosen package, and submit your business details and research question. We research and personally review the report before emailing it to you. Delivery starts from the completed brief: within 24 hours for Snapshot, 12 hours for Deep Dive and 8 hours for the first Monthly report. Later Monthly reports follow the paid cycle at seven-day intervals.
What a report can and cannot tell you
Sources and dates make the work easier to check. Public offers may not be directly comparable, search metrics can be unavailable and scenarios remain assumptions. A report supports a decision; it does not guarantee sales, demand or Google rankings. Our sample uses a clearly identified fictional business to show the format and evidence approach.
Ready to compare your options?
Start with your decision, then choose a report. If you are unsure which package suits it, ask us before buying.
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