R3 Competitive Intelligence assesses your position against the competitive field across seven weighted factors — including competitor threat, pricing and value, technical proof, channel control, vulnerabilities and differentiation — then turns the evidence into a competitive score, verdict, positioning recommendation and practical action plan.
Best commissioned after selecting your target market and before finalising your positioning, pricing or buyer approach.
The R3 assessment process — from Questionnaire and competitor evidence to seven-factor scoring, competitive verdict, positioning and action.
A market can be attractive and accessible but still be difficult to win if established competitors already dominate the price points, product claims and channels that shape buyer expectations.
The product, origin, certification or service advantage you plan to promote may already be offered by several established competitors — making your entry harder than expected.
A lower price may not overcome stronger relationships, recognised brands, better service or product specifications that better fit the requirements of the buyers you intend to approach.
Market share, origin strength, product range and channel presence can tell very different stories about competitive pressure. The most prominent name is not always the most commercially significant threat.
"Quality", "service", "reliability" and "competitive pricing" are useful attributes — but they are not a positioning strategy unless there is evidence that your offer is meaningfully stronger than what buyers already have.
R3 is frequently compared with basic competitor research. They serve a different purpose.
| Basic competitor research | R3 Competitive Intelligence |
|---|---|
| Lists competitor names | Assesses the competitive landscape by origin, strength and market position |
| Records products and websites | Compares competitors by product, origin and market position |
| Collects visible prices | Benchmarks indicative pricing on a like-for-like basis where possible |
| Repeats competitor claims | Tests what those claims mean for your own differentiation |
| Identifies strong players | Looks for positions where competition may be more contestable |
| Leaves interpretation to you | Provides a competitive entry recommendation and positioning guidance |
R3 shows not only who you are competing against, but where your offer can credibly stand apart.
A structured picture of who and what you are competing against — major competing companies or brands where identifiable, leading supplying origins, market concentration and areas of particularly intense competition.
understand the competitive environment before deciding how to position your offer.
A comparison of observable pricing and value positions in the market — indicative price ranges, product tiers, premium versus mainstream positioning, certifications and value claims, compared with your intended offer.
see where your proposed price and proposition sit relative to what buyers already have available.
A stress-test of your intended market position — examining competitor strengths, commonly used selling claims, characteristics already widely offered, and potential openings where your proposition may be genuinely more distinctive.
test whether the reasons you plan to give buyers for choosing you are genuinely distinctive.
The commercial conclusion — strongest competitive opening, recommended positioning, propositions to emphasise and those not to rely on, principal competitive risks, and immediate actions before buyer outreach.
translate the competitor research into a practical positioning decision before approaching buyers.
Map the competition
Understand the market position
Find the credible opening
Decide how to compete
The starting point for understanding who you will be competing against — and how strongly they are established.
Compact extract from the R3 sample report — competitive-landscape verdict and the most useful market snapshot.
A structured comparison of observable pricing and value positions in the market — normalised where possible for pack size, specification, grade and channel so that the comparison is meaningful rather than misleading.
Compact extract from the R3 sample report — 5/10 UNPROVEN verdict, value signals and the key pricing limitation.
This is where R3 becomes more than a competitor directory. R3 does more than analyse what competitors offer — it stress-tests your proposed market position against them, using the Questionnaire you provide about your own product, certifications, origin and intended positioning.
Compact extract from the R3 sample report — 8/10 CREDIBLE positioning verdict, what to lead with and what must be proved.
The commercial conclusion that translates the competitive analysis into a positioning decision. It brings the findings together into a clear positioning recommendation and a set of immediate next steps.
Full action-graphic from the R3 sample report — complete competitive proposition, action plan, practical objective and next-report recommendation.
Download the complete R3 sample to see the seven-factor competitive assessment, the evidence behind the score, competitor mapping, price and value analysis, differentiation guidance, competitive recommendation and action sequence.
Download Sample R3 ReportR3 assesses the client’s competitive position across seven weighted factors. Each factor is scored from 1–10 and weighted to produce an overall score out of 100 and a GREEN / AMBER / RED competitive verdict. The report then converts that verdict into positioning guidance and a practical action sequence.
What does the visible competitive field look like?
Which competitors matter most, and why?
What do transaction values say — and not say?
Can the client prove technical equivalence?
How persistent or concentrated are visible relationships?
Where is there a testable opening?
Why should a customer trial your offer?
Competitor coverage depends on the information reasonably available from public and specialist sources for the product and market. Pricing is indicative and may reflect published, recorded or observed market prices rather than confidential negotiated transaction prices. Observed facts, calculated comparisons and analyst interpretation are distinguished wherever materially important.
R3 draws on licensed international trade transaction data, competitor and company research, product/specification/certification evidence, pricing and value evidence, channel and relationship evidence, and analytical interpretation — distinguishing observed facts from hypotheses and judgement.
Licensed international trade transaction data for the agreed HS-code scope — used to identify visible origins, supplier activity, trade direction and relationship patterns where the data supports them.
Company information, product catalogues, distributor and retailer listings, certification records and published commercial material — used to build the competitive picture where available.
Observed and recorded price points from available market sources. Pricing is normalised where possible for specification, pack and channel differences. Confidential negotiated buyer prices are not within scope.
The competitive picture is interpreted against your Questionnaire — testing whether intended differentiators are genuinely distinctive. Facts, calculations and analyst judgements are distinguished throughout.
Every R3 report is personally reviewed before delivery. The review checks that pricing comparisons are like-for-like where possible, that competitor claims are distinguished from verified facts, and that the positioning recommendation follows logically from the evidence rather than simply identifying the least-occupied market space.
A competitive gap does not automatically mean buyers want what is missing. The review is designed to ensure that what R3 identifies as a potential opening is commercially plausible, not just analytically convenient.
The value of R3 is not simply knowing that competitors exist. It is understanding what their presence means for the position you intend to take.
R3 does not guarantee that a competitive opening exists or that your positioning will win buyer preference. It gives you an evidence-informed basis for deciding how to compete — and helps you avoid entering buyer conversations with a proposition that the market has already heard many times.
Tell us your product, HS code, target market, export origin, intended price positioning, key product characteristics, certifications, and the proposition you plan to use with buyers. The Questionnaire is designed to take approximately 10–15 minutes to complete.
We assemble the competitive picture from trade data, company and product sources, pricing evidence and specialist databases. The Differentiation & Gap Analysis is built around your Questionnaire — stress-testing your intended positioning against what the market already contains.
Your R3 Competitive Intelligence report is delivered by email within three working days of receiving your completed Questionnaire. It includes the seven-factor competitive assessment, supporting evidence, overall competitive verdict, positioning guidance and practical action sequence.
One market, one productR3 covers one target market and one agreed product/HS-code scope. Delivered within three working days of receiving your completed Questionnaire. One revision if the report materially fails to meet the agreed scope.
Pricing is indicativePrice comparisons reflect observed and recorded market prices where available. They do not represent confidential negotiated buyer prices. Comparisons are normalised where possible for specification, pack and channel — assumptions are stated in the report.
Competitor coverage depends on available sourcesR3 identifies and assesses the most commercially relevant competitors that can be evidenced from available sources. It does not claim that every competitor, private arrangement or unpublished commercial relationship is visible.
A gap is not guaranteed demandA competitive opening is an analytical indication of a potentially less-contested position — it does not mean buyers are actively seeking what is missing. R3 identifies positions worth testing, not guaranteed white-space opportunities.
Recommendation is advisoryThe Competitive Entry Recommendation is a positioning conclusion based on available evidence. It does not guarantee buyer preference, sales outcomes or that competitive conditions will remain unchanged after delivery.
Advisory analysis onlyR3 provides commercial intelligence and positioning guidance. It does not constitute legal, intellectual-property, competition-law or investment advice.
One market · One product and HS code
Your card is authorised at checkout but not charged until we confirm we can deliver. If we can't, nothing is taken. Your Questionnaire is sent once we've confirmed we're going ahead.
Commission R3, view the sample, or ask us a question before ordering.