How to Perform Comprehensive Amazon Competitor Research
While Amazon offers great opportunities to start a business and earn money, the competition can be challenging. By conducting a comprehensive Amazon competitor analysis, you can get valuable insights to fine-tune your strategy and gain a competitive advantage. This process involves evaluating key aspects of your competitors' metrics, including sales volume, the efficiency of their keywords, and more.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through each critical factor to analyze and highlight useful Amazon competitor research tools that can simplify and streamline the process.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through each critical factor to analyze and highlight useful Amazon competitor research tools that can simplify and streamline the process.
How to Identify Your Competitors
In order to understand who your competitors are in the Amazon marketplace, start by exploring your product niche. Simply enter relevant keywords related to your products in the Amazon search bar and see which sellers’ listings appear with similar offerings.
For example, if you sell men's sneakers, try searching for terms like “men's sports shoes” or “men's running shoes”.
You’re likely to see plenty of results, but don’t get lost in the sea of options—focus on the first two pages, as most customers won’t scroll past that point. To make the process even easier, refine your search, and narrow down your main competitors, apply filters like price, fit, size, and other key features.
This will help you answer the question, "Who is my top competitor?" and understand the key players in your market. Now, let's explore how to audit your competition and unlock valuable insights into their strategies.
For example, if you sell men's sneakers, try searching for terms like “men's sports shoes” or “men's running shoes”.
You’re likely to see plenty of results, but don’t get lost in the sea of options—focus on the first two pages, as most customers won’t scroll past that point. To make the process even easier, refine your search, and narrow down your main competitors, apply filters like price, fit, size, and other key features.
This will help you answer the question, "Who is my top competitor?" and understand the key players in your market. Now, let's explore how to audit your competition and unlock valuable insights into their strategies.
The Key Points You Need to Analyze
1. Sales
Sales volume is a key indicator of how well a product performs on Amazon. By evaluating the number of units sold each month, you can gauge customer interest and estimate your potential profits from selling a similar product. While direct access to competitor data isn’t available, there are still effective ways to estimate their sales.
One of the top tools to accomplish this task is a Sales Estimator, which offers three major advantages:
One of the top tools to accomplish this task is a Sales Estimator, which offers three major advantages:
- User-friendly: Get a quick sales estimate for competing products in under a minute.
- Completely free: No payment is required, and you can run unlimited searches.
- Accurate estimates: The software’s algorithm predicts sales volume with reliable precision.
With this tool, you can quickly gain insights into market demand. Now, let’s review how to run a sales volume analysis.
Check Your Competitors’ Sales Volume
By understanding your competitors' sales volumes, you can determine the best approach to analyze their performance—whether it's identifying their success strategies or spotting potential warning signs. Interpreting this data is quick and requires no technical expertise.
See below to learn how to find sales volume estimations effectively:
See below to learn how to find sales volume estimations effectively:
1. Choose a product to analyze. Search for a product on Amazon by typing the name or niche.
2. Locate the Best Seller Rank (BSR). Go to the product page, scroll down to the “Product Information” section, and find the BSR along with its category ranking.
Tip: A product can be listed in multiple categories, each with a different rank.
3. Access the Sales Estimator tool. Enter the necessary product details:
2. Locate the Best Seller Rank (BSR). Go to the product page, scroll down to the “Product Information” section, and find the BSR along with its category ranking.
Tip: A product can be listed in multiple categories, each with a different rank.
3. Access the Sales Estimator tool. Enter the necessary product details:
- Country: Choose the relevant Amazon marketplace (like Amazon UK).
- Category: Select the product’s category (such as “Books”).
- Sales Rank: Input the BSR as seen on the product’s detail page.
4. Get the results. The tool will instantly generate an estimated monthly sales volume based on the information provided.
While this method provides quick insights, keep in mind that the estimates are approximate and reflect only the current sales volume. You won’t get access to historical sales data, which makes it difficult to identify seasonal trends, recurring patterns, or demand fluctuations. Because of these challenges, this isn’t a reliable basis for inventory planning or stocking decisions. To get deeper insights on competitor's sales history, you can use analytical tools such as Keepa or Jungle Scout.
However, sales volume estimation can still serve as a great starting point for competitor analysis. Now, let’s explore other key aspects to examine in your competitors’ business.
However, sales volume estimation can still serve as a great starting point for competitor analysis. Now, let’s explore other key aspects to examine in your competitors’ business.
2. Pricing
Analyzing competitors' pricing strategies is essential for setting effective prices. This helps you determine how to adjust your prices to stay competitive while ensuring profitability.
To simplify the process, you can utilize analytical tools like Camelcamelcamel or AMZScout for tracking price fluctuations, as they provide only the most relevant data in easy-to-read reports, without unnecessary details.
Here’s what effective competitor pricing analysis can reveal:
To simplify the process, you can utilize analytical tools like Camelcamelcamel or AMZScout for tracking price fluctuations, as they provide only the most relevant data in easy-to-read reports, without unnecessary details.
Here’s what effective competitor pricing analysis can reveal:
- Sales trends: Frequent price drops by competitors may indicate that a niche is declining or the competition is too intense.
- Brand strength: If a competitor maintains high sales despite having significantly higher prices than the average, their brand probably holds strong market influence.
- Profitability: By determining the optimal price and sales volume, you can estimate your profit margins and make informed decisions about your sourcing and promotional strategies.
When you understand these factors, you can strategically position your pricing to maximize competitiveness and profitability.
3. Keywords
Finding out which keywords your competitors are targeting can open up new opportunities for you to discover more effective and relevant keywords, which will help you refine your own strategy. This is beneficial in two key ways:
- Optimizing product listings: By targeting relevant, high-performing keywords, you can improve your product’s visibility on Amazon. Analyzing your competitors’ keywords allows you to fine-tune your listings for better SEO, helping your product rank higher and attract more organic traffic.
- Running efficient ad campaigns: Using competitors’ keywords in your ads boosts your chances of appearing in relevant searches. By targeting terms that are driving results for others, you can optimize your ad spend and increase the likelihood of conversions.
There are several tools available to help you analyze your competitors' keywords. For example, Helium 10 allows you to enter a product’s ASIN and retrieve a list of keywords associated with that product.
With a comprehensive view of your competitors’ keywords, you can optimize your own listings and ads to improve visibility and attract more customers, ultimately leading to higher sales and profitability.
With a comprehensive view of your competitors’ keywords, you can optimize your own listings and ads to improve visibility and attract more customers, ultimately leading to higher sales and profitability.
4. Listing
An effective product listing is a free way to increase sales. A well-optimized listing not only motivates potential buyers to explore it, but also aligns with Amazon’s search algorithm, which increases your visibility.
Take a look at these parts of your competitor’s listing:
Take a look at these parts of your competitor’s listing:
- Title: Is it compelling and does it include essential keywords?
- Bullet points: Are they concise yet informative, highlighting key features?
- Description: How does it emphasize the product’s benefits? Does it incorporate keywords naturally?
- Visuals: Are the images high-quality and professional? Does the listing include videos for greater engagement?
- Q&A section: How do competitors respond to customer inquiries? Do they provide extra details like certifications, size charts, or usage instructions?
A quick way to compare your listing with your competitors’ is by using optimization tools. For instance, SellerApp offers a feature that evaluates a listing’s elements and provides an index score, along with explanations.
By analyzing these factors, you can refine your listing strategy to ensure that it stands out among search results and converts more visitors into buyers.
By analyzing these factors, you can refine your listing strategy to ensure that it stands out among search results and converts more visitors into buyers.
5. Reviews
Customer reviews are an invaluable source of insights into your competitors' strengths and weaknesses. By analyzing a dozen of the latest reviews, you can gain key takeaways that help refine your own strategy. Pay special attention to the following aspects:
- Product quality: Identify recurring praises and complaints to spot gaps in the market. If you're selling your own brand, these insights can help you improve your product’s design, materials, or features.
- Delivery experience: Determine whether your competitors use FBA or FBM. Find out what customers say about their shipping speed, packaging, and reliability. Issues like delayed delivery or damaged packaging can highlight opportunities for you to offer a better experience.
- Customer support: Observe how your competitors handle customer inquiries and complaints. Do they respond quickly, provide helpful solutions, and maintain a friendly tone? A strong customer service approach can significantly boost customer satisfaction and brand reputation.
- Stock availability and management: Check if your competitors frequently run out of stock, have order cancellations due to shortages, or take too long to restock items. These issues can frustrate customers and push them toward more reliable sellers, giving you an opportunity to capture market share.
However, it's also important to remember that reviews are subjective. Look for patterns rather than relying on individual opinions to get a clearer picture of a product’s actual pros and cons.
By leveraging this information, you can refine your approach, improve your offerings, and earn more positive reviews, ultimately boosting your Amazon ranking.
By leveraging this information, you can refine your approach, improve your offerings, and earn more positive reviews, ultimately boosting your Amazon ranking.
6. Media Presence
A strong media presence is a powerful way to boost the visibility of your products. To refine your own strategy, it's worth taking a look at what your competitors are doing in this space. Here are key aspects to evaluate:
- Platforms and engagement level: Identify the platforms on which your competitors are active and the level of engagement they receive.
- Type of content: Examine the types of content your competitors are posting, such as photos, videos, reels, or live streams. This will give you insight into which content formats resonate with that audience.
- Promotion strategies: Look into their promotional tactics, like collaborating with Amazon influencers or cross-posting on multiple platforms. This can help you discover new ways to expand your reach.
By analyzing these aspects, you can gain ideas for attracting more customers, drive traffic to your store, and ultimately outperform your competitors in the marketplace.
7. Additional Strategies
Competitor research varies depending on your business model and the type of products you sell. Here are some additional strategies to monitor and see if your competitors are leveraging them:
- Brand Registry: If you sell your own brand, see if your competitors benefit from the Brand Registry program, which allows them to use A+ Content to visually enhance listings.
- Brand image: Assess whether your competitors use Amazon Posts, enhanced packaging, or brand storytelling to strengthen their market presence and create customer loyalty.
- Promotions & discounts: Track whether your competitors use frequent discounts, coupons, or lightning deals to attract more buyers and boost conversions.
- Bundling: Monitor whether your competitors offer product bundles to increase perceived value and stand out in search results. This strategy can help you improve your sales and reduce competition by creating unique offers.
- Subscription models: See if your competitors offer Subscribe & Save options, which can help you secure recurring customers and increase long-term revenue.
These strategies are dynamic, so it's crucial to consistently monitor whether and when your competitors are using them. By staying updated, you can adjust your own approach in real-time to maintain a competitive edge.
Conclusion
An effective Amazon competitive analysis involves reviewing various aspects of your competitors' businesses, with sales volume being a crucial performance indicator. Consider using the Sales Estimator tool to quickly and easily assess how well your competitors are performing. This data helps you decide whether to delve deeper into your competitors' strategies, ultimately enabling you to fine-tune your own approach and enhance your market presence.
