In short
- Krok pierwszy – analiza konkurencji: Wiele osób zakładających firmę nie bierze pod uwagę konkurencji pośredniej i bezpośredniej, a często nawet nie zna tych pojęć.
- Czym są konkurencja bezpośrednia i pośrednia?: Konkurencja bezpośrednia to termin, który znają nawet osoby niebędące przedsiębiorcami.
- Konkurencja pośrednia – przykłady: Najłatwiej zrozumieć pojęcie na przykładach z innych branż.
- Konkurencja pośrednia i bezpośrednia – podobieństwa i różnice: Różnica polega między innymi na tym, że osobie z zewnątrz łatwiej wskazać konkurentów pośrednich niż właścicielowi firmy.
Direct competitors are companies offering the same as you, at a similar price and to the same customers. Indirect competition is everything else a customer can spend money or time on instead of buying from you: another product that solves the same problem, or a completely different need that takes the same budget.
Indirect and direct competition have a major influence on a company's chances. It is worth knowing both concepts if you want to leave your rivals behind. You may not need to take radical advertising steps because your competitors are not very active. It may also be the other way round, and the threat may come from a direction you were not watching.
- Step one: competitor analysis
- What are direct and indirect competition?
- Indirect competition: examples
- Indirect and direct competition: similarities and differences
- How do you use knowledge about competitors in marketing?
- How does Commplace help?
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Indirect versus direct marketing: differences and examples
If each of your competitors runs a different, effective strategy, then to pull ahead you would have to invest more than all of them put together, and in every communication channel. That is why the first step is knowledge: who you are really competing with for the customer.
Step one: competitor analysis
Many people starting a business do not take indirect and direct competition into account, and often do not even know these terms. This leads to a situation in which, after investments and hundreds of hours of work, it turns out that someone makes the same thing, only better and cheaper. Or that dozens of similar companies operate in the district or city, and each spends more on advertising.
Dużo lepszym pomysłem jest działanie wyprzedzające: analiza konkurencji jeszcze przed ustaleniem celów marketingowych, a najlepiej przed otwarciem firmy, oddziału lub uruchomieniem nowej usługi. Jak taką analizę przeprowadzić, opisujemy w tekście analiza konkurencji – dlaczego Twoja firma jej potrzebuje. Tu zajmiemy się tym, co bywa pomijane: rozróżnieniem rodzajów rywali.
What are direct and indirect competition?
Direct competition is a term that even people who are not entrepreneurs know. It is the most obvious kind of rivalry: a company that makes or offers the same as you. Alongside the concepts of indirect and direct competition, the term second-degree competition is also used. In that case the product or service is not identical, but it solves the same problem or meets the same need.
An example of second-degree competition for a psychologist's office may be on-line development workshops or motivational guides. In this case, direct competition means other psychological offices in the same city. Interestingly, in the era of a pandemic, it will also be all offices in the world that offer online psychological services in the same language.
Indirect competition is a category fewer people have heard of. The examples often surprise even experienced entrepreneurs, because they involve goods, services and activities a customer can spend money on instead of buying from you. They do not solve exactly the same problem, but they take the same budget or the same attention.
To establish who indirect competition is for your company, it is worth starting with a marketing audit, that is, a structured review of the market and your own activities. Identifying the less obvious rivals takes more than knowing one industry. You have to look at what customers spend money on, and their decisions are influenced by broader matters: the economic situation, trends, changes in social habits and crises.
Three types of competition: a comparison table
| Type | Definition | Example: a restaurant serving lunches at PLN 30 | Example: invoicing software for small businesses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct | The same thing at a similar price for the same customers | Another restaurant with similar dishes nearby | Other invoicing software at a similar price |
| Second-degree (substitute) | A different product that solves the same problem | A delivered meal, a sandwich from the bakery, a ready meal from the shop | A spreadsheet or an accounting office that issues invoices |
| Indirect | A different need that takes the same budget or time from the customer | A cinema ticket, a fitness class at the same price | Buying a new work phone instead of the software |
The examples in the table are illustrative and are meant to show a way of thinking, not market data. The boundaries between categories can be fluid: the same company may be direct competition for one customer and indirect for another. That is why it is worth creating a competitor map separately for each customer group.
Indirect competition: examples
The concept is easiest to understand through examples from other industries. A news channel competes for viewers' time not only with another television channel. It also competes with news portals, social media and anything that makes viewers switch off the television. Someone who starts spending a lot of time online may stop watching television altogether, and then the offer of every channel stops mattering to them.
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It is similar with many ordinary services. A person who goes to a bar for a drink may instead drink beer at home, reach for freshly squeezed juices and cut down on alcohol, join a gym or meet friends for paintball instead of at the pub. For the bar owner, indirect competition therefore includes the gym and the beer shop. These phenomena seem distant from the offer, even opposed to it, but together they compete for the same evening and the same budget.
How to find indirect competition: a five-step method
- Zapytaj klientów. W krótkiej ankiecie lub rozmowie zapytaj: „Co robiłeś lub kupowałeś, zanim zacząłeś korzystać z naszej oferty?” oraz „Co robisz, gdy zrezygnujesz z naszej usługi?”.
- Przejrzyj opinie i pytania. Fora, grupy w mediach społecznościowych i komentarze pod produktami pokazują, z czym klienci Cię porównują.
- Posłuchaj sprzedawców. Zespół sprzedaży wie, komu przegrywa. Poproś o listę ostatnich dziesięciu przegranych ofert i powodów.
- Sprawdź wyszukiwarkę. Wpisz problem klienta, a nie nazwę produktu. Wyniki pokażą, jakie rozwiązania ludzie rozważają.
- Spójrz na budżet klienta. Na co jeszcze mógłby wydać kwotę, którą masz w cenniku? Odpowiedź wskazuje konkurencję pośrednią.
A competitor map: a simple template
Once you have gathered the information, arrange it in a table. Fill it in for each main customer group.
| Type of competitor | Name or solution | What it promises the customer | Its weak point | Our answer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direct | (fill in) | (fill in) | (fill in) | (fill in) |
| Second-degree | (fill in) | (fill in) | (fill in) | (fill in) |
| Indirect | (fill in) | (fill in) | (fill in) | (fill in) |
| No purchase | The customer does nothing | No cost and no effort | The problem remains | Showing the cost of delay |
The last row is sometimes the most dangerous competitor. Many customers choose none of the offers because they put off the decision. That is why your communication should not only set you apart from other companies, but also explain why it is worth solving the problem now.
Indirect and direct competition: similarities and differences
The difference lies, among other things, in the fact that an outsider finds it easier to name indirect competitors than a business owner does. Entrepreneurs know their slice of the industry very well, but do not take broader phenomena into account, such as the trend towards reducing waste, a pandemic or political preferences. Yet these are what make customers choose groceries instead of entertainment, or a bus instead of a plane.
One similarity that has to be taken into account is price. If you sell lunches at PLN 30, seaside apartments are not a product competing with your offer. A customer does not choose between a penthouse and a hot meal. Direct competition is other restaurants with similar dishes at a similar price. Indirect competition is other goods and services at a similar price: dishes that can be prepared at home, a fitness class at PLN 30 an hour or a cinema ticket. Aggressive communication from a takeaway producer or a good film at the cinema can make customers choose them instead of lunch at a restaurant. This has to be factored in when creating your own strategy and advertising message.
A step-by-step example: a small physiotherapy practice
The situation below is invented to show the workflow. A small physiotherapy practice in a medium-sized town wants to increase the number of bookings.
- Konkurencja bezpośrednia: inne gabinety fizjoterapii w tym samym mieście, w podobnych cenach.
- Konkurencja drugiego stopnia: masaże w salonach, zajęcia ruchowe prowadzone przez trenerów, gotowe zestawy ćwiczeń w aplikacjach.
- Konkurencja pośrednia: zakup ortopedycznego krzesła, wizyta u lekarza w ramach publicznej opieki, a także decyzja „poczekam, może samo przejdzie”.
- Wnioski z rozmów z pacjentami: część osób porównuje wizytę z kosztem aplikacji i wybiera ją z powodu wygody, inni odkładają wizytę do czasu nasilenia bólu.
- Decyzje: gabinet dodaje krótką konsultację wstępną, pokazuje na stronie koszt zwłoki w leczeniu urazów, publikuje zestaw prostych ćwiczeń dla osób, które nie są jeszcze gotowe na wizytę, i mierzy liczbę zapisów w porównaniu z tym samym kwartałem poprzedniego roku.
Note that none of these decisions required lowering the price. They come from learning who the practice is really winning or losing against in the patient's mind.
Competing for attention online
In online marketing, indirect competition is especially clear. A user who types a problem into a search engine sees not only companies selling similar services, but also guides, videos, forums and answers generated by AI tools. Each of these results solves part of the problem without a purchase. That is why the content on a company's website should answer customers' questions better and more specifically than general materials, while clearly showing how a purchase helps. Search engine data, such as the phrases visits come from, shows which problems customers are trying to solve on their own.
Indirect competition for a new product or service
Przy wprowadzaniu nowego produktu konkurencja pośrednia jest zwykle ważniejsza niż bezpośrednia, bo kategoria dopiero powstaje i klienci zastępują ją czymś znanym. Producent nowej aplikacji do planowania pracy nie rywalizuje na początku z innymi aplikacjami, tylko z kartką, arkuszem kalkulacyjnym i przyzwyczajeniem. Warto więc w komunikacji pokazać różnicę „przed i po” na konkretnym przykładzie zamiast wyliczać funkcje. Szersze omówienie przygotowania premiery znajdziesz w tekście o product launch.
How do you check whether the competitor map helped?
Even a good analysis is a hypothesis until you test it in action. Before implementation, set one or two measures, for example the number of enquiries per month and the cost of one enquiry, and after a few months compare them with a baseline period from the same season. If possible, introduce the change first in one city, channel or customer group and compare the result with a group in which nothing changed. Mere coincidence in time (enquiries rose after the change) does not prove that the change was the cause. The result may have been affected by the season, a competitor's promotion or a change in the market.
How do you use knowledge about competitors in marketing?
A list of competitors on its own changes nothing. What changes things is the decision you draw from it. Four directions you can implement:
- Pozycjonowanie. Jeśli klient porównuje Cię z tańszą alternatywą, musisz jasno pokazać, za co płaci więcej. Pomaga w tym brand strategy.
- Oferta. Konkurent pośredni często wygrywa wygodą lub ceną na krótką chwilę. Możesz dodać do oferty element, który zmniejsza tę przewagę, na przykład wersję próbną lub mniejszy pakiet.
- Komunikacja. Wiedza o tym, co jeszcze robi klient, pomaga dobrać kanały i momenty kontaktu. W planie marketingowym zapisz, kogo i na jakim etapie chcesz przekonać.
- Wybór pola walki. Nie zawsze warto konkurować ceną. Opis strategii opartej na niskich kosztach, jej zalet i ryzyk znajdziesz w tekście o przywództwie kosztowym.
The most common mistakes in analysing indirect competition
- Zawężanie rynku do własnej branży. Spojrzenie tylko na firmy z tej samej listy w katalogu.
- Brak podziału na grupy klientów. Konkurenci dla studentów i dla firm mogą się całkiem różnić.
- Jednorazowa analiza. Rynek zmienia się szybko, więc mapę warto przeglądać raz na kwartał lub przy każdej większej zmianie oferty.
- Ocena tylko po cenach. Konkurent może wygrywać wygodą, szybkością lub zaufaniem.
- Przekonanie, że „nikt nie robi tego, co my”. To prawie zawsze znaczy, że klienci rozwiązują problem w inny sposób, którego nie znamy.
- Brak wniosków. Analiza kończy się raportem w szufladzie, a nie decyzjami z terminami i właścicielami.
Warto też pamiętać, że analiza konkurencji dotyczy nie tylko firm, ale też własnych słabych miejsc. Szczery przegląd sytuacji firmy pomaga zrozumieć, dlaczego klienci wybierają innych. Pomocny jest tu tekst o słabych stronach przedsiębiorstwa.
How does Commplace help?
Commplace pomaga firmom uporządkować rynek: od mapy konkurentów bezpośrednich i pośrednich, przez opis grup klientów i pozycjonowanie, po plan marketingowy z miernikami. Zakres prac opisujemy na stronie marketing strategies for companies. Gdy sprzedajesz firmom, zobacz też B2B marketing.
Wyniki analiz i późniejszych działań – zapytania, widoczność, ruch na stronie – można zbierać w jednym miejscu, w kokpicie Commwork®AI. System zbiera i porządkuje dane, a wybór kierunku zawsze należy do człowieka.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is indirect competition?
These are companies and solutions that do not offer the same as you, but take the same budget or time from the customer or solve the customer's problem in a different way. For a restaurant, an example might be a cinema ticket or a meal prepared at home.
How does direct competition differ from indirect competition?
Direct competition offers the same thing at a similar price to the same customers. Indirect competition offers something different, but fights for the same budget or the same need. There is also second-degree competition, that is, a different product that solves the same problem.
How do you find indirect competition?
Ask customers what they did before buying and after cancelling, review opinions and forums, ask salespeople for a list of lost deals, type the customer's problem into a search engine instead of a product name and consider what else they could spend the same amount on.
Why is it worth knowing about indirect competition?
Because a customer often is not choosing between two companies in the same industry, but between your offer and a completely different way of spending money or time. Knowing this lets you choose your communication and offer better.
How often should you update your competitor analysis?
A good rhythm is a review once a quarter and whenever your offer, prices or the market change significantly. Every month it is worth checking a short list of signals, for example the new offers and prices of the main competitors.
Is not buying also a form of competition?
Yes. Many customers put off the decision and choose no offer at all. That is why it is worth showing the cost of delay in your communication and making the first step easy, for example with a trial version or a short conversation.
Sources: work of the Commplace blog editorial team.
Indirect versus direct marketing: differences and examples
The division into indirect and direct competition has its counterpart in the ways of reaching a customer. Indirect marketing and direct marketing are two different approaches to the same sale.
What is direct marketing?
Direct marketing means approaching a specific customer personally with an offer they can respond to at once. Examples are a message to someone subscribed to a newsletter, a phone call from an adviser, a letter with a discount code or a sales meeting. This kind of marketing requires a contact database and consents to communication that comply with data protection rules. Its advantage is that it is easy to measure, because you can see who responded. Its drawback is the risk that messages sent too often will be seen as pushy.
What characterises indirect marketing?
Indirect marketing builds interest and trust without directly asking for a purchase. It works through content, the brand's presence in the media, customer reviews, cooperation with partners, sponsorship or expert knowledge. The customer finds the company on their own when a need arises. The effect comes more slowly and is harder to attribute to a single activity. In return the brand gains lasting recognition and an expert position that competitors cannot buy in a short time.
A comparison in practice
- Kontakt: bezpośredni – do wskazanej osoby; pośredni – do szerokiej grupy.
- Purpose: bezpośredni – szybka odpowiedź; pośredni – zaufanie i pamięć o marce.
- Measurement: bezpośredni – odpowiedzi i sprzedaż; pośredni – rozpoznawalność, zapytania i zmiana opinii.
- Risk: bezpośredni – zmęczenie odbiorcy; pośredni – długi czas oczekiwania na efekt.
What are the 4 types of marketing strategy, and where does indirect competition fit in?
The classic four strategies are market penetration, market development, product development and diversification. With each of them you need to check indirect competition, that is, companies that meet the same need with a different product. For example, a cinema competes not only with another cinema but also with an evening in front of a TV series. In such a situation indirect marketing helps show why your solution is better than another way of meeting the same need. A good marketing agency therefore starts with a map of both kinds of competition.
How do you combine the two approaches?
Most companies use both kinds of marketing at the same time. Indirect marketing attracts attention and builds trust, for example with a guide or an expert's talk. Interested people sign up for a newsletter or leave their contact details. Then direct marketing steps in with a concrete offer. This arrangement combines reach with measurability. However, make sure that indirect content does not turn into hidden advertising. Sponsored material should always be clearly labelled.
See also: What is substitutive competition? | Unfair competition? It just doesn't pay off | The competitiveness of the enterprise is a key determinant of success