Here’s How to Do Competitor Analysis Right

So, you're ready to launch your product or service in Dubai. You’ve got the idea, the excitement, and maybe even the budget. But here's a simple question - do you know who you're up against? How to find your competitor?

This is where many business owners pause. And it's exactly where smart entrepreneurs gain an edge.

When we provide business consulting at COFTT, we get asked the same question over and over:

“How do I research my competition before launching?”

And rightly so. Most founders want to register their business, launch their product, and get going - but without a real understanding of who else is out there and what the market really looks like.

To answer those questions, and help you launch smarter - we’ve written this article to walk you through competitor analysis, the way we actually do it for our clients.

Let’s show you how it works in real life, through a familiar face: Sara.

Remember Sara? She’s Back

If you’ve read our article on customer research, you already know Sara. She’s the founder of a skincare brand designed for Dubai’s unique climate. After completing deep customer research with our help, she was ready to take the next step.

Before registering her business and launching her products, she asked us:

“What are other skincare brands doing in Dubai - and how do I stand out?”

A great question. Because launching without competitor insights is like opening a store without knowing who’s selling next door.

Let’s walk you through how we helped her build a strategy that outperformed the competition - before she even launched.

What Is Competitor Analysis, and Why Does It Matter?

Competitor analysis is all about understanding your rivals - what they sell, how they sell it, who they sell it to, and where they’re winning or losing.

In Dubai, where the market is crowded, fast-paced, and full of global players, this step is not just helpful - it’s critical.

Sara didn’t want to copy her competitors. She wanted to beat them.
And to do that, she needed clarity, data, and a strategy.

What’s Included in a Powerful Competitor Analysis?

At COFTT, we go beyond surface-level. We combine online research, local insights, and advanced tools to give you a complete picture of your competition.

Here’s how we did it for Sara - and how we’ll do it for you.

1. Identifying Competitors (Direct and Indirect)

We began by identifying:

a. Brands selling similar skincare products

b. Alternatives customers might choose instead (salon services, medical-grade skincare, etc.)

c. Niche international brands already active in the UAE

Knowing your real competition is the foundation of a smart strategy.

2. Online Presence & SEO Analysis

This is where most brands get surprised.

We used advanced tools to dig into:

a. What keywords her competitors were ranking for
b. Where they showed up on Google
c. How much traffic they were getting each month

We even tracked top-performing blog posts, product pages, and review platforms - because online visibility is everything in today’s market.

Isn’t it powerful to know exactly what your competitors are doing to get attention online?

3. Paid Advertising Insights

Next, we asked: Are her competitors spending on Google Ads?

We used online research tools to see:

a. What ads her competitors were running

b. Which keywords they were targeting

c. Estimated ad budgets and landing pages used

Guess what? Many of her competitors were spending heavily - but poorly. Sara was able to create better, more targeted campaigns, using data her competitors had already paid to test.

4. Product & Offer Analysis

Then we dove into:

a. Product features
b. Bundle offers
c. Packaging styles

Value-adds like free delivery, samples, or gifts

We noticed most competitors didn’t offer local skin-type personalization. Sara made this her key feature - and customers loved it.

5. Pricing Strategy Comparison

What’s too cheap? What’s too premium?
We benchmarked her product pricing against 10 competitors - local and global - and created a pricing model that positioned her brand as affordable luxury.

6. Messaging & Positioning

We analyzed how competitors spoke to their audience:

a. Was their tone friendly, premium, or clinical?
b. What benefits did they highlight?
c. Did they connect emotionally with the customer?

This helped us craft Sara’s brand voice - authentic, modern, and relatable for Dubai’s multicultural market.

7. Social Media & Influencer Activity

Using Instagram audits, TikTok trend analysis, and Facebook ad tracking, we found:

a. Which influencers were promoting competitors
b. What content performed well
c. Which gaps her brand could fill

We helped Sara build a content plan and influencer list her competitors had overlooked completely.

8. Customer Reviews & Feedback Analysis

We studied competitor reviews on Amazon, Noon, and Google:

a. What customers loved
b. What frustrated them
c. What wasn’t being addressed

Sara added features her competitors lacked - like detailed skin-use guides and after-sale skincare tips. That made all the difference.

Why Online Competitor Research Is Non-Negotiable

In today’s market, if you're not doing online research - you’re behind.

Everything you need to know about your competitors is out there:

a. Their SEO strategy
b. Their web traffic
c. Their ad spending
d. Their customer feedback

You just need the right tools - and the right team - to find it.

At COFTT, we are market research company and we use cutting-edge digital tools to gather this data fast, accurately, and ethically. We turn this information into a strategy that gives you the upper hand.

Final Thoughts: Don't Guess - Outsmart

Sara’s brand is now one of the fastest-growing skincare startups in Dubai. Her launch didn’t happen by chance. It happened because she made one smart move - she did her homework before entering the market.

Competitor analysis isn’t about copying - it’s about outsmarting.

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So, before you launch your next product or service in the UAE, ask yourself: Do I really know what my competitors are doing? If not - COFTT is here to help you find out. Reach out to us today and get free consultation on competitor analysis.