What Is Comparative Analysis? (With Definition and Tips)

Updated September 30, 2022

When organizations decide to undertake a marketing campaign or grow their company, a comparative study may give information that impacts critical choices. In making decisions that benefit both a business and its clients, this analysis aggregates multiple data sets to compare many possibilities. Learning more about this kind of analysis can help the company make marketing decisions.

In this article, we define a comparative analysis, explain its importance, explore the differences between comparative and competitive analysis, offer tips to conduct an effective analysis, and discuss other types of market analyses.

What is a comparative analysis?

Comparative analysis is the practice of comparing and contrasting items. When a company wants to study a concept, a problem, a theory, or a query, conducting this kind of analysis enables it to gain a deeper understanding of the issue and formulate responses.

A business may use this form of analysis to examine items with evident distinctions or objects with both differences and similarities. For example, health care organizations may use this research to evaluate and contrast two distinct kinds of drugs. Other companies may do a comparison study to discover which of the compared manufacturing methods is more efficient. Typically, a company can conduct a comparative study to determine the following:

The strategies of indirect and direct competitors
The financial health of a business, including its investments and profit margins
Accounting strategies, such as budgets
How trends affect a target audience
Emerging opportunities in technology, marketing, or related functions

Why is this analysis important?

Comparative studies are critical for gaining a better understanding of a topic or for answering pertinent questions. The following are the key objectives that businesses may want to accomplish via the comparison of data sets, papers, or processes:

Providing a frame of reference for data

This kind of analysis illustrates how data or processes compare and explains their relationship. This provides context for the analysis, highlighting the distinctions and similarities in the connections across data sets. For instance, a car company may compare the safety features of two or more models to determine their impact on sales and decide which elements may require improvement. This type of analysis may include detailed information on each feature and historical data to compare how each feature works.

Narrowing focus

A thorough analysis enables a business to establish significant and compelling justifications for the comparison. The data a company collects for a comparative study to substantiate assertions or arguments is not then haphazard but extensively studied. You may conduct an analysis to offer opposing opinions and investigate both sides or establish or deny an idea.

For instance, an auto manufacturer's analysis may demonstrate that specific safety features increase vehicle sales. The investigation may reveal and validate that side airbags are more popular than traction control. This enables the manufacturer to concentrate on developing and advertising the characteristics that buyers want when purchasing a new vehicle.

Differences between comparative and competitive analyses

The distinctions between comparative and competitive analyses pertain to the purpose for which the company conducts the study. For instance, a comparative study may compare the indirect and direct competition to provide a holistic understanding of the market. This procedure uses quantitative data to obtain broad demographic information from a large population. Some examples of comparative analysis include the following:

Pattern analysis: identifies patterns of behaviour or trends to make predictions or enforce probability
Data filtering: analyzes group data to identify and extract data subsets
Decision tree: analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of a decision through its influences and risks

Competitive analyses compare a company's immediate competitors side by side. Qualitative research may help the company focus on the similarities and contrasts between its business and its competition. A competitive analysis examines a direct competitor's services, marketing methods, and reputation. For instance, a company may use competitive analysis to analyze and choose the most appropriate business form, such as a sole proprietorship, limited liability company (LLC), or corporation.

Tips for successfully conducting an analysis

To conduct an effective analysis, consider the following tips:

Conduct research

As a business analyst, it's important to conduct thorough research in preparation for these types of analyses. Conducting research provides evidence to support the findings and might also present a perspective or angle not considered previously. Research can also provide information about how competitors might approach an issue.

Develop lists of similarities and differences

When comparing two items in a comparative analysis, consider creating a detailed list of similarities and differences. Then, try to determine how a change to one aspect may affect another. For example, how increasing the number of employee vacation days impacts sales, production or costs. A comparative analysis can also help identify external causes, such as economic conditions or environmental challenges.

Highlight both sides

Comparative analysis may seek to support one opinion or idea over another, but it's important for the analysis itself to detail both sides equally. The analysis presents the key points of both sides and outlines the claims associated with each. For example, an analysis comparing the advantages and disadvantages of starting a recycling program might analyze its benefits, such as corporate responsibility, and also potential challenges, such as high implementation costs. This insight can help the company make informed, practical decisions or develop alternative solutions.

Include variables

A thorough analysis typically contains more than a simple list of benefits and drawbacks, as it often considers variables that affect both sides. For example, variables might relate to uncontrollable factors, such as how the summer weather might affect shipping speeds, and also controllable variables, such as when to partner with a local shipper.

Conduct analyses regularly

As with any business practice, it's important to conduct comparative analyses regularly. Consider the various areas and factors that this analysis examines:

Competitors
Sales
Stock performance
Dividends and revenue
Profitability
Inventory
Research and development
Financial position

This kind of analysis can benefit several departments within a company, as conducting analyses frequently can ensure that it receives regular, relevant updates on market changes.

Other methods of market analysis

Here are some other market analysis methods:

Market research surveys

Conducting market research using surveys is a prominent form of market analysis. Surveys are an excellent approach to get direct feedback from customers about their experiences with a business, a product, or another transaction they make. A market research survey may include questions regarding the purchase experience, the usability of a product, and overall customer happiness. There are several sorts of surveys that a business can do, all of which may benefit the company by providing a significant quantity of data to evaluate.

Consumer observations

Consumer observations may aid market research by providing insight into how customers act while purchasing or using products. One advantage of observations is that they enable businesses to obtain data objectively by learning about consumer behaviour without communicating with consumers directly.

This may provide impartial information about an experience, avoiding prejudice or consumers exerting influence over one another in terms of testimony. Many companies undertake consumer observations by videotaping consumers in their shops and reviewing the videos afterwards to learn about their browsing, buying, and returning patterns.

Personal interviews

Personal interviews are another popular way of market research that enables organizations to get information directly from customers. A personal interview normally lasts for approximately one hour. Personal interviews might take conducted in person, over the phone or via communication online. Most personal interviews entail asking a list of prepared questions and also spontaneous ones that permit open-ended responses.

Many organizations undertake consumer observations by videotaping consumers in their shops and reviewing them afterward to learn about their browsing, buying, and returning patterns.

Focus groups

A focus group is an effective strategy for simultaneously gathering data for a market study from many customers. Focus groups involve organizing a group of customers in a neutral area and facilitating a conversation about a particular product or service. This enables consumers to express their ideas and viewpoints freely and communicate with other customers who may have had similar experiences.

In gathering data from focus groups for market research, many businesses employ facilities equipped with a one-way mirror and video and audio recording technology to capture the conversation, enabling analysts to monitor and take notes throughout the session.

Field trials

Field trials provide insight into how a new item may perform in the market. This entails placing a new product in the stores of a few retailers and monitoring customer response. By observing how a product performs in a real-world sales situation, a company can learn details such as the number of customers who purchase the new product, the demographics of customers who appear to be interested in the product, and whether the price appears to be valid, and which aspects of the product may require improvement.