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- Stay abreast on what works and what doesn\u2019t:<\/strong> One way to gauge what may or may not support your efforts to foster sales and customer engagement alike is to simply watch what your competitors are up to. Often subtle hints like pricing changes<\/a> or extreme discounts will indicate when they might have struck gold or when they inadvertently failed to execute something properly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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- Competitors can inspire your own improvement:<\/strong>\u00a0Seeing what your competition is doing can grease the wheels of your own imagination when it comes to your business. Perhaps you can even find a new and better way of approaching something your competitors are doing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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- Keep informed of the latest industry trends:<\/strong> If all your competitors are engaging in a\u00a0specific marketing strategy<\/a> that you have yet to embrace, it might be a sign that you\u2019re slipping behind the times. \u00a0Keeping an eye on what others in your industry are doing can prevent you from remaining ignorant of rising trends and newly accepted industry standards.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Some Competitor Intel Tools to Get Started<\/h2>\n
Even if you have an inclination to take note of your competitors\u2019 activities, you might still be at a loss for exactly how to do so. Luckily, there are countless monitoring tools out there that you can use to keep tabs on virtually any aspect of your competition\u2019s business. Here are some of the most popular ones that should provide a decent place to begin.<\/p>\n
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- Alexa<\/a>: <\/strong>This well-known tool ranks websites and monitors their global traffic rank as well as a number of other analytics. It\u2019s especially suited to monitor international competitors and can give you a general impression of how well your site is doing compared to others in the eCommerce space.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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- Google Alerts<\/a>: <\/strong>Naturally, Google is a good source of information on website performance. However, this free service in particular can help you track how many times a specific keyword is mentioned in search results. It\u2019s perfect to identify when and where your competitors are making headlines, with reports sent directly to your inbox.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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- SpyFu<\/a>: <\/strong>Since we\u2019re in the age of trending topics and search engine optimization, one of the most useful bits of information to have on your competition are its keywords. This is, after all, how many customers will come across your business, and this tool can give you all the details on what keywords your counterparts use, including those in Google AdWords.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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- WhoIs<\/a>: <\/strong>This simple tool provides a full list of information regarding a given site, including hosting provider, registered party, contact information, affiliated domains, and more. If you\u2019re looking to get a peek behind the curtain regarding your competitors, this is one destination that you simply must look into.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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- Incompetitor<\/a>:<\/strong>\u00a0Our\u00a0retail analytics software<\/a> combs the web for a wealth of pricing information. The tool helps you to watch overall trends and dig into the specific pricing changes within\u00a0your competitors’ product line. You can even set up alerts to provide real-time insights and stay one step ahead of the competition.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Strategic Thinking on improving eCommerce Competitor Intel<\/h2>\n
With the right mindset, eCommerce competitor intel could be an instrumental tool for you to guide and shape the direction of your own business. Simply copying the tactics of leaders in your field won\u2019t cut it, but there are still tons of reasons why monitoring their progress and approaches to marketing can yield positive results for your bottom line. The question remains which tools you will employ and to what end the knowledge you gain will serve your business. Regardless, you should remain firmly on top of your industry at large if you truly hope to establish yourself as an innovator determined to wow customers for years to come.<\/p>\n
For more invaluable insights into how you should approach marketing your eCommerce business and use automation to drive future success, check out our new eBook, \u201cKey Automated Marketing Strategies for eCommerce Store Success<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"Key](\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/857779\/478c0839-fd57-45a3-8045-2b37659a95e9.png\")
<\/a><\/span>
- Incompetitor<\/a>:<\/strong>\u00a0Our\u00a0retail analytics software<\/a> combs the web for a wealth of pricing information. The tool helps you to watch overall trends and dig into the specific pricing changes within\u00a0your competitors’ product line. You can even set up alerts to provide real-time insights and stay one step ahead of the competition.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- WhoIs<\/a>: <\/strong>This simple tool provides a full list of information regarding a given site, including hosting provider, registered party, contact information, affiliated domains, and more. If you\u2019re looking to get a peek behind the curtain regarding your competitors, this is one destination that you simply must look into.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- SpyFu<\/a>: <\/strong>Since we\u2019re in the age of trending topics and search engine optimization, one of the most useful bits of information to have on your competition are its keywords. This is, after all, how many customers will come across your business, and this tool can give you all the details on what keywords your counterparts use, including those in Google AdWords.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Google Alerts<\/a>: <\/strong>Naturally, Google is a good source of information on website performance. However, this free service in particular can help you track how many times a specific keyword is mentioned in search results. It\u2019s perfect to identify when and where your competitors are making headlines, with reports sent directly to your inbox.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Alexa<\/a>: <\/strong>This well-known tool ranks websites and monitors their global traffic rank as well as a number of other analytics. It\u2019s especially suited to monitor international competitors and can give you a general impression of how well your site is doing compared to others in the eCommerce space.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Keep informed of the latest industry trends:<\/strong> If all your competitors are engaging in a\u00a0specific marketing strategy<\/a> that you have yet to embrace, it might be a sign that you\u2019re slipping behind the times. \u00a0Keeping an eye on what others in your industry are doing can prevent you from remaining ignorant of rising trends and newly accepted industry standards.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Competitors can inspire your own improvement:<\/strong>\u00a0Seeing what your competition is doing can grease the wheels of your own imagination when it comes to your business. Perhaps you can even find a new and better way of approaching something your competitors are doing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n