# Domain Research Step 3: Competitive Landscape

<purpose>
Conduct competitive landscape analysis identifying key players, market share distribution, competitive positioning strategies, business models, and competitive dynamics using verified web search data.
</purpose>

<instructions>
1. Execute parallel web searches for key players, market share, competitive strategies, and entry barriers
2. Analyze and aggregate competitive findings
3. Generate competitive analysis content with six subsections (Key Players, Market Share, Competitive Strategies, Business Models, Competitive Dynamics, Ecosystem Analysis)
4. Include source citations for all findings
5. Write content immediately to document
6. Present [C] continue option after content generation
7. Update frontmatter stepsCompleted to [1, 2, 3] before loading next step
</instructions>

<output>
Competitive landscape analysis sections containing:
- Key players and market leaders with source citations
- Market share and competitive positioning with source citations
- Competitive strategies and differentiation with source citations
- Business models and value propositions with source citations
- Competitive dynamics and entry barriers with source citations
- Ecosystem and partnership analysis with source citations
- All content appended to research document
</output>

## MANDATORY EXECUTION RULES (READ FIRST):

- 🛑 NEVER generate content without web search verification

- 📖 CRITICAL: ALWAYS read the complete step file before taking any action - partial understanding leads to incomplete decisions
- 🔄 CRITICAL: When loading next step with 'C', ensure the entire file is read and understood before proceeding
- ✅ Search the web to verify and supplement your knowledge with current facts
- 📋 YOU ARE A COMPETITIVE ANALYST, not content generator
- 💬 FOCUS on key players, market share, and competitive dynamics
- 🔍 WEB SEARCH REQUIRED - verify current facts against live sources
- 📝 WRITE CONTENT IMMEDIATELY TO DOCUMENT
- ✅ YOU MUST ALWAYS SPEAK OUTPUT In your Agent communication style with the config `{communication_language}`

## EXECUTION PROTOCOLS:

- 🎯 Show web search analysis before presenting findings
- ⚠️ Present [C] continue option after competitive analysis content generation
- 📝 WRITE COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS TO DOCUMENT IMMEDIATELY
- 💾 ONLY proceed when user chooses C (Continue)
- 📖 Update frontmatter `stepsCompleted: [1, 2, 3]` before loading next step
- 🚫 FORBIDDEN to load next step until C is selected

## CONTEXT BOUNDARIES:

- Current document and frontmatter from previous steps are available
- **Research topic = "{{research_topic}}"** - established from initial discussion
- **Research goals = "{{research_goals}}"** - established from initial discussion
- Focus on key players, market share, and competitive dynamics
- Web search capabilities with source verification are enabled

## YOUR TASK:

Conduct competitive landscape analysis focusing on key players, market share, and competitive dynamics. Search the web to verify and supplement current facts.

## COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE ANALYSIS SEQUENCE:

### 1. Begin Competitive Landscape Analysis

**UTILIZE SUBPROCESSES AND SUBAGENTS**: Use research subagents, subprocesses or parallel processing if available to thoroughly analyze different competitive areas simultaneously and thoroughly.

Start with competitive research approach:
"Now I'll conduct **competitive landscape analysis** for **{{research_topic}}** to understand the competitive ecosystem.

**Competitive Landscape Focus:**

- Key players and market leaders
- Market share and competitive positioning
- Competitive strategies and differentiation
- Business models and value propositions
- Entry barriers and competitive dynamics

**Let me search for current competitive insights.**"

### 2. Parallel Competitive Research Execution

**Execute multiple web searches simultaneously:**

Search the web: "{{research_topic}} key players market leaders"
Search the web: "{{research_topic}} market share competitive landscape"
Search the web: "{{research_topic}} competitive strategies differentiation"
Search the web: "{{research_topic}} entry barriers competitive dynamics"

**Analysis approach:**

- Look for recent competitive intelligence reports and market analyses
- Search for company websites, annual reports, and investor presentations
- Research market share data and competitive positioning
- Analyze competitive strategies and differentiation approaches
- Study entry barriers and competitive dynamics

### 3. Analyze and Aggregate Results

**Collect and analyze findings from all parallel searches:**

"After executing comprehensive parallel web searches, let me analyze and aggregate competitive findings:

**Research Coverage:**

- Key players and market leaders analysis
- Market share and competitive positioning assessment
- Competitive strategies and differentiation mapping
- Entry barriers and competitive dynamics evaluation

**Cross-Competitive Analysis:**
[Identify patterns connecting players, strategies, and market dynamics]

**Quality Assessment:**
[Overall confidence levels and research gaps identified]"

### 4. Generate Competitive Landscape Content

**WRITE IMMEDIATELY TO DOCUMENT**

Prepare competitive landscape analysis with web search citations:

#### Content Structure:

When saving to document, append these Level 2 and Level 3 sections:

```markdown
## Competitive Landscape

### Key Players and Market Leaders

[Key players analysis with source citations]
_Market Leaders: [Dominant players and their market positions]_
_Major Competitors: [Significant competitors and their specialties]_
_Emerging Players: [New entrants and innovative companies]_
_Global vs Regional: [Geographic distribution of key players]_
_Source: [URL]_

### Market Share and Competitive Positioning

[Market share analysis with source citations]
_Market Share Distribution: [Current market share breakdown]_
_Competitive Positioning: [How players position themselves in the market]_
_Value Proposition Mapping: [Different value propositions across players]_
_Customer Segments Served: [Different customer bases by competitor]_
_Source: [URL]_

### Competitive Strategies and Differentiation

[Competitive strategies analysis with source citations]
_Cost Leadership Strategies: [Players competing on price and efficiency]_
_Differentiation Strategies: [Players competing on unique value]_
_Focus/Niche Strategies: [Players targeting specific segments]_
_Innovation Approaches: [How different players innovate]_
_Source: [URL]_

### Business Models and Value Propositions

[Business models analysis with source citations]
_Primary Business Models: [How competitors make money]_
_Revenue Streams: [Different approaches to monetization]_
_Value Chain Integration: [Vertical integration vs partnership models]_
_Customer Relationship Models: [How competitors build customer loyalty]_
_Source: [URL]_

### Competitive Dynamics and Entry Barriers

[Competitive dynamics analysis with source citations]
_Barriers to Entry: [Obstacles facing new market entrants]_
_Competitive Intensity: [Level of rivalry and competitive pressure]_
_Market Consolidation Trends: [M&A activity and market concentration]_
_Switching Costs: [Costs for customers to switch between providers]_
_Source: [URL]_

### Ecosystem and Partnership Analysis

[Ecosystem analysis with source citations]
_Supplier Relationships: [Key supplier partnerships and dependencies]_
_Distribution Channels: [How competitors reach customers]_
_Technology Partnerships: [Strategic technology alliances]_
_Ecosystem Control: [Who controls key parts of the value chain]_
_Source: [URL]_
```

### 5. Present Analysis and Continue Option

**Show analysis and present continue option:**

"I've completed **competitive landscape analysis** for {{research_topic}}.

**Key Competitive Findings:**

- Key players and market leaders thoroughly identified
- Market share and competitive positioning clearly mapped
- Competitive strategies and differentiation analyzed
- Business models and value propositions documented
- Competitive dynamics and entry barriers evaluated

**Ready to proceed to regulatory focus analysis?**
[C] Continue - Save this to document and proceed to regulatory focus

### 6. Handle Continue Selection

#### If 'C' (Continue):

- **CONTENT ALREADY WRITTEN TO DOCUMENT**
- Update frontmatter: `stepsCompleted: [1, 2, 3]`
- Load: `./step-04-regulatory-focus.md`

## APPEND TO DOCUMENT:

Content is already written to document when generated in step 4. No additional append needed.

## SUCCESS METRICS:

✅ Key players and market leaders thoroughly identified
✅ Market share and competitive positioning clearly mapped
✅ Competitive strategies and differentiation analyzed
✅ Business models and value propositions documented
✅ Competitive dynamics and entry barriers evaluated
✅ Content written immediately to document
✅ [C] continue option presented and handled correctly
✅ Proper routing to next step (regulatory focus)
✅ Research goals alignment maintained

## FAILURE MODES:

❌ Relying on training data instead of web search for current facts
❌ Missing critical key players or market leaders
❌ Incomplete market share or positioning analysis
❌ Not identifying competitive strategies
❌ Not writing content immediately to document
❌ Not presenting [C] continue option after content generation
❌ Not routing to regulatory focus step

❌ **CRITICAL**: Reading only partial step file - leads to incomplete understanding and poor decisions
❌ **CRITICAL**: Proceeding with 'C' without fully reading and understanding the next step file
❌ **CRITICAL**: Making decisions without complete understanding of step requirements and protocols

## COMPETITIVE RESEARCH PROTOCOLS:

- Research competitive intelligence reports and market analyses
- Use company websites, annual reports, and investor presentations
- Analyze market share data and competitive positioning
- Study competitive strategies and differentiation approaches
- Search the web to verify facts
- Present conflicting information when sources disagree
- Apply confidence levels appropriately

## COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS STANDARDS:

- Always cite URLs for web search results
- Use authoritative competitive intelligence sources
- Note data currency and potential limitations
- Present multiple perspectives when sources conflict
- Apply confidence levels to uncertain data
- Focus on actionable competitive insights

## NEXT STEP:

After user selects 'C', load `./step-04-regulatory-focus.md` to analyze regulatory requirements, compliance frameworks, and legal considerations for {{research_topic}}.

Remember: Always write research content to document immediately and search the web to verify facts!
