Competitor Analysis In Ecommerce

Can Rapido disrupt the Swiggy-Zomato duopoly in food delivery? A logistics-first playbook is unfolding. And it’s not coming from a food-tech incumbent. It’s coming from a bike-taxi disruptor. Rapido — valued at $1.1B — is stepping into the food delivery ring. But instead of copying Swiggy or Zomato, it’s flipping the script: - Start with B2B delivery infra - Build a consumer marketplace next - Monetise through subscriptions, not commissions This isn't speculation. - Rapido already powers delivery for Swiggy, ONDC, and restaurant partners. - Now it’s in early talks with restaurants for a flat-fee subscription model. If that works, it changes everything. Why it matters: •Rapido offers lower delivery cost via a bike-only fleet •It has native ONDC integration — unlike Swiggy (experimenting) and Zomato (distanced) •It avoids the commission war by offering fixed, predictable pricing to restaurants Let’s look at the numbers... - FY25 Revenue (Food delivery only): •Swiggy: ₹6,362 Cr (+22.5% YoY) •Zomato (Eternal): ₹8,080 Cr (+27% YoY) - Total Revenue & Profitability: •Eternal: ₹21,320 Cr revenue (+64.5%) with ₹527 Cr profit •Swiggy: ₹15,623 Cr revenue (+34.3%) with ₹3,117 Cr loss •Rapido: ₹648 Cr revenue (+20%) with ₹760 Cr loss (down from ₹876 Cr) Rapido is still burning cash, but reducing losses faster. And it’s doing this while building infra that others already depend on. Rapido took on Ola-Uber with: - Subscription-led monetisation for drivers - Tier 2/3 city focus - Asset-light operations - CAC reduction via on-ground activations It worked. •They scaled to 120 cities and 3.5M rides/day. Can they do it again in food delivery? Maybe. But this is harder. Success won’t come from logistics alone. It’ll require: •A premium user-facing app •Restaurant variety and quality •Loyalty programs •Delivery reliability And here’s the kicker: Rapido raised ₹250 Cr in its latest round. Zomato and Swiggy spend multiples of that—every quarter—on marketing, loyalty, cloud kitchens, and dark stores. Still... Rapido has one thing working in its favor: A value proposition the others can’t match — affordability without deep losses. From an investor’s lens: •This is a capex-light, ONDC-native, long-term bet From an analyst’s view: •This is an economy-of-scale expansion using existing infra From a restaurant’s view: •This is margin relief and a second chance From a user’s view: •The experience will need to match the savings If Rapido nails the consumer layer the way it nailed logistics... It might just wedge into the cracks that Swiggy and Zomato left open. There might be room for a third plate on the table in India's food-tech battlefield What are your thoughts? Do share them in the comments #rapido #ola #uber #swiggy #zomato

Most manufacturer brands work with distributors. But these can quickly become your biggest competition on #Amazon. After all, they often receive volume discounts in exchange for large bulk orders. ❌ The problem is: These distributors are often vendors to Amazon themselves and pass on the volume discounts as part of their cost price.   💡 Why is this important?   Because your Vendor Manager will take these cost prices as a benchmark in discussions with you as the manufacturer.   So here are some quick tips on how to manage distributors in your home market with Amazon in mind:   » 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗼𝗻. «   If it's >5%, your alarm bells should go off. Chances are, your cost prices aren't competitive enough, and you'll either lose the BuyBox or POs will be routed to your distributor.   » 𝗕𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝘂𝗹𝗸 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀. «   Distributors likely pass these discounts to Amazon to win the POs if they're 1P or lose you the Buy Box if they sell via 3P. Make sure your Amazon cost prices are competitive.   » 𝗚𝗲𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘀. «   Where legally possible, introduce distribution agreements or reseller policies. They ensure you don't compete with your retail partners. --- What other tips can you think of to reduce your indirect sourcing share with Amazon? Let me know in the comments! #amazonvendor #amazonstrategy

If you looked at last week’s performance and thought, “Wow, we were down…” dig deeper. It wasn’t just you. Amazon Prime Day shifted buyer behaviour across the board. Many brands felt the impact, lower traffic, slower conversions, and customers holding off for bigger deals elsewhere. Amazon is only growing its share of wallet and burying your head in the sand won’t fix it. So what can you do? 1. Re-evaluate your channel mix You don’t have to sell on Amazon (or maybe you should?) but you do need a strategy for how to compete with it. That might mean exploring marketplaces, refining your owned channels, or even testing Amazon as a top-of-funnel discovery tool (many brands use it for visibility, not margin). 2. Get proactive around retail events Map out key retail moments like Prime Day, Black Friday, and EOFY now. Run your own promos early, lean into loyalty campaigns, or promote “non-discount” value (bundles, GWP, exclusives) to avoid being drowned out. What about free express shipping? 3. Focus on lifetime value A one-week dip isn’t the problem, failing to build long-term customer relationships is. Invest in post-purchase journeys, community engagement, and email/SMS retention flows that outlive Amazon’s flash sales. 4. Strengthen your brand moat Amazon sells products. You sell a brand experience. Use it. Whether it’s through storytelling, content, or service, your brand equity should be doing the heavy lifting, especially when price isn’t your edge. 5. Don’t panic — plan Performance blips are part of the game. But if they keep catching you off guard, it’s time to shift from reactive to resilient. Understand the macro forces at play, and build a commercial calendar that supports consistency, not chaos.

Prime Day is shifting from a sprint to a marathon. Here's what Incrementum Digital data tells us about making it work: For years, we've seen a clear pattern at Incrementum Digital: Prime Day 1 massively outperforms Day 2. Shoppers start strong and then fatigue sets in. But Amazon just doubled Prime Day this year. Three key things we're keeping in mind this year: 1. Budget allocation needs a complete rethink Our success formula has been increasing ad spend 2-3 days BEFORE Prime Day. Why? Amazon's last-click attribution shows increased ad sales before Prime Day even starts. But with four full days, you'll need to pace your spend differently: - Keep your pre-Prime ramp-up strategy (this is still crucial) - Plan for mid-event budget refreshes on Days 2-3 - Reserve 25-30% of your total budget for the final 48 hours Most brands will blow their entire budget in the first half, missing late-event opportunities when competition thins out. The longer format means strategic patience beats the "all-in Day 1" approach of previous years. 2. Deal timing will make or break you With 96 hours of Prime Day, running deals only on specific days is now a legitimate strategy. But our data confirms shoppers still show up heaviest on Day 1 when excitement peaks. Even without deals, you'll see a lift from site traffic alone. But don't expect anything dramatic without a solid discount strategy. 3. Real-time monitoring becomes your secret weapon The data shows dramatic shifts in the competitive landscape over 96 hours: - Competitors' inventory will deplete - Bidding wars will settle down - New high-converting keywords emerge - Category dynamics shift as early promotions end Brands that actively track these changes can capitalize when others are running on autopilot. Amazon wouldn't extend Prime Day without data suggesting it drives incremental revenue. The big question: will shopper fatigue set in, or will this create entirely new buying patterns? We'll know soon enough. What's your Prime Day strategy looking like?

The Platform Fee Revolution: How Zomato & Swiggy’s Silent Tax is Redefining Food Delivery Economics The quiet shift no one missed paying for. Between 2023-25, India’s food delivery landscape witnessed its most critical business model change in a decade, not in delivery speeds, or discounts, but in platform fees. 1. Swiggy: From Rs 2 in April 2023 to Rs 14 by August 2025, a 600% surge. 2. Zomato: From Rs 2 in August 2023 to Rs 10 by October 2024. What looks like a tiny tweak now generates Rs 1900+ crore annually across the duopoly. More importantly, it marks the end of subsidy-led growth and the arrival of consumer-funded sustainability in Indian food delivery. ✅ The Revenue Engine Behind the Shift - Zomato: With 2.5M daily orders, Rs 10 fee delivers Rs 900 crore annually, with just the last Rs 2 hike alone unlocking an additional Rs 180 crore a year. - Swiggy: At 2M daily orders, its Rs 14 fee brings in Rs 1008 crore annually, up from just Rs 144 crore in 2023. Together, platform fees have quietly become the third-largest revenue line item, after commissions and advertising. ✅ Why It Matters Beyond the Numbers 1. The Regressive Tax Effect: Platform fees hit smaller, lower-income orders harder: - A Rs 200 order + Rs 14 fee = 7% surcharge. - A Rs 800 order + Rs 14 fee = 1.75% surcharge. The poorer you are, the more you pay proportionally. 2. Restaurant Economics: Small outlets face falling order volumes and tighter margins. Large chains are building direct delivery ecosystems and subscriptions to bypass platforms. 3. Delivery Partners: Despite the new crores, delivery partners see no direct cut. Instead, they face volatile order volumes, more peak-time pressure, and stagnant payouts. 4. Market Dynamics: Swiggy & Zomato’s near-synchronous hikes point to soft coordination, if not collusion. Fees also raise entry barriers for new players, effectively cementing the duopoly. Let me share #Rajsperspectives 1. Zepto introduced a Rs 2 fee in 2024 (Rs 11 lakh/day extra revenue). Blinkit, Instamart, BigBasket are testing similar models. Quick commerce is set to mirror food delivery’s shift, making “platform fees” a sector-wide standard. 2. Platform fees won’t stay flat. They’re evolving into dynamic pricing models: Surge fees during rain, weekends, or peak dining hours. Location-based charges for “premium zones.” 3. AI-driven personalization where loyal or frequent users see lower/higher fees. Essentially, the “flat tax” is morphing into a flexible toll system, algorithmically managed. Platform fees started as a survival tool. They’re now a profit engine. But the line between sustainability and exploitation is razor thin. The next 3 years will decide: Do platform fees remain a necessary charge to keep the system running Or do they become a barrier to access, innovation & fair competition? Either way, this “silent tax” is no longer a side note, it’s the core of India’s food delivery economics. #food #india #finance #startup #taxes #economy

While you were perfecting your product, your competitor already launched, dropped prices, and stole your users. Want to know how they moved faster? I have seen this happen too often. Teams spend months perfecting what they think is a breakthrough product. Meanwhile, a competitor quietly makes their move. They launch early. Adjust pricing to undercut the market. Flood ads that grab attention. By the time others react, the shift has already happened. But here’s the thing….these moves aren’t random. The signals are out there. You just need a system to spot them before they become headlines. This is how I do it. The growth hack: Build a competitive radar that never sleeps Manual tracking can’t keep pace today. I rely on AI-powered tools that scan constantly: -Crayon tracks product launches, pricing, and messaging updates in real time -Kompyte by Semrush monitors campaigns, website changes, and hiring patterns that hint at future priorities -Similarweb reveals traffic spikes, shifting audiences, and emerging channels early With these, I don’t just stay informed, I see where the market is heading. Turning signals into action faster Having data is one thing. Acting before anyone else? That’s the edge. I use ChatGPT with a simple prompt: “Analyze competitor activity. Find three patterns and suggest counter strategies for a SaaS company.” It helps me cut through noise and get to clear next steps. When this becomes your system: -Spot competitor moves 3–6 months early -Adjust pricing or features before market shifts -Launch campaigns to lead, not react To make it stick: -Set up automated alerts -Assign owners for each signal -Review trends weekly and act fast Data alone isn’t power. Acting first is. #AI #GrowthHacks #ProductStrategy #CompetitiveIntelligence

Amazon just dropped its Q3 FY25 results, and once again, the message for sellers is loud and clear: follow the money. Revenue climbed to $180.2B (+13% Y/Y), but what really stands out is how Amazon is reshaping where its profits come from. 🟩 Gross profit: $91.5B (52% margin) 🟩 Operating profit: $17.4B 🟩 Net profit: $21.2B (12% margin — a big jump) These are some of the healthiest margins Amazon has posted… and a huge part of the story is advertising. If you saw my previous post about Q2, I highlighted how ads were the fastest-growing segment - up 23% Y/Y at the time. Now in Q3? Ads grew another 24%, outpacing every other major business line again. That’s now two consecutive quarters of acceleration. This isn’t just because Amazon is pushing ads. It’s because the marketplace is getting more crowded, and visibility now costs more. Every category is seeing higher CPCs, tighter competition, and more brands bidding for the same shopper attention. Amazon’s expanding into connected TV with partners like Roku and Disney, which adds more ad surfaces but also more places sellers feel pressure to show up. So the takeaway isn’t “run ads.” Everyone already does. The real point is: the cost of competing on Amazon keeps rising, and it shows up directly in Amazon’s earnings. For sellers, this means a few things: > Your ad spend is becoming a larger part of your P&L > Efficiency matters more than scale > Brands that rely on brute-force ad budgets will feel the squeeze > Creative, catalog strength, and operational consistency now have a bigger impact on ROAS than ever If you need help understanding where your ad dollars are working — and where you’re overspending — that’s the type of analysis my team does daily. Check us out! 🔔 https://t2m.io/j6Po32q

The first casualty of Keeta’s entry into Saudi Arabia has been announced. The shutdown of Shgardi, after six years and over SAR100M in funding, signals a difficult future for smaller players. The trend is clear in Saudi Arabia's food delivery market: consolidation is inevitable, driven by the aggressive entry of the global giant. Until last year, the market was bustling with 10 active players, including major players like Hungerstation and Jahez, and smaller ones such as Noon Foods, ToYou, Mrsool, and Careem's food delivery. However, the arrival of Keeta, a formidable competitor second only to Uber Eats and DoorDash in size globally (its parent company, Meituan, dwarfs even Delivery Hero), is rapidly shifting the landscape. Keeta's impact is already being felt, with Noon Foods moving its entire food delivery team to its core e-commerce operations. It seems only Hungerstation and potentially Jahez will survive this fierce competition. Jahez’s stock is at it’s lowest since it’s listing and is down by 31% YTD. Jahez’s app has 2.9* rating on Google Play Store with 26k reviews. Food delivery in 2025 demands extreme optimization. Keeta's technology and execution are reportedly unparalleled, characterized by a work-only culture, highly matured playbooks, and skilled Chinese talent. The level of technology, access to capital, and talent that Keeta brings is something the region hasn't seen before and may not be ready for. I would expect more consolidation. Smaller players have no other option but to pivot or shut down. The bigger ones should be sitting in their board rooms and discussing M&A. Do you think the landscape is going to be any different in the UAE? Will Careem, Noon and Talabat be able to take on Keeta? I am bullish on Keeta.

Can I show you something? Many many brands are losing out on significant traffic and sales on Amazon simply because they don’t fully understand their digital shelf. For example, consider this stress relief supplement brand in the analysis below. (out of respect for the brand, I've blurred certain things out - including their name and ASIN) While it ranks on Page 1 for 1,852 keywords, its top competitors average 9,042 keywords on Page 1—almost 5x more visibility. In the critical top 4 search results, this brand appears for just 69 keywords, whereas competitors average a whopping 1,755 keywords. 📉 Why is this a big deal? In a world where consumers rarely scroll past the first few results, this brand is missing out on significant opportunities to capture attention. When brands lack visibility on important keywords, it impacts both their sales and consumers’ access to potentially valuable products. Shoppers often see only the top-ranking products, which may not always be the best options but simply those that have optimized for visibility. Beyond organic search, this data also has major implications for a brand’s ad strategy. If a brand is underperforming on key search terms, they might overspend on ads just to maintain visibility, driving up their advertising costs without addressing the root issues. With insights from Pattern®, brands can strategically focus their ad budget, targeting high-impact keywords they’re already competitive on and optimizing listings to reduce dependence on paid ads. The result? More efficient ad spend and greater organic reach. With the right optimizations, brands can move from near-invisibility to competing effectively on top keywords, reaching more potential customers. This not only drives brand growth, but also ensures that consumers have access to a broader selection of quality products. The digital shelf is more competitive than ever, and brands need visibility into how they stack up if they want to capture market share and meet consumer needs. #eCommerce #digitalshelf #marketplaces #datainsights #consumerbehavior #AdStrategy

We don't pay for any Amazon reporting. Amazon's Search Query Performance report tells us how customers discover our listings. This report tells sellers search volume, impressions, clicks and purchases for their top 1k keywords. Both in total and our brand's market share. To find this report: Brand Analytics ➔ Search Analytics ➔ Search Query Performance   At the top, toggle between 2 ways to view search data: ➔ "Brand View": 1k most important search terms to your brand. ➔ "ASIN View": 100 most important search terms by ASIN.   First: Organize & Label the Data.   Export the top 1k keywords by week as far back as possible. Merge into 1 spreadsheet. A free chrome extension makes this very easy. I'll share it at the end.   In a new tab, list each unique search term and add columns with fields you'd like to filter by. Match these fields into the main dataset. These are the fields I add:  • Keyword type: Branded, Generic or Competitor • Competitor: Yeti, Hydro Flask, etc • Product Type: Adult Bottle, Kid's Bottle, Backpack, etc. • License: Character or Sports Team   Now I can see our performance when customers search for Yeti, ice buckets, Paw Patrol, our branded keywords, etc.   Here are a few ways I look at the data:   1. Search Type   One of my favorite charts is the % of our clicks coming from branded, generic and competitor search terms.   Successfully brand building means more clicks from branded search terms over time.   Generic keywords drove 60% of clicks into our listings. Now branded keywords drive most of our clicks. Growing clicks from branded search is important, this is how we track it. (chart below)   2. How Are Customers Finding a Listing?   Pulling the "ASIN View" report for every ASIN in a listing shows exactly how customers are finding your listing.   For our kids listings, character specific keywords are a huge driver. They sum up to be about 40% of traffic.   "Spiderman Toys" has been a great keyword for us. We can know how we're doing YoY on keywords like this.   3. Amazon Ads Incrementality   Knowing if Amazon Ads are increasing total sales is one of life's great mysteries.   Match this report with Amazon Ads click data by keyword & date.   Test turning on and off campaigns and watch what happens to clicks in the SQP report.   The change in average clicks from a keyword is what ads are actually producing.   You can understand how much money you are lighting on fire with branded ads. Only 20% of branded ad clicks are incremental for us.   4. Simple Modern vs Competition's Search Volume   We compare total searches and clicks for our brand to competitors by week.   It shows relative brand health and who's trending up/down.   It shows us passing Hydro Flask over the last 2 years.   5. Flipping Competitor's Customers   With this data, you can see search volume for competitor keywords.   If successful, this is a great customer acquisition tactic. A great use for SP ads.   10% of our clicks come from competitor keywords.