🏆 Competitive Intelligence AI Agent

Competitive Intelligence Agent is an AI-powered market intelligence tool that combines Google Maps and social media data extraction with advanced analysis to deliver actionable competitive insights. It transforms raw location data into strategic intelligence by scraping competitor information and generating market analysis insights. Just enter keywords/locations and receive detailed information about your competitor, their offering, strengths and weaknesses, sentiment analysis, positioning signals, and strategic recommendations. It can help you:

🔍 Analyze competitors by location and industry keywords

💬 Extract customer sentiment themes from review analysis

💲 Decode pricing and positioning signals from listings

🎯 Identify market gaps and strategic opportunities

📈 Benchmark your business against local competitors

This tool operates by utilizing Google Maps Scraper and Social Media Leads Analyzer to perform the data scraping and analysis, with the raw results of this analysis provided directly to the user's account.

📍 What data can this Competitive Intelligence AI Agent analyze?

This agent processes and analyzes data, including:

🏢 Business names and rankings

⭐ Rating comparisons

📝 Review sentiment analysis

💰 Pricing level indicators

🏷️ Service categories

📍 Location clustering

🕐 Operating hours analysis

🌐 Social media presence assessment

📞 Contact availability

🎖️ Key differentiators

👥 Customer loyalty indicators

🏆 Competitive advantages

⬇️ Input

To get the best results, please provide clear and specific input data. This helps the agent retrieve relevant, high-quality information for your use case.

✅ Recommended Search Inputs

You can provide one or more of the following:

1. Search Term + Location

   Use descriptive phrases combining industry, business type, and location. Examples:

   • "vegan restaurants"
   • "coworking spaces"
   • "dental clinics"

   Add the location based on your preferences. Simpler formats work best; e.g., use City + Country rather than City + Country + State.

2. Google Maps URL

   Use a direct link to a Google Maps search or place (supports custom searches). We recommend using this option for more accurate results.

   • Example: https://www.google.com/maps/search/vegan+restaurants+in+Berlin/

3. Place ID

   Provide a unique Place ID or upload a list in bulk to more precise analysis of specific competitors.

📊 Data Volume Guidelines

To ensure an accurate analysis, we recommend:

• Number of businesses: 15–30 competitors for a comprehensive view of the market.
• Number of reviews per business: The Actor by default tries to gather 100 reviews for high-confidence sentiment analysis and pattern detection. The actual number of reviews scraped depends on the individual place.

If your goal is to analyze customer behavior, competitive positioning, or market gaps, these numbers provide enough depth without overwhelming your analysis.

{
    "searchStringsArray": ["hair salons in Berlin", "beauty salons Berlin"],
    "maxCrawledPlacesPerSearch": 20,
    "includeReviews": true,
    "maxReviews": 100,
    "language": "en",
    "scrapeReviewerName": false,
    "scrapeReviewDate": true
}

⬆️ Output

The Competitive Intelligence AI Agent delivers a powerful, structured output designed to help you deeply understand your competitive landscape - combining business insights, digital presence evaluation, and strategic recommendations.

🧠 Main Output: Comparative Intelligence Report

After processing your input, the agent returns a comprehensive JSON report with AI-generated insights across six key areas:

🔹 1. Competitors Analyzed

• Full list of all identified businesses in the selected market and area.
• Typically includes 15–50 businesses, depending on density and filtering.

🔹 2. Overall Ranking

• Competitors are ranked based on overall market strength.
• Rankings take into account customer sentiment, service quality, digital presence, and differentiators.

🔹 3. Comparative Aspect Analysis

• Detailed side-by-side comparison across strategic dimensions such as:
  • Customer sentiment and reviews
  • Digital and social media presence
  • Operational/service consistency
  • Accessibility and family-friendliness
• For each aspect, you get:
  • Top and weaker performers
  • Short AI-written comparative notes explaining the outcome

🔹 4. Competitor Differentiators Matrix

• Each key competitor is evaluated for:
  • Positive differentiators (e.g., "Exceptional food quality", "Strong Instagram presence")
  • Negative differentiators (e.g., "Cash-only", "Inconsistent service")

🔹 5. Strategic Market Overview

• Executive-level summary of market trends, including:
  • Main competitive battlegrounds (what competitors are fighting over)
  • Market opportunities (gaps that new businesses can fill)
  • Emerging threats (risks businesses face from digital trends, reputation, etc.)
  • AI-generated narrative explaining how the market behaves and where it's heading

🔹 6. Analysis Metadata

• Timestamp for when the analysis was generated.
• Title contextualizing the scope of the report, helping users navigate the key-value store where each analyzed location is represented on an interactive map linked to detailed competitor insights.

🗺️ Places Map

The Places Map is a key feature that provides an interactive, human-readable visualization of your competitive analysis. This HTML-based map allows you to explore individual competitor insights in an intuitive, geographical format.

Key Features:

• Interactive visualization of all analyzed competitors on a map
• Human-readable AI summaries for each business location
• Easy navigation between different locations and their detailed analysis

The map is automatically generated and stored in the Key-Value Store under the key places-map. You can access it directly from your Apify run results, and the URL to the interactive map is provided in the actor's exit message for easy access.

This interactive format makes it easy to understand the competitive landscape geographically and dive deep into individual competitor analysis without navigating through raw JSON data.

📁 Supporting Raw Data

The following raw datasets are also available directly in your Apify run:

• **Google Maps Scraper data**: Business listings, categories, ratings, price levels, contact info, and up to 100 customer reviews per business
• **Social Media Leads Analyzer data**: Profile URLs, platform presence (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, etc.), follower counts, and activity metadata

The Competitive Intelligence AI Agent provides a comprehensive output data that can be accessed in:

• Dataset tab → for structured competitor data
• Key-value store → for the final AI report in JSON
• Run log → for process traceability

Output example:

[
    {
        "comparisonAnalysisTitle": "Competitive Landscape Analysis of Bronx-Based Casual Dining and Specialty Restaurants",
        "competitorsAnalyzed": [
            "Halalbee's",
            "Step In",
            "La Fondita",
            "Parrilla Azteca Cibaeña Restaurant",
            "Sugar Restaurant"
        ],
        "analysisTimestamp": "2025-06-09T09:45:28.405Z",
        "overallRanking": [
            {
                "competitorName": "Halalbee's",
                "rank": "1st",
                "justification": "Halalbee's leads due to its strong local reputation with a high Google Maps rating of 4.7 stars from 461 reviews, consistently praised for fresh, high-quality halal burgers, unique menu items like truffle fries and specialty milkshakes, and excellent customer service. Its family-friendly, clean, and accessible atmosphere appeals to a broad demographic including health-conscious and halal-seeking customers. Despite lacking social media presence, its premium positioning and multiple service options create a compelling competitive advantage."
            },
            {
                "competitorName": "Sugar Restaurant",
                "rank": "2nd",
                "justification": "Sugar Restaurant ranks second with a similarly high Google rating of 4.7 stars from a large volume of 1183 reviews, highlighting excellent service, a vibrant atmosphere with music and hookah, and a strong cocktail program. It appeals to young adults, groups, and families with accessibility and multiple service options. However, service inconsistencies, food quality concerns, and minimal social media presence limit its full potential."
            },
            {
                "competitorName": "Step In",
                "rank": "3rd",
                "justification": "Step In holds a solid position with a 4.4-star rating from over 1,000 reviews, known for quality American comfort food, lively bar and DJ entertainment, and personalized service from named staff. Its family-friendly and accessible environment broadens appeal. Challenges include inconsistent service, noise levels, parking difficulties, and lack of social media presence, which constrain digital engagement and brand storytelling."
            },
            {
                "competitorName": "Parrilla Azteca Cibaeña Restaurant",
                "rank": "4th",
                "justification": "Parrilla Azteca Cibaeña is a well-regarded Nuevo Latino restaurant with a 4.4-star rating from 537 reviews, praised for excellent service, lively atmosphere with live music and DJ, and diverse offerings including hookah and cocktails. Its extended hours and family-friendly environment are strengths. However, inconsistent food quality, service pressure, loud music complaints, delivery issues, and no social media presence weaken its competitive stance."
            },
            {
                "competitorName": "La Fondita",
                "rank": "5th",
                "justification": "La Fondita is a respected authentic Mexican restaurant with a 4.6-star rating from 176 reviews, noted for authentic dishes, friendly service, and inclusive atmosphere. While it offers good value and owner responsiveness, it has the smallest review volume and faces challenges with occasional service and food inconsistencies, parking difficulties, and a complete absence of social media presence, limiting growth and broader market appeal."
            }
        ],
        "comparativeAspectAnalysis": [
            {
                "aspectName": "Customer Sentiment & Reputation",
                "topPerformers": ["Halalbee's", "Sugar Restaurant"],
                "weakerPerformers": ["Parrilla Azteca Cibaeña Restaurant", "La Fondita"],
                "comparativeNotes": "Halalbee's and Sugar Restaurant enjoy the highest overall Google Maps ratings (4.7 stars) with large volumes of positive reviews emphasizing food quality, service, and atmosphere. Step In also has strong sentiment but with noted service inconsistencies. Parrilla Azteca and La Fondita have positive but more mixed reviews, with issues around food quality consistency and service affecting customer satisfaction."
            },
            {
                "aspectName": "Service Quality & Customer Experience",
                "topPerformers": ["Halalbee's", "Sugar Restaurant"],
                "weakerPerformers": ["Parrilla Azteca Cibaeña Restaurant", "La Fondita"],
                "comparativeNotes": "Halalbee's and Sugar Restaurant are praised for attentive, friendly, and fast service, with individual staff recognition at Sugar enhancing loyalty. Step In has personalized service but occasional rude staff reports. Parrilla Azteca and La Fondita face challenges with inconsistent service, occasional rudeness, and order accuracy issues, impacting overall experience."
            },
            {
                "aspectName": "Menu & Unique Offerings",
                "topPerformers": ["Halalbee's", "Step In", "Parrilla Azteca Cibaeña Restaurant"],
                "weakerPerformers": ["La Fondita", "Sugar Restaurant"],
                "comparativeNotes": "Halalbee's stands out with halal-certified grass-fed beef burgers and specialty milkshakes. Step In offers a broad American comfort food menu with live entertainment. Parrilla Azteca combines Mexican-inspired cuisine with hookah and live music. La Fondita offers authentic Mexican dishes but with less menu diversity and Sugar focuses on BBQ and cocktails but has some food quality concerns."
            },
            {
                "aspectName": "Digital & Social Media Presence",
                "topPerformers": [],
                "weakerPerformers": ["All competitors"],
                "comparativeNotes": "None of the competitors have an active or meaningful social media presence. This is a universal weakness limiting digital engagement, brand storytelling, and reach to younger or broader audiences. Halalbee's, Step In, La Fondita, Parrilla Azteca, and Sugar all lack active profiles or content, representing a significant opportunity for differentiation."
            }
        ],
        "competitorDifferentiatorsMatrix": [
            {
                "competitorName": "Halalbee's",
                "keyPositiveDifferentiatorsInSet": [
                    "Premium halal-certified burgers with grass-fed beef and cage-free chicken",
                    "Popular specialty milkshakes and truffle fries as unique menu items",
                    "Strong local reputation with high customer service and family-friendly atmosphere"
                ],
                "keyNegativeDifferentiatorsInSet": [
                    "No social media presence limiting digital engagement",
                    "Price sensitivity especially on delivery platforms",
                    "Occasional service speed and food quality inconsistencies"
                ]
            },
            {
                "competitorName": "Step In",
                "keyPositiveDifferentiatorsInSet": [
                    "Long-standing local institution with nostalgic appeal",
                    "Combination of quality American comfort food and live DJ entertainment",
                    "Named staff enhancing personalized customer service"
                ],
                "keyNegativeDifferentiatorsInSet": [
                    "Inconsistent service and occasional rude staff",
                    "High noise levels detracting from some dining experiences",
                    "Limited vegetarian/vegan options"
                ]
            },
            {
                "competitorName": "La Fondita",
                "keyPositiveDifferentiatorsInSet": [
                    "Authentic Mexican cuisine with traditional and unique dishes",
                    "Inclusive, family-friendly, and LGBTQ+ welcoming atmosphere",
                    "Owner responsiveness to customer feedback"
                ],
                "keyNegativeDifferentiatorsInSet": [
                    "Smallest review volume and limited digital presence",
                    "Service inconsistencies and order accuracy issues",
                    "Parking difficulties and pricing transparency concerns"
                ]
            },
            {
                "competitorName": "Parrilla Azteca Cibaeña Restaurant",
                "keyPositiveDifferentiatorsInSet": [
                    "Lively Nuevo Latino dining with live music, DJ, and hookah",
                    "Extended hours including late nights and brunch",
                    "Family-friendly and LGBTQ+ inclusive environment"
                ],
                "keyNegativeDifferentiatorsInSet": [
                    "Inconsistent food quality and delivery service issues",
                    "Complaints about loud music and DJ favoritism",
                    "No social media presence limiting brand visibility"
                ]
            },
            {
                "competitorName": "Sugar Restaurant",
                "keyPositiveDifferentiatorsInSet": [
                    "Strong cocktail program with specialty drinks",
                    "Lively atmosphere with music and hookah appealing to young adults",
                    "Highly praised individual servers enhancing customer loyalty"
                ],
                "keyNegativeDifferentiatorsInSet": [
                    "Service inconsistency and food quality concerns",
                    "Automatic gratuity policy causing customer dissatisfaction",
                    "Minimal social media presence with inactive Instagram account"
                ]
            }
        ],
        "strategicMarketOverviewLLM": {
            "mainCompetitiveBattlegrounds": [
                "Food quality and unique menu differentiation",
                "Customer service excellence and personalized experiences",
                "Atmosphere and entertainment (live music, DJs, hookah)",
                "Digital engagement and social media presence",
                "Pricing transparency and value perception",
                "Accessibility and family-friendly environment"
            ],
            "identifiedMarketOpportunities": [
                "Establishing and activating social media channels to build brand awareness and engagement",
                "Enhancing service consistency and staff training to improve customer experience",
                "Expanding menu options to address gaps such as vegetarian/vegan offerings",
                "Improving pricing transparency especially on delivery platforms to reduce customer complaints",
                "Leveraging unique menu items and entertainment features in digital marketing",
                "Addressing parking and accessibility information to reduce customer friction"
            ],
            "identifiedMarketThreats": [
                "Competitors with stronger digital marketing could capture younger and broader audiences",
                "Inconsistent service and food quality risks damaging local reputations",
                "Price sensitivity and delivery platform markups may drive customers to competitors",
                "Negative ambiance factors such as loud music or poor atmosphere could deter repeat visits",
                "Health concerns related to hookah smoke exposure may alienate family customers"
            ],
            "overallSummary": "The competitive landscape in the Bronx casual dining and specialty restaurant segment is characterized by strong local reputations built on food quality, service, and atmosphere. Halalbee's and Sugar Restaurant lead with high customer satisfaction and unique offerings, while Step In and Parrilla Azteca provide lively entertainment and broad appeal. La Fondita offers authentic Mexican cuisine with a loyal following but smaller scale. A universal weakness across all competitors is the lack of active social media presence, limiting digital engagement and growth potential. Strategic focus on digital marketing, service consistency, and menu innovation will be critical to maintaining and expanding market share in this competitive environment."
        }
    }
]

💰 Pricing model

The Competitive Intelligence AI Agent operates under the Apify PPE pricing model. The pricing is based on the number of competitiors analyzed and the complexity of the comparison report. The cost of the final comparison report is already included in the Single Competitor Analysis price—there is no extra fee for the final report.

• AI: Single Competitor Analysis: P-single (Charged for each of the N competitors analyzed individually). Includes:
  • Google Maps data (location, reviews, services, etc.)
  • Social media enrichment (platforms, followers, presence)
  • Individual sentiment and strength/weakness analysis
  • Final comparison report (no additional charge)

Total AI Agent Cost = (N * P_single)

📌 Underlying Actor Costs (billed separately)

The AI Agent runs supporting Apify Actors on your behalf. The cost of these Actors is charged directly to your Apify account:

• Google Maps Scraper

  Actor start, places scraped, categories used, and review extraction

• Social Media Leads Analyzer

  Extracts competitor social media accounts and activity metadata

This modular pricing ensures you're only charged based on the number of businesses analyzed and compared, making it scalable and transparent for small and large research projects.

🛠️ Framework & Technology

This AI Agent is built using LangChain, a powerful framework for developing applications with large language models (LLMs). LangChain enables:

• Structured AI workflows for processing and analyzing competitor data
• Chain-based operations that combine data extraction, analysis, and report generation
• Prompt engineering for consistent, high-quality competitive intelligence outputs
• Modular architecture allowing for scalable analysis of multiple competitors

❓FAQ

How many competitors should I analyze?

For robust market analysis, scrape 15-30 competitors. This provides sufficient data density while managing costs. Smaller markets may require only 10-15 competitors.

Can I track competitive changes over time?

Yes. Schedule regular data extraction (weekly/monthly) using Apify's scheduling feature. Compare outputs to identify trends, new entrants, and shifting customer sentiment.

What industries work best with this analysis?

Local service businesses with Google Maps presence: restaurants, salons, dental practices, fitness centers, retail stores. B2B services with limited online reviews may yield less comprehensive insights.