A competitor pricing analysiscompares your product prices against a competitor's for identical or equivalent items. For garden centres, this means extracting a competitor's full product catalogue, matching overlapping products, and comparing prices to identify where you're overpriced, underpriced, or competitively positioned — then adjusting your pricing strategy accordingly.
Every garden centre owner has lost a sale to a competitor's price. The frustrating part isn't losing the sale — it's not knowing whether the customer was right. Was it actually cheaper down the road? By how much? And on how many other products are you losing sales you never even hear about?
Without a systematic pricing comparison, you're making pricing decisions in the dark. You might be 20% overpriced on compost — losing footfall to a competitor you didn't know was cheaper — and simultaneously 15% underpriced on hand tools, leaving thousands of pounds of margin on the table every season. Overpricing costs you customers. Underpricing costs you profit. Both are invisible without data.
This isn't a gap in your diligence — it's a gap in your tools. Manually comparing prices across a competitor's 400-product website would take you 8–10 hours. And by the time you've finished, prices have changed. A PriceScope report delivers the same competitor's entire catalogue with current prices in minutes, for £49 — less than the margin on a single garden furniture sale.
Here's how to turn that data into a pricing advantage.
Find out if you’re overpriced — or leaving margin on the table
Compare My Prices Against a Competitor — from £49No account. No subscription. One report, one payment.
How to run a competitor pricing analysis step by step
Step 1: Get the competitor's full product data
You need their complete product catalogue — not a sample of 20 products you browsed manually. A PriceScope report delivers this as a structured Excel file with product names, current prices, was-prices, brands, categories, and stock status.
Step 2: Match overlapping products
Open the report in Excel or Google Sheets. Sort by the Brand column and look for brands you also stock. Then match individual products by name and size. Start with your top 50 bestsellers — these are the products your customers are most likely to price-compare.
Step 3: Build your comparison table
Create a simple spreadsheet with four columns: Product, Your Price, Competitor Price, and Difference. Calculate the percentage difference to see the scale of any gap.
Example price comparison — Compost & Growing Media
| Product | Your Price | Competitor | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westland Multi-Purpose Compost 50L | £6.99 | £5.99 | -14% (you're higher) |
| Miracle-Gro All Purpose Plant Food 1kg | £5.49 | £5.99 | +9% (you're lower) |
| Levington Seed & Cutting Compost 20L | £4.99 | £4.99 | 0% (matched) |
| Westland Gro-Sure All Purpose Compost 120L | £12.99 | £10.99 | -15% (you're higher) |
| Doff Tomato Feed 1L | £3.49 | £3.99 | +14% (you're lower) |
Step 4: Categorise your findings
Sort your comparison by the Difference column. You'll typically find three clusters:
- You're overpriced by 10%+ — These are your risk products. Customers who notice will shop elsewhere. Consider adjusting.
- Within 5% either way — Competitively positioned. No action needed unless you want to push for an advantage.
- You're underpriced by 10%+ — These are margin opportunities. You may be able to raise prices without losing sales.
Don't just cut prices
Every day without pricing data is a day you’re losing sales you’ll never see
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Which product categories should you compare first?
Not all categories are equally price-sensitive. Focus your first comparison on these high-impact categories:
Priority categories for price comparison
| Category | Why it matters | Price sensitivity |
|---|---|---|
| Compost & growing media | Highest volume — customers buy frequently and notice price differences | Very high |
| Hand tools | Branded products easily compared across retailers | High |
| Pots & containers | Wide range of price points, high margin variation | Medium-high |
| Plant food & chemicals | Repeat purchases with strong brand loyalty | High |
| Seeds & bulbs | Seasonal peaks with heavy promotional activity | Medium |
How to spot overpricing and underpricing in your range
Overpricing is visible — customers tell you, or they simply don't buy. Underpricing is invisible. You sell the product, feel good about the volume, and never realise you could have charged 15% more.
A competitor pricing analysis reveals both. Look for:
- Products where every competitor charges more than you — you're almost certainly underpriced
- Products with a “Was Price” at the competitor — they're actively promoting these, which means price pressure in your market (see our promotions guide)
- Products out of stock at the competitor — if demand outstrips their supply, you may have pricing power (see our buying decisions guide)
The 3-report rule
Common Questions