# Competitors & Complements Understanding the businesses surrounding a potential site reveals the competitive landscape and co-tenancy opportunities. GrowthFactor identifies and analyzes both direct competitors and complementary retailers within your trade area, showing not just what's nearby but how well those businesses perform. *** ### Competitors vs. Complements #### Competitors Businesses that directly compete for your target customers. These are retailers or restaurants in the same category that offer similar products or services. **Examples for a sporting goods retailer:** * Dick's Sporting Goods * Academy Sports * REI * Big 5 Sporting Goods **Why they matter:** Competitor density affects market saturation. Too many competitors may indicate an oversupplied market; too few might suggest untapped demand—or a location that doesn't support your category. #### Complements Businesses that attract customers who are also likely to shop with you. These are retailers whose customer base overlaps with yours, creating beneficial co-tenancy. **Examples for a sporting goods retailer:** * Target (general merchandise overlap) * Best Buy (active lifestyle, tech-oriented customers) * Ulta Beauty (health and wellness adjacent) * Grocery anchors (regular traffic drivers) **Why they matter:** Strong complements drive foot traffic that benefits your store. A site next to a thriving Target sees consistent customer flow you can capture without generating it yourself. *** ### Configuring Competitors and Complements Your competitor and complement lists are configured at the organization level in **Organization Settings**. These lists determine which businesses are tracked and displayed when you search a site. #### Setting Up Lists Work with your GrowthFactor team or access Brand Settings to: * Define which brands are direct competitors * Identify complementary businesses relevant to your concept * Adjust lists as your competitive landscape evolves Once configured, these businesses are automatically identified and analyzed whenever you search a site. *** ### Tracked Businesses Panel When you search a site, the **Tracked Businesses** section in the results panel displays competitors and complements within your trade area. #### Panel Layout All tracked businesses—both competitors (Avoid) and complements (Drawn)—appear in a single scrollable list. Each entry displays: * **Brand name** * **Match type** — whether the business matched as a **Tracked Brand** or a **Tracked Category** (with the category name shown) * **Popularity Score** — a 0–100 score reflecting how frequently the location is visited relative to others (when available) * **Distance** from the searched site * **Foot Traffic Ranking** badge — percentile performance vs. other locations in the same chain (when available) #### **Filtering by Type** Use the filter tabs at the top of the list to narrow results: * **All** — shows all tracked businesses * **Brands** — shows only businesses matched by brand name * **Categories** — shows only businesses matched by business category #### **Sorting** Click the sort icon (sliders) to open the sort dropdown and choose how results are ordered: * **Distance** (default) — nearest businesses first * **Foot Traffic** — highest foot-traffic-ranked locations first * **Popularity** — highest Popularity Score first The **Unique Brands Only** toggle is also in this dropdown. When enabled, only the nearest location per brand is shown—useful when multiple outposts of the same chain exist in the trade area. Disable it to see all locations and assess total competitive density. #### Viewing Full Details Click **"View all \[X]"** at the bottom of each column to open the detailed list view with: * Complete list of all competitors or complements * Sortable by distance or performance ranking * Expandable entries showing full foot traffic breakdowns * Monthly visit counts and brand/category performance *** ### Reading the Business List #### Distance Shows how far each business is from your searched address. Closer competitors pose more direct competitive pressure; closer complements offer stronger co-tenancy benefits. #### **Popularity Score** A 0–100 score indicating how frequently a location is visited relative to other businesses. Higher scores indicate stronger foot traffic generation. Use this metric to quickly assess whether a nearby competitor or complement is actively drawing customers—regardless of brand name. The score reflects a combination of factors including: * Aggregated, anonymized consumer survey data from enterprise partners * The volume of datapoints available about a location * Place history (e.g., temporary closures) * Operating hours and available amenities Popularity Score is a dynamic metric updated monthly, meaning it can increase or decrease as underlying signals change. #### Foot Traffic Rankings Each business may display a percentile ranking indicating how that specific location performs compared to others in the same chain: | Ranking | Meaning | | -------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Top 10%** | Exceptional performer; this location outperforms 90% of the brand's stores | | **Top 25%** | Strong performer | | **Top 50%** | Average for the brand | | **Bottom 25%** | Underperformer | | **Bottom 5%** | Among the weakest locations in the chain | | **N/A** | Insufficient data to rank | Rankings are based on foot traffic as a proxy for performance. See Foot Traffic and Brand Rankings for detailed methodology. #### Interpreting Rankings **For competitors:** * High-performing competitors confirm customer demand exists in the area * Low-performing competitors may indicate location challenges—or an opportunity to capture share * A mix of rankings suggests varied micro-location quality within the trade area **For complements:** * High-performing complements are strong traffic anchors that benefit your site * Low-performing complements provide less co-tenancy value than their brand name might suggest * The nearest complement's performance matters most for direct adjacency benefits *** ### Using Competitor Analysis #### Assessing Market Saturation Count competitors and evaluate their distribution: * **Few competitors, strong performers:** Undersupplied market with proven demand—attractive entry opportunity * **Few competitors, weak performers:** May indicate location doesn't support the category—investigate why * **Many competitors, strong performers:** Saturated but thriving market—can you differentiate? * **Many competitors, weak performers:** Oversupplied market struggling to support existing players—proceed with caution #### Competitive Density by Distance Consider how competitors are distributed: * Immediate competitors (under 1 mile): Direct head-to-head competition * Nearby competitors (1–3 miles): Moderate competitive pressure * Trade area competitors (3+ miles): May share customers but less direct conflict A site with no competitors within 2 miles but several at 4–5 miles may have a local monopoly while still validating market demand. #### Competitor Performance as Signal Strong-performing competitors validate that customers are present and spending in the category. If nearby competitors consistently rank in the top quartile, the location supports your category well. Weak-performing competitors raise questions: * Is the location fundamentally flawed? * Are those specific sites poorly executed? * Is there an opportunity to outperform with a better offering? *** ### Using Complement Analysis #### Evaluating Co-Tenancy Strong complements create a virtuous cycle—their traffic becomes your traffic. Prioritize sites near: * High-performing grocery anchors (consistent weekly visits) * Thriving big-box retailers (Target, Walmart, Costco) * Category-relevant specialty retailers * Popular restaurants that drive destination trips #### Anchor Quality Matters Not all anchors are equal. A complement ranking in the Bottom 25% of its chain provides less value than the brand name suggests. Always check performance, not just presence. **Example:** A site "near Target" sounds appealing, but if that Target ranks in the Bottom 10% nationally, it's not generating the traffic you'd expect from the brand. #### Complement Mix Evaluate the overall complement profile: * **Diverse, strong complements:** Multiple traffic drivers create resilient customer flow * **Single anchor dependency:** Risk if that anchor underperforms or closes * **Weak complement performance:** Location may lack the draw needed to support your concept *** ### Points of Interest (POI) Layer Beyond the Tracked Businesses panel, the **Points of Interest (POI)** layer shows all businesses in the area on the map. #### When to Use It Enable the POI layer to: * Discover retailers not on your tracked lists * Understand the complete retail mix * Identify emerging competitors or potential complements * Assess overall retail density and health #### **Filtering to Tracked Businesses** Use the **Tracked** filter button beneath the POI layer in the Layers panel to show only your configured businesses (those with Drawn, Avoid, or Neutral relationships). Marker border colors identify the relationship type. #### How It Displays POI markers appear on the map with: * Business name markers * Brand logos for recognized chains * Category Icons * Clustering at zoomed-out views; individual pins when zoomed in Click any business to see its foot traffic data and performance rankings. *** ### Best Practices **Check performance, not just presence.** A trade area "full of competitors" isn't concerning if they're all underperforming—it may signal opportunity. A single dominant competitor ranking in the Top 10% is more threatening than five weak ones. **Weight nearby complements heavily.** The complement next door matters more than one across the trade area. Immediate adjacency drives meaningful traffic sharing; distant complements have diluted benefit. **Look for patterns.** If every retailer in an area—competitors and complements alike—ranks in the bottom half, the location may have structural challenges regardless of your concept. **Consider the customer journey.** Are complements positioned to create natural shopping trips that include your store? A complement in the same center matters more than one across the street with difficult access. **Update your lists periodically.** As your competitive landscape evolves (new entrants, brand repositioning, closures), keep your competitor and complement lists current to maintain relevant analysis. **Use rankings to calibrate expectations.** If the best-performing retailer in the trade area ranks at the 60th percentile, don't expect to crack the Top 25%—adjust your projections and expectations accordingly. For related analysis, see Foot Traffic and Brand Rankings, GrowthFactor Score and Insights, and Sales Projections.