Articles on: Aybee Laws of Consumer Testing

Law: Set Up a Competitive Test (Choose the Right Competitor & Make the PDP Comparable)

The Science of Fair Competition

A competitive test is only as reliable as its setup. When product presentations are inconsistent, you're not measuring consumer preference — you're measuring presentation bias. Law #3 establishes that realistic, comparable product setups are essential for trustworthy competitive insights.



Table of Contents

  1. The Two Pillars of Competitive Test Setup
  2. Pillar 1: Strategic Competitor Selection
  3. Pillar 2: Create Comparable Product Presentations
  4. Quality Assurance Checklist
  5. Remember: Fair Competition Reveals Truth



The Two Pillars of Competitive Test Setup

Pillar 1: Choose the Right Competitors

Pillar 2: Create Comparable Product Presentations



Pillar 1: Strategic Competitor Selection

Priority Order for Competitor Selection

You Know Your Competition Best: You have the deepest understanding of your competitive landscape. Your market experience and customer feedback give insights no automated tool can replicate.


Strategic Selection: Choose competitors that reflect real-world customer decisions. Create a realistic representation of actual purchase behavior to gain genuine market insights.


If you are uncertain about which competitor to choose, always feel free to ask the Aybee Team for assistance.



Pillar 2: Create Comparable Product Presentations


The Foundation: Realistic Market Representation

The Primary Goal: Your product presentations should mirror how consumers actually encounter and compare products in the real market. This means reflecting authentic product presentations as they naturally appear, rather than forcing artificial standardization that doesn't exist in reality.


Market Reality Over Guidelines: While consistency is important, the ultimate priority is creating a realistic shopping environment. If competitors naturally present their products differently in the market, your test should reflect these real-world differences. The goal is to understand genuine consumer behavior.


Authentic Consumer Experience: Consumers make decisions based on how products are actually presented in stores and online marketplaces. Your competitive setup should replicate this authentic experience to generate insights that translate directly to real-world performance.


Primary Image Consistency

  • Same background style (white/neutral preferred)
  • Similar product sizing and positioning
  • Consistent image quality and lighting
  • Same photography style across all products


Product Title Standardization

  • Similar length and format across products
  • Standard structure: Brand, Product Name, Key Feature, Size
  • Remove promotional language ("Best," "Premium," "Revolutionary")
  • Maintain factual accuracy while ensuring readability


Secondary Images Strategy

  • Consistent number of images for all products
  • Similar content types: product angles, ingredients, usage context
  • Consistent quality standards


A+ Content Approach

Use When Available: Include A+ content when competitors naturally have it to reflect real market behavior. Unlike ratings, this is not an all-or-nothing rule—some competitors may not use A+ content, and that's realistic.


Content Standards:

  • Similar depth and quality when included
  • Focus on factual information, not promotional content
  • Maintain consistency in presentation style


Price Presentation

Choose One Approach for All Products:

  • Amazon Current Prices - Real-time marketplace pricing
  • MSRP/UVP - Manufacturer suggested retail prices


Ratings Strategy

All-or-Nothing Rule: Include ratings for ALL products or NONE. This is the only element that requires complete consistency.


When to Include:

  • Testing established products with review history
  • Simulating online marketplace conditions


When to Exclude:

  • Testing new products without reviews
  • Focusing retail market


Product Description Harmonization

  • Similar length and depth across descriptions
  • Consistent information level for features and benefits
  • Factual tone (not promotional)
  • Remove superlatives and promotional language



Quality Assurance Checklist


Visual Standards

  • [ ] Consistent image backgrounds and quality
  • [ ] Similar product sizing and positioning
  • [ ] Same number of secondary images


Content Standards

  • [ ] Product titles similar length and format
  • [ ] Descriptions comparable depth and tone
  • [ ] Consistent pricing source and format
  • [ ] Ratings included for all products or none


Fairness Check

  • [ ] No product has presentation advantage
  • [ ] All essential information included equally
  • [ ] No promotional language favoring any product



Remember: Fair Competition Reveals Truth

The goal isn't to make your product look good—it's to understand how it truly performs in the market. Fair setups reveal genuine consumer preferences and authentic market dynamics.


The Bottom Line: Competitive advantage comes from genuine product superiority, not presentation tricks. Set up fair tests, get honest results, make better decisions.


Updated on: 14/10/2025

Was this article helpful?

Share your feedback

Cancel

Thank you!