field research

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What Competitor Analysis Really Looks Like
What Competitor Analysis Really Looks Like 150 150 Khayan Research

When clients ask us to conduct competitor analysis in Southeast Asia, they’re not after a bullet-point list or a polished brand pitch—they want to know what’s really happening. What makes one business thrive while another just looks good online? At Khayan, we don’t settle for surface details. We head out to see for ourselves, quietly visiting locations without appointments or guided tours. We pay attention to how teams actually operate, how staff interact with customers, and whether the environment matches what’s advertised. A bilingual offering is one thing on a brochure—whether it’s used in practice is another. These details matter, and they often reveal the gap between marketing and reality.

Of course, we don’t stop listening. We fact-check. If a company claims to follow international standards, we verify it. If they promote personalized service or expert staff, we look for evidence. Thai-language forums, Facebook groups, and YouTube testimonials often reveal truths that official channels omit. When public promises don’t match lived experience, we ask why—and what that gap might mean for our clients.

Southeast Asia’s markets aren’t just shaped by features and pricing. They’re driven by cultural nuance, personal priorities, and word-of-mouth. In some districts, prestige leads the conversation. In others, convenience or community connection might matter more. By understanding these local dynamics, our clients can make better moves—not just mimic what looks successful.

Real competitor analysis doesn’t chase trends—it uncovers truths. At Khayan, we use field visits, local voices, and on-the-ground context to show you what’s working, what isn’t, and where your opportunity really is.

We also look at how messages are delivered. A brand might push sustainability, but are their staff trained to talk about it? Do in-store displays match the website’s tone? Does pricing quietly contradict the inclusivity they promote? These details matter. Customers notice—and so do we.

Our team doesn’t just gather data; we test assumptions. We’ve walked into showrooms posing as customers, sat through consultations, and visited flagship stores and franchise branches to compare experiences. We notice how long staff spend with walk-ins, how problems are handled, and whether service changes based on appearance, language, or perceived income.

In a region as diverse as Southeast Asia, truth sits between the lines. At Khayan, we read those lines closely—then help our clients respond with clarity, confidence, and relevance. Because the most valuable strategy starts with knowing exactly what you’re up against.

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Market Research: Suspicion to Strategy
Market Research: Suspicion to Strategy 150 150 Khayan Research

When clients come to Khayan, it’s rarely with a full plan in place. More often, it starts with a question—or a gut feeling they can’t quite shake. “A competitor is growing faster than expected—why?” “This opportunity looks too polished. Are we missing something?” “We want to enter this market, but we’re not sure where to begin.” These aren’t requests for generic reports. They’re signals that something needs to be understood before any big move is made.

That’s where we come in. Our role is to turn early doubts into clear, grounded insight. We don’t just pull secondary data or scan online listings. We go local. We ask around. We look at how things really work, not just how they appear on paper. 

 

It might be a sudden slowdown in sales that isn’t explained by pricing or a market that looks right on paper, or a feeling that client conversations have shifted tone. These early signals are often dismissed because they’re hard to quantify. But in our experience, they’re usually the first clue that something important is happening—just not where you’re looking.

We don’t rush to answer. We take our time to observe. Our researchers go out into the field, across provinces, into stores, homes, campuses, and transport hubs. We listen not just to what people say in interviews—but collectively analyze and decode themes that show up in patterns: a change in eating habits, or a rising complaint on quality for instance. On their own, these seem small and insignificant. But together, they often point to a shift in expectations, values, or behavior—something that’s coming before the data has caught up.

The common thread across all of this? We start where our clients are—uncertain, curious, sometimes skeptical—and we help them move forward with confidence. That means fieldwork done by our own team, in the places and languages that matter. It means asking the right people, listening for what’s not said, and checking every assumption along the way.We don’t wait for clients to come with the perfect brief. We help shape it. Because when you’re making a big move—whether it’s entering a new market, evaluating a partner, or responding to a fast-moving competitor—what you need most isn’t just data. It’s clarity. At Khayan, that’s what we deliver. From early suspicion to sharp strategy, we help you see the market for what it really is—so you can act on what truly matters.

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How We Do Research
How We Do Research 150 150 Khayan Research

At Khayan, we approach research with one simple principle: if you want to understand how people make decisions, you have to meet them where those decisions happen. That means talking to them in person, watching how they respond to real choices, and paying attention to what’s said—and what’s not.

In one of our recent projects, we set out to understand how people choose between competing products. We didn’t just sit behind a screen and wait for anonymous online survey results to come in—we went out into four provinces across Thailand, met with hundreds of respondents, and spoke directly with those who actually use the product in question. We didn’t just ask what they preferred—we asked why, and then kept listening.

 

We’ve learned not to assume what matters to people. It’s easy to think that certain product features will stand out—maybe health benefits, or origin, or some technical details. But in this project, the recurring reasons were much simpler: daily habits, ease of purchase, price, and whether it felt trustworthy. Health was rarely mentioned, even though it was expected. That shift only became obvious once we heard it repeated in different settings—from structured interviews to group conversations.

A lot of what we do comes down to watching and listening. We don’t rush through interviews. We sit with people. We watch how they react when they see a brand again. We notice when they hesitate, or when a memory needs a prompt. And because we’re there in person, we can follow up—not with a scripted question, but with a natural one. “Why do you say that?” “Have you always bought it?” “What made you switch?” Those small questions often lead to the biggest answers.

Research isn’t just about data for us—it’s about understanding people’s routines, assumptions, and small habits. That’s what makes a difference in marketing. It’s not always dramatic, but it’s real. We don’t present our findings with marketing spin—we tell you what we saw, what we heard, and what it means for your brand. If you’re looking for that kind of research—straightforward, grounded, and focused on the people who actually matter to your business—we’d be happy to talk.

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