Head to Head VS Price Index report: Differences Explained

Over the years, as the number of Price2Spy’s clients was increasing, we were faced with different, sometimes even contradicting requirements. Having numerous clients from different industries resulted in needs that had to be addressed differently. One of the widgets (and reports) that are a very popular choice among our clients are Head to Head Comparison (H2H) and Price index. Even though they have certain similarities, there are also aspects in which they differ.

Let’s try to decompose this complex topic, and explain which report would be the best choice depending on your needs.

In Which Cases Are These Reports Used?

As you all know, Price2Spy is not meant only to gather data, but also to analyze it, so you can make smart pricing decisions. For that purpose, we have a whole set of different reports. One of them is the Head to Head Comparison report. Head to Head comparison report will help you directly compare 2 websites in terms of the pricing data according to different criteria.

The direct comparison includes calculated difference – whether you are cheaper or more expensive than your main competitor.

We also have a dedicated post to Head to Head Comparison report in case you want to find additional information.

The latest addition to this report are two new ways of calculating a difference between Site A and Site B :

• Price index based on the average
  price
• Price index based on website B

That is where similarities between these two reports begin.

How so?

Well, the Price index can be calculated based on different data and also can be calculated for more than two websites in one widget. However, if only two websites are filtered, it can be used for a direct comparison of the two.

Therefore, if the client is interested in getting the info on whether he is cheaper than his competitor, but is also interested in Price Indexes (his own Price index based on the main competitor), these two widgets (reports) can both be useful.

The point is in direct comparison – determining who’s cheaper of the two and all that shown as an index.

A logical question can come up – will different widgets provide the same index?

How To Get The Same Index Information?

Even though these widgets can show you different information, and be used for different purposes, they still can offer the same index.

In H2H you need to select that you want the Index based on website B (your competitor)

In the Current price index in addition to selecting only two websites in the filter, you’ll also need to select a few other filters as well:

• Based on Minimum price (if only
  two websites are selected it will always be the one that is not yours)
• Exclude inactive ones because H2H
  does not take them;
• Select the average index of
  products because H2H does not support the total basket.

As you can see, they’ll give you the same info:

The information regarding who is cheaper and the price index of your own site is available in both reports, but the other information you can get there is different:

• In H2H you have the products that
  are cheaper (the number is visible by default, but by clicking on it you can
  access the whole list) or the products that are only offered on one site.
• In Current Price Index, you can
  click to see individual indexes

To put it simply – displayed data on a widget and extended previews are different. So, if the index is important to you, you can decide which of the two widgets you want to use depending on other available data in them.

Further Differences Between Head to Head and Price index Report

• The Current price index has a lot
  of different options for showing Price Index, more websites, different ways of
  calculating indexes, differently based on options (though both have based on
  Average), etc.
• Head to Head Comparison report can
  have the calculated difference in a way that does not include the Price index.

Also, the Current Price Index has Total basket value as a calculation method, whereas Head to Head Comparison does not. That means that if the total basket is selected for the Current Price Index, indexes cannot be the same in Head to Head Comparison. Therefore, Head to Head Comparison can not be used for this purpose.

In Conclusion

We hope that this complex topic is now more understandable. Our team is always there to provide you with the necessary consultations and advice to find the solution that best suits your needs. However, as we always emphasize, it is important to know your goal and what information is your priority. In any case, we are at your disposal, so do not hesitate to contact us if you have additional questions!

If these reports seem like something your business could benefit from, but you’re still not a part of the Price2Spy family, we invite you to test out our services during a free 14-days trial period.

We look forward to hearing your impressions!