This is a common occurrence, mainly due to our concentration on data generated by ASO tools.
ASO tools help us find out the popularity of a keyword as well as the # of apps ranking for that keyword.
When we see the # of competitors, we sometimes get overwhelmed and think it must be a difficult keyword.
It is essential to determine if our competition is:
1. Aiming to rank for that keyword?
2. Ranking for that keyword by default?
3. Is part of the whole mass of apps ranking for it?
Now once we figure this out, We usually stop there.
You must dive deeper into the who/what/why of the app.
So go ahead and use your ASO tool to gather data and to see what keywords and apps are ranking.
Then put the tool aside and open up the App Store and search for these competitor apps. Download it as well if you can.
Find out if it is active and with recent updates.
This way, you can be sure that your ASO strategy will be more effective.