For Market Research Analysis
Helps you define your key market research question, build a simple two-week plan to collect competitor, customer, and social insights, and then turn the findings into a clear, actionable business recommendation.
Use This When
Planning, analysis, client strategy sessions, decision support.
Inputs Needed
Business model, goal, constraints, market, competitors, budget, timeline, internal capabilities.
Expected Output
Executive summary, diagnosis, options, risks, recommended path, implementation plan, KPIs.
The Workflow Prompt
You are a business strategist and operator.
Objective:
For Market Research Analysis
Context:
Helps you define your key market research question, build a simple two-week plan to collect competitor, customer, and social insights, and then turn the findings into a clear, actionable business recommendation.
Original task:
I need to conduct a market research analysis for my business, which is a {type of business, e.g., a specialty coffee subscription service based in the UK}. The primary and most urgent question I need to answer with this research is: {state the specific research question, e.g., 'Is there a viable market for a premium, ethically-sourced coffee subscription among remote workers in major UK cities?'}. To begin, please act as a market research analyst and outline the three most important categories of information I need to find to answer this question, briefly explaining why each is critical for the analysis.
Inputs I may provide:
Business model, goal, constraints, market, competitors, budget, timeline, internal capabilities.
Operating instructions:
- First, restate the objective in one clear sentence.
- If critical information is missing, ask up to 5 focused questions. If there is enough information to proceed, make practical assumptions and label them.
- Use a Detailed response style.
- Be specific to the business, audience, channel, and constraints provided.
- Avoid generic AI advice. Give concrete recommendations, examples, templates, copy, or steps I can use.
- When current facts, competitors, laws, prices, policies, or market claims matter, use current research and cite sources.
- Do not expose hidden chain-of-thought. Provide a concise rationale or decision summary instead.
- End with a short QA checklist that helps me verify the output.
Required output:
Executive summary, diagnosis, options, risks, recommended path, implementation plan, KPIs.
Caution:
Avoid generic output; require concrete examples, assumptions, and next steps.
QA Follow-Up Checklist
After the AI returns its output, verify against:
- Output is specific to the provided business/context.
- Assumptions are clearly labeled.
- No unsupported claims without source checks.
- Next actions are clear and usable.
Follow-Up Prompt
Now turn the result for 'For Market Research Analysis' into a client-ready version: tighten wording, remove fluff, add missing assumptions, and provide the next 3 actions.
Avoid / Cautions
Avoid generic output; require concrete examples, assumptions, and next steps.
How Different Verticals Use This Workflow
Restaurant & Hospitality
A founder considering a second restaurant location runs the prompt with the binary decision 'open in Neighborhood A or B.' Output: 2-week research plan — 10 customer interviews per area, competitor density mapping, foot-traffic data. Result: Neighborhood B has 30% higher dinner spend but 50% more competition. Picks A based on real data, opens in month 4, profitable in month 6.
Retail & E-commerce
A DTC founder considering a new product line runs the prompt with the decision 'launch a men's version of our women's hero product.' Output: 2-week plan — 12 customer interviews with male prospects, Amazon review mining for competitor weakness, ad creative testing. Result: demand confirmed but at a different price point than expected. Launches the line at the validated price, hits $200K in 6 months.
Professional Services & B2B
A consulting firm considering a vertical specialization runs the prompt. Output: 2-week plan — 15 interviews with target vertical buyers, win/loss analysis on past similar deals, competitive landscape review. Result: vertical is underserved but buyers have unique procurement requirements. Restructures pricing model and lands 4 deals in the first 90 days post-launch.
Beauty & Personal Care
A salon owner considering adding a new service line runs the prompt. Output: 2-week plan — 10 existing client interviews, 5 prospect interviews, competitor pricing scan. Result: existing clients want it but won't pay the premium needed for profitability; opens to new client segment instead. Drives 35 new clients in 90 days at the higher price point.
Local & Trade Services
An HVAC owner considering geographic expansion runs the prompt with the binary 'expand into adjacent city or deepen current.' Output: 2-week plan — 15 interviews with prospective customers in adjacent city, competitor density analysis, marketing cost projection. Result: current city has 40% untapped demand at lower CAC. Chooses to deepen; revenue grows 50% with zero geographic complexity.
Frequently Asked
How do I scope a market research project to 2 weeks vs spending 6 months on it?
Define the binary decision the research must answer ('do we launch X or not'), then work backwards to the minimum data needed to make that call. A 2-week project answers a yes/no; a 6-month project explores 'understand the market.' The first is useful, the second is procrastination. The prompt produces a 2-week plan if you give it a binary decision; without one, it sprawls into a year of analysis.
What's the right balance between primary and secondary research at small budgets?
10 primary interviews + competitive scan + industry-report skimming. Skip surveys at small scale (n<300 surveys produce noise, not signal). The 10 interviews are the gold — they catch the language, fears, and unstated needs that no industry report contains. Founders who skip primary interviews to feel 'efficient' build products for personas that don't exist.
How do I avoid confirmation bias when doing market research as the founder?
Write down your hypothesis before talking to anyone, then specifically ask interview questions designed to disprove it. 'I think customers want X for reason Y' — then ask 5 people about Y without prompting and see if they bring it up unprompted. If 3 of 5 don't, your hypothesis is wrong. Founders almost always design interviews that confirm what they already believe; the discipline is asking disconfirming questions on purpose.
When is market research the wrong move and should you just ship?
When you can build the MVP in less time than the research would take, and when the cost of being wrong is recoverable. Researching a $500 experiment for 2 weeks is silly — run the experiment. Research a $50K product investment? Worth 2 weeks of research. The honest rule: spend research time proportional to capital and time at stake. Don't over-research cheap experiments.