Market AnalysisBusiness StrategyMarket ResearchCompetitive IntelligencePrompt Engineering
Conduct Market Analysis
T. Krause
Turn scattered market data into a structured, decision-ready analysis. This prompt synthesizes industry trends, competitor positioning, and customer demand into strategic clarity — in minutes.
Before committing budget to a new product, market, or business direction, leadership needs to understand whether the opportunity is real. A proper market analysis answers three fundamental questions: Is there a large enough addressable market? Is it growing or contracting? And can we compete in it profitably? Answering those questions from scratch normally takes weeks of desk research, competitor review, and synthesis work.
This prompt compresses that process significantly. By feeding in the research you have — industry reports, competitor data, customer feedback, news articles — and letting AI handle the synthesis and structuring, you get a market analysis document that is ready to inform a go/no-go decision, a board presentation, or a strategic planning session.
What It Does
- Synthesizes raw market data, competitor information, and industry context into a structured market analysis report.
- Identifies market size, growth dynamics, key player positioning, and the most attractive customer segments.
- Surfaces strategic opportunities and risks that may not be obvious when looking at data sources individually.
The Prompt
#CONTEXT:
You are helping me conduct a structured market analysis for a specific industry, product category, or geographic market. I will provide background information, data points, competitor observations, and any relevant industry context I have gathered. Your job is to synthesize this input into a structured market analysis that is ready to support a strategic decision — such as entering a market, launching a product, or adjusting positioning.
#ROLE:
You are a senior strategy consultant with 15 years of experience conducting market analyses for mid-sized companies and venture-backed startups. You are skilled at identifying market dynamics, sizing opportunities, evaluating competitive intensity, and translating data into clear strategic recommendations. You write in a direct, executive-ready style — no filler, no vague generalities.
#RESPONSE GUIDELINES:
1. Begin with an executive summary (3–5 sentences) that captures the most important finding and the strategic implication.
2. Structure the analysis into the sections defined in the response format below.
3. Where I have provided data or specific facts, cite them directly. Where data is missing, note the gap and suggest where to find it rather than inventing a number.
4. Be direct about competitive intensity and risk — do not soften findings to sound encouraging.
5. End with a "Strategic Recommendations" section that gives 3–5 prioritized, concrete next steps.
#ANALYSIS CRITERIA:
1. Market Size & Growth: What is the total addressable market (TAM)? Is the market growing, stable, or declining? What is driving the trajectory?
2. Market Segmentation: What are the distinct customer segments? Which are largest, fastest-growing, or most underserved?
3. Competitive Landscape: Who are the key players? How are they positioned? Where are the gaps in their offerings?
4. Customer Demand Signals: What problems are customers trying to solve? What switching behavior, complaints, or unmet needs are visible in the market?
5. Entry Barriers & Risks: What makes this market hard to enter or scale in? What regulatory, technical, or competitive risks exist?
#INFORMATION ABOUT ME:
- My company or product: [COMPANY_OR_PRODUCT]
- The market or industry I am analyzing: [MARKET_OR_INDUSTRY]
- My strategic question (e.g., "Should we enter this market?" or "Where is the best segment to focus on?"): [STRATEGIC_QUESTION]
- My primary competitive advantage or differentiator: [DIFFERENTIATOR]
#MARKET DATA AND CONTEXT TO ANALYZE:
[PASTE_YOUR_RESEARCH_DATA_INDUSTRY_REPORTS_COMPETITOR_NOTES_AND_CONTEXT_HERE]
#RESPONSE FORMAT:
Executive Summary:
[3–5 sentences capturing the core finding and strategic implication]
Market Size & Growth:
- Total Addressable Market (TAM): [estimate and source]
- Growth Rate: [CAGR or trend direction and driver]
- Market Maturity: [Emerging / Growing / Mature / Declining]
- Key growth drivers: [bulleted list]
Market Segmentation:
| Segment | Size | Growth | Attractiveness |
|---------|------|--------|----------------|
| [Segment 1] | [size] | [growth] | [High/Med/Low] |
| [Segment 2] | [size] | [growth] | [High/Med/Low] |
Most attractive segment: [segment name] — [reason in one sentence]
Competitive Landscape:
- [Competitor 1]: Positioning — [brief], Strengths — [brief], Weakness — [brief]
- [Competitor 2]: Positioning — [brief], Strengths — [brief], Weakness — [brief]
- [Competitor 3]: Positioning — [brief], Strengths — [brief], Weakness — [brief]
Whitespace opportunity: [Where is there no strong incumbent?]
Customer Demand Signals:
- [Signal 1]: [description]
- [Signal 2]: [description]
- [Signal 3]: [description]
Entry Barriers & Risks:
- [Barrier or risk]: [brief explanation and severity: High / Medium / Low]
Strategic Recommendations:
1. [Recommendation 1 — specific and actionable]
2. [Recommendation 2]
3. [Recommendation 3]
4. [Recommendation 4, if supported by findings]
5. [Recommendation 5, if supported by findings]
How to Use
- Gather your raw research first: industry reports, competitor websites, customer interview notes, news articles, analyst summaries, or any other sources relevant to the market.
- Fill in the "Information About Me" section — the strategic question field is particularly important, as it focuses the entire analysis.
- Paste all your research material into the designated field. More context produces sharper output; a few bullet points will produce generic output.
- Review the competitive landscape and recommendations sections most critically — these are where AI is most likely to make assumptions that need human judgment.
Example Input
## Information about me
- My company or product: A SaaS tool that automates invoice reconciliation for small accounting firms
- The market or industry I am analyzing: Accounting automation software for small and mid-sized accounting practices in the DACH region
- My strategic question: Which customer segment should we target first — solo practitioners or firms with 5–20 employees?
- My primary competitive advantage or differentiator: Deep integration with DATEV, the dominant accounting platform in Germany
Tips
- Your strategic question shapes everything. "Is this market worth entering?" produces a different analysis than "Which segment should we target first?" Be specific about what decision you are trying to make.
- Feed in competitor pricing pages. Paste text from competitor websites — especially pricing, feature lists, and "who it's for" copy. This gives the AI concrete positioning data rather than having it guess.
- Include negative signals too. If you found evidence that competitors are struggling, customers are churning, or the market is consolidating, include it. Honest analysis beats an overly optimistic one.
- Run the segmentation section separately if needed. If you have detailed customer data, ask the AI to focus specifically on segmentation first, then use that output as input for the full analysis.
- Cross-check TAM estimates. AI will sometimes produce plausible-sounding market size figures that don't hold up to scrutiny. Always verify any number against a named source before using it in a presentation.