carloscape/octorato/market-research-framework

Market Research Framework — Consulting-Grade Analysis

Purpose

Systematic framework for conducting comprehensive market research at McKinsey/Bain/BCG level. Contains 12 structured analysis modules that cover the full spectrum from market sizing to market entry strategy.

Triggers

• "market research", "market analysis", "TAM", "SAM", "SOM", "market sizing"
• "competitive landscape", "competitive analysis", "competitor analysis"
• "customer persona", "customer segmentation", "buyer persona"
• "industry trends", "trend analysis", "market trends"
• "SWOT", "Porter's Five Forces", "Porter", "five forces"
• "pricing strategy", "pricing analysis", "willingness to pay"
• "go-to-market", "GTM", "launch strategy", "market entry"
• "customer journey", "journey map", "customer experience map"
• "unit economics", "CAC", "LTV", "financial model", "break-even"
• "risk assessment", "scenario planning", "risk analysis"
• "market entry", "market expansion", "geographic expansion"
• "dimensionamiento de mercado", "análisis competitivo", "investigación de mercado"

When to Use

• User asks for any market research, competitive intelligence, or strategic analysis
• Pre-launch validation of a new product or service
• Investor-ready market analysis or pitch deck data
• Strategic planning for market entry, expansion, or pivots
• Client-facing consulting deliverables

The 12 Modules

Module 1: Market Sizing & TAM Analysis

Persona: Senior market analyst (McKinsey level)

Deliverables:

1. Top-down approach — Global market segment → narrowed to target
2. Bottom-up approach — Unit economics × potential customers
3. TAM / SAM / SOM breakdown with dollar figures
4. 5-year CAGR projections with growth drivers
5. Key assumptions behind each estimate (sourced)
6. Benchmarks — Compare with 3 analyst reports or research firms

Format: Investor-ready market sizing slide with clear methodology.

Required inputs: [INDUSTRY/PRODUCT], [TARGET CUSTOMER], [GEOGRAPHY]

Module 2: Competitive Landscape Analysis

Persona: Senior strategy consultant (Bain & Company level)

Deliverables:

1. Direct competitors — Top 10 ranked by market share, revenue, funding
2. Indirect competitors — 5 adjacent players who could enter
3. Per-competitor analysis: pricing model, key features, target audience, strengths, weaknesses, recent strategic moves
4. Positioning map — Price vs. value matrix
5. Competitive moats — What makes each player defensible
6. White space analysis — Gaps no competitor covers
7. Threat assessment — Low / Medium / High per competitor

Format: Structured competitive intelligence report with comparison tables.

Required inputs: [INDUSTRY], [YOUR BUSINESS + POSITIONING]

Module 3: Customer Profiling & Segmentation

Persona: World-class consumer research expert

Deliverables: 4 detailed personas, each with:

1. Demographics — Age, income, education, location, job title
2. Psychographics — Values, beliefs, lifestyle, personality traits
3. Pain points — Top 5 daily frustrations
4. Goals & aspirations — What success looks like for them
5. Buying behavior — Discovery → evaluation → purchase journey
6. Media consumption — Where they spend time (online + offline)
7. Objections — Top 3 reasons they'd say no
8. Trigger events — What moment makes them actively seek a solution
9. Willingness to pay — Price sensitivity by segment
10. Segment sizing — % of total market + prioritization matrix

Required inputs: [PRODUCT/SERVICE], [INDUSTRY]

Module 4: Industry Trend Analysis

Persona: Senior analyst (Goldman Sachs Research level)

Deliverables:

1. Macro trends — 5 global forces (economic, regulatory, tech, social, environmental)
2. Micro trends — 7 emerging patterns from last 12 months
3. Technology disruptions — Game-changing new technologies
4. Regulatory shifts — Upcoming legislation or policy changes
5. Consumer behavior shifts — How buyer preferences are evolving
6. Investment signals — Where smart money flows (VC, M&A, IPO)
7. Timeline mapping — Each trend tagged: short (0-1yr), mid (1-3yr), long (3-5yr)
8. "So what" analysis — What each trend means for the business
9. Impact ratings — 1-10 per trend

Format: Trend intelligence report.

Required inputs: [INDUSTRY], [YOUR BUSINESS + MARKET]

Module 5: SWOT + Porter's Five Forces

Persona: Strategy professor (Harvard Business School level)

SWOT deliverables:

• 7 Strengths with evidence
• 7 Weaknesses with honest assessment
• 7 Opportunities (external)
• 7 Threats (external)
• Cross-analysis: SO strategy (strengths × opportunities) + WT risks (weaknesses × threats)

Porter's Five Forces deliverables:

1. Supplier power — Key suppliers + bargaining leverage
2. Buyer power — Customer bargaining strength
3. Competitive rivalry — Intensity + drivers
4. Threat of substitutes — Alternatives beyond direct competitors
5. Threat of new entrants — Entry barriers assessment

• Each force rated 1-10 with overall industry attractiveness score

Required inputs: [COMPANY], [PRODUCT], [INDUSTRY], [STAGE]

Module 6: Pricing Strategy Analysis

Persona: Pricing strategist (Simon-Kucher level)

Deliverables:

1. Competitor pricing map — Feature tiers × price points
2. Value-based pricing — Customer willingness-to-pay analysis
3. Cost-plus analysis — Unit cost + margin targets
4. Price elasticity — Sensitivity curves by segment
5. Pricing models evaluation — Subscription, freemium, usage-based, one-time, tiered
6. Recommended pricing architecture — Good/Better/Best tiers with feature allocation
7. Psychological pricing tactics — Anchoring, decoy, charm pricing
8. Revenue impact modeling — 3 scenarios (aggressive, base, conservative)

Required inputs: [PRODUCT], [COMPETITORS], [COST STRUCTURE], [TARGET SEGMENT]

Module 7: Go-to-Market Strategy

Persona: Chief Strategy Officer (20+ product launches)

Deliverables:

1. Launch phases — Pre-launch (60d), Launch (week 1), Post-launch (90d)
2. Channel strategy — Top 7 acquisition channels ranked by expected ROI
3. Messaging framework — Core value prop + 3 supporting messages + proof points
4. Content strategy — What to create for each funnel stage
5. Partnership opportunities — 5 strategic partners for growth acceleration
6. Budget allocation — How to distribute [BUDGET] across channels
7. KPI framework — 10 metrics with target benchmarks
8. Risk mitigation — Top 5 launch risks + 3 contingency plans
9. Quick wins — 3 tactics for traction in first 14 days

Format: Actionable GTM playbook with timelines and owners.

Required inputs: [PRODUCT], [MARKET], [BUDGET], [TIMELINE]

Module 8: Customer Journey Mapping

Persona: CX strategist (tier-1 consulting firm)

Stages mapped: Awareness → Consideration → Decision → Onboarding → Engagement → Loyalty → Churn

Per stage:

1. Customer actions, thoughts, and emotions
2. Touchpoints (digital + physical)
3. Pain points and friction moments
4. Opportunities to delight
5. Key metrics to track
6. Recommended tools/tactics to optimize

Additional: Emotional curve visualization (text-described).

Required inputs: [PRODUCT], [CUSTOMER TYPE], [CURRENT CONVERSION RATE]

Module 9: Financial Modeling & Unit Economics

Persona: VP Finance (high-growth startup)

Unit economics:

• CAC by channel
• LTV calculation with detailed assumptions
• LTV:CAC ratio + payback period
• Gross margin per unit/customer
• Contribution margin analysis

3-year projection:

• Revenue model (monthly Y1, quarterly Y2-Y3)
• Cost structure (fixed vs. variable)
• Break-even analysis (when + at what volume)
• Cash flow projection with burn rate
• Sensitivity analysis (best / base / worst)

Format: Financial model summary with tables and formulas.

Required inputs: [BUSINESS MODEL], [CURRENT REVENUE], [COSTS], [GROWTH RATE]

Module 10: Risk Assessment & Scenario Planning

Persona: Risk management partner (Deloitte level)

Risk categories:

1. Market risks (demand shifts, competition, pricing pressure)
2. Operational risks (supply chain, talent, tech failures)
3. Financial risks (cash flow, FX, funding gaps)
4. Regulatory risks (compliance, policy changes, legal exposure)
5. Reputational risks (PR crisis, customer backlash, data breach)

Per risk:

• Probability (1-5) × Impact (1-5) = Risk score
• Early warning signals
• Mitigation strategy
• Contingency plan

Scenario planning: Best case, base case, worst case with financial impact.

Required inputs: [BUSINESS/PROJECT], [TIMELINE], [KEY DEPENDENCIES]

Module 11: Market Entry & Expansion Strategy

Persona: Global expansion strategist (30+ market entries)

Market attractiveness assessment:

• Market size + growth rate
• Competitive intensity
• Regulatory environment
• Customer accessibility
• Infrastructure readiness
• Each factor rated 1-10 with weighted total

Entry mode evaluation:

• Direct entry (build from scratch)
• Alliance / Joint venture
• Acquisition
• Licensing / Franchise
• Digital-first entry
• Pros, cons, cost, timeline for each

Required inputs: [BUSINESS], [TARGET MARKET/GEOGRAPHY/SEGMENT]

Module 12: Executive Summary & Synthesis

Persona: McKinsey engagement manager

Deliverables:

1. One-page executive summary — SCQA format (Situation, Complication, Question, Answer)
2. Key findings matrix — Top 5 insights from each module used
3. Strategic recommendations — Prioritized 1-2-3 with rationale
4. Action plan — 30-60-90 day roadmap
5. Decision log — What decisions need to be made and when

Workflow

Quick Research (1-2 modules)

User: "I need a competitive landscape for [industry]"
→ Load Module 2 only
→ Deliver structured competitive report

Standard Research (3-5 modules)

User: "Full market analysis for my product launch"
→ Module 1 (TAM) → Module 2 (Competitive) → Module 3 (Customers)
→ Module 7 (GTM) → Module 12 (Synthesis)

Deep Research (6+ modules)

User: "McKinsey-level research for investor presentation"
→ All relevant modules in sequence
→ Module 12 synthesizes everything
→ Investor-ready deliverable

Quality Standards

Sources

• Always cite sources: Statista, CB Insights, PitchBook, Crunchbase, SEC filings, analyst reports
• Distinguish between data (sourced) and estimates (modeled)
• State confidence level for each major claim: High (multiple sources) / Medium (single source) / Low (estimate)

Format Rules

• Tables over paragraphs for comparisons
• Numbers over adjectives ("$2.4B TAM" not "large market")
• Always include methodology transparency
• Provide both optimistic and conservative estimates

Anti-Patterns

• Never fabricate market data — say "estimated" or "not available"
• Never present single-source claims as consensus
• Never skip the "So what?" — every data point needs business implications
• Never mix TAM with SAM — keep the funnel clear

Lessons Learned

2026-04-02 — Initial creation

• Compiled from 12-prompt consulting framework (McKinsey/Bain/BCG inspired)
• Covers full research lifecycle: sizing → competition → customers → trends → strategy → financials → risk → entry
• Module 6 (Pricing) was missing from source material — reconstructed from Simon-Kucher methodology
• Module 12 (Synthesis) added to close the loop — raw modules without synthesis = noise