Market Research Skill

Professional market research and competitive analysis using McKinsey/BCG/Bain methodologies. Generates hypothesis-driven research with PPTX presentation deliverables.

Overview

This Claude skill implements proven consulting methodologies for market research, structured as a four-level pyramid analysis:

                   YOUR COMPANY (Level 1)
                 Strategic Fit & Positioning
                            ▲
             COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE (Level 2)
           Positioning & Differentiation Analysis
                            ▲
          CUSTOMER INSIGHTS (Level 3)
       Needs, Motivations, Barriers, Behaviors
                            ▲
     MARKET & SEGMENT ANALYSIS (Level 4)
    Size, Growth, Trends, Development Opportunities

✅ Hypothesis-driven methodology - MECE principle, Issue Trees, 7-step consulting process ✅ Four-level pyramid analysis - Systematic bottom-up market research ✅ CRAAP source validation - Professional-grade source quality assessment ✅ Multi-source triangulation - Validate critical findings with 2-3 independent sources ✅ Free sources optimization - Designed for government, academic, and free industry data ✅ PPTX generation - Professional presentations via document-skills/pptx integration ✅ Quick scan timing - Optimized for 1-2 day research projects

Quick Start

1. Installation

# Clone or copy this skill to your Claude skills directory
cp -r market-research ~/.claude/skills/
 
# OR for project-specific installation
cp -r market-research .claude/skills/

2. Initialize New Research Project

cd .claude/skills/market-research
bash scripts/init-research.sh "acme-corp" "healthcare"

This creates:

Project structure with templates
Pre-populated research brief
Pyramid analysis framework
Source bibliography tracker

3. Execute Three-Phase Workflow

Phase 1: Research Philosophy (30 min)

Complete research-brief.md
Define hypothesis tree using MECE
Identify source strategy

Phase 2: Pyramid Analysis (1-2 days)

Level 4: Market & segment data collection
Level 3: Customer insights research
Level 2: Competitive landscape analysis
Level 1: Company positioning assessment
Document in pyramid-analysis.md

Phase 3: PPTX Generation (1-2 hours)

Update slide-deck.html with findings
Run: node scripts/generate-slides.js deliverables/slide-deck.html
Invoke pptx skill for final conversion

Directory Structure

market-research/
├── SKILL.md                    # Main skill definition
├── LICENSE.txt                 # MIT License
├── README.md                   # This file
├── references/                 # Methodology documentation
│   ├── MBB_METHODOLOGY.md      # 7-step, MECE, Pyramid Principle
│   ├── FREE_SOURCES_GUIDE.md   # Tier 1-3 data sources
│   └── VALIDATION_FRAMEWORKS.md # CRAAP test, triangulation
├── templates/                  # Project templates
│   ├── research-brief.md       # Phase 1 hypothesis setup
│   ├── pyramid-analysis.md     # Phase 2 data collection
│   ├── source-bibliography.md  # Source tracking
│   └── slide-deck.html         # Phase 3 PPTX template
├── scripts/                    # Helper automation
│   ├── init-research.sh        # Project initialization
│   ├── generate-slides.js      # PPTX generation wrapper
│   └── validate-sources.py     # Automated CRAAP scoring
└── assets/                     # Visual resources
    ├── color-scheme.json       # Professional color palette
    └── pyramid-diagram.svg     # Pyramid visualization

Methodology Details

MBB 7-Step Process

Define Problem - SMART criteria, success metrics
Structure Problem - MECE decomposition, hypothesis trees
Prioritize - Impact vs. ease, 80/20 rule
Work Plan - Timeline, sources, responsibilities
Execute Analysis - Systematic testing, triangulation
Synthesize Findings - Pyramid Principle, "Day 1 drafts"
Develop Recommendations - Actionable with ownership

Source Quality Hierarchy

Tier 1 (Highest Credibility):

Government agencies (Census, BLS, Eurostat)
Peer-reviewed academic journals
Public company SEC filings
Established market research firms

Tier 2 (High Credibility):

Industry associations
Premium databases (IBISWorld, Euromonitor)
Think tanks and research centers
Consulting firm public research

Tier 3 (Requires Verification):

Company white papers
Industry blogs and media
Third-party databases
Must be cross-validated with Tier 1-2

CRAAP Test Framework

Every source evaluated on 5 dimensions (1-5 scale):

Currency - Publication date and timeliness
Relevance - Fit to research question
Authority - Author credentials and reputation
Accuracy - Methodology and verification
Purpose - Intent and potential bias

Quality thresholds:

22-25: Excellent (use as primary)
18-21: Good (use confidently)
14-17: Acceptable (use with caution)
<14: Questionable or reject

Dependencies

Required

Claude Code - This skill runs within Claude environment
Bash - For init-research.sh script (Unix/Linux/Mac)
Python 3.6+ - For validate-sources.py script
Node.js 14+ - For generate-slides.js script

Optional (for PPTX generation)

document-skills/pptx - From Anthropic skills repository

# Install as git submodule
cd .claude/skills
git submodule add https://github.com/anthropics/skills document-skills

Note: PPTX generation can also be done by invoking the pptx skill directly in Claude Code without local installation.

Usage Examples

Example 1: Quick Market Sizing

User: "Research the US plant-based protein market size and growth"
 
Claude (with market-research skill):
Phase 1: Creating hypothesis tree for market sizing
- TAM estimation (top-down from food industry)
- SAM focus on plant-based segment
- Growth drivers identification
 
Phase 2: Data collection
- Level 4: Census food manufacturing data, USDA reports
- Level 4: Academic papers on plant-based trends
- Level 4: Industry association (GFI) reports
 
Phase 3: Synthesis
- Market size: $7.4B (2024)
- CAGR: 11.4% (2020-2024)
- Key trends: Health consciousness, sustainability
- Sources: USDA, Good Food Institute, Euromonitor
 
Deliverable: PPTX with market sizing analysis

Example 2: Competitive Analysis

User: "Analyze top 5 competitors in enterprise SaaS project management"
 
Claude (with market-research skill):
Phase 1: Hypothesis - Market dominated by established players
Phase 2: Analysis
- Level 4: $6.5B market, 12% CAGR
- Level 3: Customer need for integration (78% priority)
- Level 2: Top 5 identified (Monday, Asana, Jira, Clickup, Smartsheet)
- Level 2: Positioning map created
- Level 1: Gap analysis vs. client capabilities
 
Phase 3: PPTX with competitive landscape and positioning recommendations

Example 3: Customer Insights

User: "Research B2B SaaS buyer decision criteria"
 
Claude (with market-research skill):
Phase 1: Hypothesis tree on decision factors
Phase 2: Research
- Level 3: Academic papers on B2B buying behavior
- Level 3: Industry surveys (Gartner, Forrester previews)
- Level 3: Case studies and analyst reports
 
Findings:
1. ROI justification (87% cite as critical)
2. Integration capabilities (76%)
3. Support/training (68%)
4. Security/compliance (65%)
 
Deliverable: Customer insights deck with decision journey map

Complete pyramid-analysis.md with findings
Update slide-deck.html with data from analysis
Run validation: node scripts/generate-slides.js deliverables/slide-deck.html
Invoke pptx skill with HTML file
Review generated PPTX for quality

# Make scripts executable
chmod +x scripts/*.sh
chmod +x scripts/*.py
 
# Ensure dependencies installed
python3 --version  # Should be 3.6+
node --version     # Should be 14+

Issue: PPTX generation fails

Solution:

Verify HTML has correct dimensions (720pt × 405pt)
Check all text is in semantic tags (<p>, <h1>, etc.)
Ensure document-skills/pptx is available
Remove # prefix from colors when using PptxGenJS

Issue: Sources score low on CRAAP

Solution:

Prioritize Tier 1 sources (government, academic)
Verify publication dates within 3 years
Check methodology transparency
Cross-validate with additional sources

Issue: Can't find data for market sizing

Solution:

Try bottom-up estimation (components → total)
Use proxy markets and apply ratios
Leverage Census data and industry associations
See FREE_SOURCES_GUIDE.md for discovery strategies

Contributing

To improve this skill:

Fork and make changes
Test with real research projects
Submit pull request with:
- Description of improvement
- Example usage
- Documentation updates

Support

Documentation: See references/ for detailed methodology guides
Issues: Report bugs or feature requests on GitHub
Questions: Consult MBB_METHODOLOGY.md for process questions

License

MIT License - See LICENSE.txt for details

This skill implements publicly documented methodologies from top consulting firms. No proprietary client work or confidential information is included.

Acknowledgments

Based on methodologies from:

McKinsey & Company (MECE, Pyramid Principle, 7-step process)
Boston Consulting Group (Growth-Share Matrix, frameworks)
Bain & Company (Results-oriented approaches)

Inspired by:

"The McKinsey Way" by Ethan Rasiel
"The Pyramid Principle" by Barbara Minto
"Research Methods for Business Students" by Saunders, Lewis & Thornhill
ESOMAR Guidelines on Secondary Data (2021)
MRS Code of Conduct (2023)

Integration with:

Anthropic document-skills/pptx for presentation generation

Version: 1.0 Last Updated: 2025 Status: Production Ready

For latest updates: Check repository for new versions and enhancements.

Market Research: MBB-Grade Analysis & PPTX Deliverables