Market Research

Conduct market research using Apify Actors to extract data from multiple platforms.

Prerequisites

(No need to check it upfront)

• .env file with APIFY_TOKEN
• Node.js 20.6+ (for native --env-file support)

Workflow

Copy this checklist and track progress:

Task Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Identify market research type (select Actor)
- [ ] Step 2: Fetch Actor schema
- [ ] Step 3: Ask user preferences (format, filename)
- [ ] Step 4: Run the analysis script
- [ ] Step 5: Summarize findings

Step 1: Identify Market Research Type

Select the appropriate Actor based on research needs:

User Need	Actor ID	Best For
Market density	compass/crawler-google-places	Location analysis
Geospatial analysis	compass/google-maps-extractor	Business mapping
Regional interest	apify/google-trends-scraper	Trend data
Pricing and demand	apify/facebook-marketplace-scraper	Market pricing
Event market	apify/facebook-events-scraper	Event analysis
Consumer needs	apify/facebook-groups-scraper	Group research
Market landscape	apify/facebook-pages-scraper	Business pages
Business density	apify/facebook-page-contact-information	Contact data
Cultural insights	apify/facebook-photos-scraper	Visual research
Niche targeting	apify/instagram-hashtag-scraper	Hashtag research
Hashtag stats	apify/instagram-hashtag-stats	Market sizing
Market activity	apify/instagram-reel-scraper	Activity analysis
Market intelligence	apify/instagram-scraper	Full data
Product launch research	apify/instagram-api-scraper	API access
Hospitality market	voyager/booking-scraper	Hotel data
Tourism insights	maxcopell/tripadvisor-reviews	Review analysis

Step 2: Fetch Actor Schema

Fetch the Actor's input schema and details:

node --env-file=.env ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/reference/scripts/fetch_actor_details.js --actor "ACTOR_ID"

Replace ACTOR_ID with the selected Actor (e.g., compass/crawler-google-places).

This returns:

• Actor info (title, description, URL, categories, stats, rating)
• README summary
• Input schema (required and optional parameters)

Step 3: Ask User Preferences

Skip this step for simple lookups (e.g., "what's Nike's follower count?", "find me 5 coffee shops in Prague") — just use quick answer mode and move to Step 4.

For larger scraping tasks, ask:

1. Output format:
   • Quick answer - Display top few results in chat (no file saved)
   • CSV - Full export with all fields
   • JSON - Full export in JSON format
2. Number of results: Based on character of use case

Cost safety: Always set a sensible result limit in the Actor input (e.g., maxResults, resultsLimit, maxCrawledPages, or equivalent field from the input schema). Default to 100 results unless the user explicitly asks for more. Warn the user before running large scrapes (1000+ results) as they consume more Apify credits.

Step 4: Run the Script

Quick answer (display in chat, no file):

node --env-file=.env ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/reference/scripts/run_actor.js \
  --actor "ACTOR_ID" \
  --input 'JSON_INPUT'

CSV:

node --env-file=.env ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/reference/scripts/run_actor.js \
  --actor "ACTOR_ID" \
  --input 'JSON_INPUT' \
  --output YYYY-MM-DD_OUTPUT_FILE.csv \
  --format csv

JSON:

node --env-file=.env ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/reference/scripts/run_actor.js \
  --actor "ACTOR_ID" \
  --input 'JSON_INPUT' \
  --output YYYY-MM-DD_OUTPUT_FILE.json \
  --format json

Step 5: Summarize Findings

After completion, report:

• Number of results found
• File location and name
• Key market insights
• Suggested next steps (deeper analysis, validation)

Error Handling

APIFY_TOKEN not found - Ask user to create .env with APIFY_TOKEN=your_token Actor not found - Check Actor ID spelling Run FAILED - Ask user to check Apify console link in error output Timeout - Reduce input size or increase --timeout