Market Research Reports

Overview

Market research reports are comprehensive strategic documents that analyze industries, markets, and competitive landscapes to inform business decisions, investment strategies, and strategic planning. This skill generates professional-grade reports of 50+ pages with extensive visual content, modeled after deliverables from top consulting firms like McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Gartner, and Forrester.

Key Features:

Comprehensive length: Reports are designed to be 50+ pages with no token constraints
Visual-rich content: 5-6 key diagrams generated at start (more added as needed during writing)
Data-driven analysis: Deep integration with research-lookup for market data
Multi-framework approach: Porter's Five Forces, PESTLE, SWOT, BCG Matrix, TAM/SAM/SOM
Professional formatting: Consulting-firm quality typography, colors, and layout
Actionable recommendations: Strategic focus with implementation roadmaps

Output Format: LaTeX with professional styling, compiled to PDF. Uses the market_research.sty style package for consistent, professional formatting.

When to Use This Skill

This skill should be used when:

Creating comprehensive market analysis for investment decisions
Developing industry reports for strategic planning
Analyzing competitive landscapes and market dynamics
Conducting market sizing exercises (TAM/SAM/SOM)
Evaluating market entry opportunities
Preparing due diligence materials for M&A activities
Creating thought leadership content for industry positioning

Visual Enhancement Requirements

CRITICAL: Market research reports should include key visual content.

Every report should generate 6 essential visuals at the start, with additional visuals added as needed during writing.

Visual Generation Tools

Use project-diagrams for: Market growth charts, TAM/SAM/SOM diagrams, Porter's Five Forces, competitive positioning matrices, market segmentation charts, value chain diagrams, technology roadmaps, risk heatmaps, strategic prioritization matrices, implementation timelines, SWOT diagrams, BCG matrices.

# Example: Generate a TAM/SAM/SOM diagram
python .claude/skills/project-diagrams/scripts/generate_schematic.py \
  "TAM SAM SOM concentric circle diagram showing Total Addressable Market $50B outer circle, Serviceable Addressable Market $15B middle circle, Serviceable Obtainable Market $3B inner circle" \
  -o figures/tam_sam_som.png --doc-type report

Use generate-image for: Executive summary hero infographics, industry/sector conceptual illustrations, abstract technology visualizations, cover page imagery.

Recommended Visuals by Section

Section	Priority Visuals	Optional Visuals
Executive Summary	Executive infographic (START)	-
Market Size & Growth	Growth trajectory (START), TAM/SAM/SOM (START)	Regional breakdown, segment growth
Competitive Landscape	Porter's Five Forces (START), Positioning matrix (START)	Market share chart, strategic groups
Risk Analysis	Risk heatmap (START)	Mitigation matrix
Strategic Recommendations	Opportunity matrix	Priority framework
Implementation Roadmap	Timeline/Gantt	Milestone tracker

Start with 6 priority visuals (marked as START above), then generate additional visuals as specific sections are written.

Report Structure (50+ Pages)

The report follows an 11-chapter structure. See references/report_structure_guide.md for detailed section-by-section content requirements, data points, and visual requirements per chapter.

Front Matter (~5 pages)

Cover Page: Title, subtitle, hero visualization, date, classification
Table of Contents: Auto-generated with List of Figures and Tables
Executive Summary (2-3 pages): Market snapshot, investment thesis, key findings, strategic recommendations

Core Analysis (~35 pages)

Market Overview & Definition (4-5 pages): Market definition, ecosystem mapping, stakeholders, boundaries
Market Size & Growth Analysis (6-8 pages): TAM/SAM/SOM, historical growth, projections, regional/segment breakdown
Industry Drivers & Trends (5-6 pages): PESTLE analysis, trend impact assessment, macroeconomic factors
Competitive Landscape (6-8 pages): Porter's Five Forces, market share, competitive positioning, strategic groups
Customer Analysis & Segmentation (4-5 pages): Segment definitions, buying behavior, value proposition canvas
Technology & Innovation Landscape (4-5 pages): Current stack, emerging tech, R&D analysis, patent landscape
Regulatory & Policy Environment (3-4 pages): Regulatory framework, compliance, upcoming changes
Risk Analysis (3-4 pages): Risk heatmap, risk register, mitigation matrix

Strategic Recommendations (~10 pages)

Strategic Opportunities & Recommendations (4-5 pages): Opportunity sizing, strategic options, priority matrix
Implementation Roadmap (3-4 pages): Phased plan, milestones, resource requirements, governance
Investment Thesis & Financial Projections (3-4 pages): Financial projections, scenario analysis, ROI/IRR

Back Matter (~5 pages)

Appendix A: Methodology & Data Sources
Appendix B: Detailed Market Data Tables
Appendix C: Company Profiles
References/Bibliography (BibTeX)

Workflow

Phase 1: Research & Data Gathering

Step 1: Define Scope - Clarify market definition, geographic boundaries, time horizon, key questions.

Step 2: Conduct Deep Research - Use research-lookup extensively:

# Market size and growth data
python skills/research-lookup/scripts/research_lookup.py \
  "What is the current market size and projected growth rate for [MARKET] industry? Include TAM, SAM, SOM estimates and CAGR projections"

# Competitive landscape
python skills/research-lookup/scripts/research_lookup.py \
  "Who are the top 10 competitors in the [MARKET] market? What is their market share and competitive positioning?"

Step 3: Data Organization - Create sources/ folder, organize by section, identify gaps, follow up.

Phase 2: Analysis & Framework Application

Step 4: Apply Frameworks - TAM/SAM/SOM, Porter's Five Forces, PESTLE, SWOT, Competitive Positioning.

Step 5: Develop Insights - Synthesize findings, identify strategic implications, develop recommendations.

Phase 3: Visual Generation

Step 6: Generate All Visuals - Generate visuals BEFORE writing. See references/visual_generation_guide.md for complete prompts for all visual types.

# Generate all standard market report visuals
python skills/market-research-reports/scripts/generate_market_visuals.py \
  --topic "[MARKET NAME]" \
  --output-dir figures/

Phase 4: Report Writing

Step 7: Initialize Project Structure

writing_outputs/YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS_market_report_[topic]/
├── progress.md
├── drafts/
│   └── v1_market_report.tex
├── references/
│   └── references.bib
├── figures/
│   └── [all generated visuals]
├── sources/
│   └── [research notes]
└── final/

Step 8: Write Report - Use market_report_template.tex as starting point. Write each section with comprehensive coverage, data-driven content, visual integration, professional tone, and no token constraints.

Phase 5: Compilation & Review

Step 9: Compile LaTeX

cd writing_outputs/[project_folder]/drafts/
xelatex v1_market_report.tex
bibtex v1_market_report
xelatex v1_market_report.tex
xelatex v1_market_report.tex

Step 10: Quality Review - Verify 50+ pages, all visuals render, data has sources, frameworks applied, recommendations actionable, bibliography complete.

Step 11: Plan Review - Use the plan-review skill to evaluate comprehensiveness, data accuracy, logical flow, and recommendation quality.

Quality Standards

Page Count Targets

Section	Minimum Pages	Target Pages
Front Matter	4	5
Market Overview	4	5
Market Size & Growth	5	7
Industry Drivers	4	6
Competitive Landscape	5	7
Customer Analysis	3	5
Technology Landscape	3	5
Regulatory Environment	2	4
Risk Analysis	2	4
Strategic Recommendations	3	5
Implementation Roadmap	2	4
Investment Thesis	2	4
Back Matter	4	5
TOTAL	43	66

Data & Writing Quality

Currency: Data no older than 2 years (prefer current year)
Sourcing: All statistics attributed to specific sources
Validation: Cross-reference multiple sources when possible
Objectivity: Balanced analysis, acknowledge uncertainties
Precision: Use specific numbers over vague qualifiers
Actionability: Recommendations are specific and implementable

LaTeX Formatting

Use the market_research.sty package for professional formatting. For complete formatting reference including box environments, figure formatting, and table formatting, see assets/FORMATTING_GUIDE.md.

\documentclass[11pt,letterpaper]{report}
\usepackage{market_research}

Available box environments: keyinsightbox (blue), marketdatabox (green), riskbox (orange), recommendationbox (purple), calloutbox (gray).

Integration with Other Skills

research-lookup: Essential for gathering market data, statistics, and competitive intelligence
project-diagrams: Generate all diagrams, charts, and visualizations
generate-image: Create infographics and conceptual illustrations
plan-review: Evaluate report quality and completeness
competitive-analysis: Detailed competitor profiling and market positioning analysis

Resources

Reference Files

references/report_structure_guide.md: Detailed section-by-section content requirements
references/visual_generation_guide.md: Complete prompts for generating all visual types
references/data_analysis_patterns.md: Templates for Porter's, PESTLE, SWOT, etc.
references/examples.md: Example prompts and validation checklists

Assets

assets/market_research.sty: LaTeX style package
assets/market_report_template.tex: Complete LaTeX template
assets/FORMATTING_GUIDE.md: Quick reference for box environments and styling

Scripts

scripts/generate_market_visuals.py: Batch generate all report visuals

Troubleshooting

Problem	Solution
Report under 50 pages	Expand appendix data tables, add company profiles, include regional breakdowns
Visuals not rendering	Check file paths in LaTeX, ensure images in figures/ folder, verify extensions
Bibliography missing	Run bibtex after first xelatex pass, check .bib syntax
Table/figure overflow	Use `\resizebox` or `adjustbox`, reduce image width percentage
Poor visual quality	Use `--doc-type report` flag, increase iterations with `--iterations 5`

Use this skill to create comprehensive, visually-rich market research reports that rival top consulting firm deliverables. The combination of deep research, structured frameworks, and extensive visualization produces documents that inform strategic decisions and demonstrate analytical rigor.

market-research-reports