Step01
Define the Product Concept
Write the product concept as a research brief: target customer, job, current alternative, geography, business model, key assumptions, and the decision this scan should inform.
BeginnerResearch
How to Conduct Rapid Market Research and Competitive Analysis Using AI
Turn a product concept into a fast, cited market scan, challenge the optimistic first answer, and package the evidence, uncertainty, and decision implications into a concise stakeholder deck.
Source episode · 22:00
How I AI: Anjan Panneer Selvam and a new model of B2B product managementwith Claire Vo
Anjan reuses the product concept as the basis for Perplexity deep research, turns the result into a Gamma deck, and adds a devil's advocate follow up because AI tends to find a market and an opportunity for every idea.
Before you start
What you need
- A product concept with target customer, job, geography, and business model
- The decision the research must inform and a date boundary for current evidence
- A consistent comparison frame for alternatives and competitors
- Access to Perplexity or another research tool plus primary sources
- A presentation tool such as Gamma and the team's preferred deck structure
What you’ll make
A concise research deck that compares the relevant alternatives, links important claims to current sources, names uncertainty, and recommends a decision or next research step rather than declaring every market attractive.
Tools used
- PerplexityVisitPerplexity
AI search engine
Step by step
The workflow
Follow the sequence once, then adapt the prompts, checks, and handoffs to your own setup.
4 steps
Step02
Perform Deep Research with Perplexity
Run a cited market scan in Perplexity. Ask it to compare direct competitors, substitutes, internal workarounds, adoption barriers, pricing, market evidence, and recent changes using primary sources where possible.
Example prompt
Research this product concept for a decision on [decision] as of [date]: [concept]. Target customer and geography: [details]. Compare direct competitors, substitutes, and current workarounds using the same dimensions: customer, job, capabilities, pricing, traction evidence, limitations, and source date. Cite primary sources for material claims. Separate fact, inference, and unknown. End with the strongest case against pursuing it.
Step03
Generate a Presentation with Gamma
Create a source outline before opening Gamma. Give each slide one claim, its evidence links, the uncertainty, and the implication. Then use Gamma to lay out that outline without inventing statistics or citations.
Example prompt
Create an internal decision deck from this source outline. Preserve every citation, qualifier, and unknown. Use one claim per slide with evidence, implication, and open question. Do not add market numbers, competitors, quotes, or conclusions not present in the outline. Outline: [text].
Step04
Share with Stakeholders for Alignment
Present the deck as a decision aid. Ask stakeholders which evidence changes their view, which assumptions require customer research, and what would cause the team to stop, narrow, or proceed. Record those decisions beside the deck.
What good looks like
- Competitors and alternatives are compared on the same customer, job, capability, pricing, and evidence dimensions.
- Market numbers include source, date, geography, definition, and calculation method.
- The deck separates sourced fact, analyst inference, and unresolved question.
- A devil's advocate pass identifies credible reasons not to build or invest.
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After the steps
Runbook notes
How to recover when the loop fails and where human judgment helps.
Recover
If it goes sideways
- The research presents every trend as an opportunity and avoids disconfirming evidence
- Ask for substitutes, failed products, adoption barriers, switching costs, and reasons the idea may not be worth pursuing.
- A market size number has no clear definition, date, or calculation
- Trace it to the primary source, state its scope, and either reproduce the math or remove it.
- The competitor list mixes products serving different users or jobs
- Define the comparison frame first and separate direct products, substitutes, internal workarounds, and future entrants.
- Gamma turns weak research into an authoritative looking narrative
- Lock citations and uncertainty into the source outline, then inspect every slide rather than trusting visual polish.
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