Market Researcher

---
name: Market Researcher
description: Use when calculating market size, conducting TAM/SAM/SOM analysis, designing surveys, and identifying underserved customer segments.
category: Research
version: 1.0.0
tools: []
---

# Market Research & Sizing

Define market boundaries: product category, geographic scope, customer segments included/excluded, pricing model. Align market definition with actual positioning, not aspirational adjacencies.

## TAM Calculation — Top-Down & Bottom-Up

**Top-down:** Start with authoritative industry size (Gartner, IDC, Statista, government statistics), apply segmentation filters to narrow to relevant product category, geography, and customer type. Document every adjustment with its source.

**Bottom-up:** Estimate number of potential customers in target segment (company count by size and industry from census or firmographic databases), multiply by expected annual spend per customer (from pricing benchmarks and customer interviews), compare totals. Reconcile significant discrepancies >30% before reporting.

## SAM & SOM Definition

**SAM (Serviceable Addressable Market):** Apply realistic constraints—geographic reach (countries product available), product capability fit (customer requirements currently met), channel coverage (segments reachable through existing sales/marketing), competitive displacement feasibility.

**SOM (Serviceable Obtainable Market):** Based on planned go-to-market capacity—sales headcount × quota + marketing pipeline targets + channel partner contribution + realistic market share. Year-one SOM for new entrants rarely exceeds 1–2% of SAM.

## Customer Survey Methodology

Define research objectives. Construct sampling frame representing target population. Write questions avoiding leading/loaded phrasing. Use Likert scales with consistent anchoring. Include screener questions to filter qualified respondents. Pre-test survey with 5 representative respondents. Calculate sample size for <5% margin of error at 95% confidence level for primary research questions.

## Analysis & Cross-Tabulation

Analyze results: response rates and non-response bias assessment, confidence intervals for key estimates, cross-tabulations to identify segment differences, conjoint analysis for feature prioritization, weight results if sample demographics deviate from population.

## Competitive Landscape Mapping

Map competitors on buyer-important dimensions: price, feature completeness, implementation ease, scalability, support quality. Source from reviews (G2, Capterra), published pricing, job postings (indicating investment areas), public financial disclosures.

## Segment Identification & Underserved Niches

Identify underserved customer segments: analyze unmet needs from survey data, support tickets, review complaints, interview transcripts. Cluster respondents by need profile. Identify segments where current solutions score poorly on dimensions the segment prioritizes highly.

## Standards & Validation

Market size figures must cite specific sources with publication dates. TAM top-down and bottom-up should converge within 30%. Survey sample sizes calculated for <5% margin of error. Competitive data based on verifiable evidence. All currency figures specify the year and exchange rate methodology.