A market research report turns research evidence into a structured resource for understanding customers, competitors, markets, trends, opportunities, and risks.
The report should distinguish clearly between information collected from research, interpretation of that information, assumptions, and recommendations.
Use this template for research relating to:
Adapt the structure according to the research question and the type of evidence available.
Report Title:
[Insert title]
Research Project:
[Insert project name]
Organisation:
[Insert organisation]
Prepared By:
[Insert researcher or research team]
Commissioned By:
[Insert client, department, or sponsor]
Research Period:
[Insert period]
Report Date:
[Insert date]
Version:
[Insert version]
Status:
[Draft / Final]
Summarise the most important findings.
The executive summary should normally cover:
Executive Summary:
[Insert summary]
The executive summary should reflect the completed research rather than introduce conclusions that are not supported by the report.
Explain why the research was commissioned.
Possible purposes include:
Research Purpose:
[Insert purpose]
State the questions the research is intended to answer.
[Insert question]
Research questions should guide the research rather than simply restate the desired business outcome.
Translate the research questions into practical objectives.
Objective 1:
[Insert objective]
Objective 2:
[Insert objective]
Objective 3:
[Insert objective]
Objective 4:
[Insert objective]
Define the boundaries of the research.
Market:
[Insert market]
Geographic Scope:
[Insert geography]
Customer Scope:
[Insert customer groups]
Product or Service Scope:
[Insert offering]
Time Period:
[Insert period]
Excluded Areas:
[Insert exclusions]
Explain how the research was conducted.
Possible methods include:
Methodology:
[Insert methodology]
If primary research was conducted, describe it.
Research Method:
[Survey / Interview / Focus Group / Observation / Other]
Population:
[Describe population]
Sample Size:
[Insert number]
Sampling Method:
[Insert method]
Research Period:
[Insert period]
Location:
[Insert location]
Document important secondary sources.
| Source | Type | Date | Subject | Relevance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Source] | [Type] | [Date] | [Subject] | [Relevance] |
| [Source] | [Type] | [Date] | [Subject] | [Relevance] |
Evaluate sources according to relevance, credibility, recency, methodology, and potential bias.
Identify limitations that may affect interpretation.
Possible limitations include:
Limitations:
[Insert limitations]
Clearly define the market being analysed.
Market Name:
[Insert market]
Products or Services Included:
[Insert products/services]
Products or Services Excluded:
[Insert exclusions]
Geographic Boundary:
[Insert geography]
Customer Boundary:
[Insert customer group]
A clear market definition prevents unrelated information from being included in the analysis.
Provide a high-level description of the market.
Consider:
Market Overview:
[Insert analysis]
Estimate the relevant market where reliable data is available.
Possible measures include:
Current Market Size:
[Insert estimate]
Measurement Basis:
[Explain]
Source:
[Insert source]
Confidence Level:
[High / Medium / Low]
Assess how the market has changed and how it may develop.
Consider:
Historical Trend:
[Insert analysis]
Expected Trend:
[Insert analysis]
Identify factors that may increase market demand.
Possible drivers include:
| Market Driver | Description | Expected Effect | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Driver] | [Description] | [Effect] | [Evidence] |
| [Driver] | [Description] | [Effect] | [Evidence] |
Identify factors that may restrict market growth.
Potential constraints include:
Market Constraints:
[Insert analysis]
Identify important trends affecting the market.
For each trend, consider:
Trend:
[Insert trend]
Evidence:
[Insert evidence]
Business Implication:
[Insert implication]
Describe the customers being studied.
Consider:
Customer Profile:
[Insert analysis]
Divide customers into meaningful groups.
| Segment | Characteristics | Needs | Buying Behaviour | Opportunity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Segment] | [Characteristics] | [Needs] | [Behaviour] | [Opportunity] |
| [Segment] | [Characteristics] | [Needs] | [Behaviour] | [Opportunity] |
Segmentation should be based on meaningful differences rather than arbitrary categories.
Identify the main needs customers are trying to satisfy.
Possible categories include:
Customer Needs:
[Insert analysis]
Identify problems experienced by customers.
For each pain point, consider:
Pain Point:
[Insert problem]
Affected Customers:
[Insert segment]
Current Solution:
[Insert solution]
Limitation of Current Solution:
[Insert limitation]
Potential Opportunity:
[Insert opportunity]
Analyse how customers make purchasing decisions.
Consider:
Buying Behaviour:
[Insert analysis]
Identify factors influencing customer choice.
Possible factors include:
| Factor | Importance | Evidence | Implication |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Factor] | [High/Medium/Low] | [Evidence] | [Implication] |
| [Factor] | [High/Medium/Low] | [Evidence] | [Implication] |
Assess how customers discover available solutions.
Potential channels include:
Awareness Channels:
[Insert analysis]
Where customer feedback is available, assess satisfaction.
Consider:
Satisfaction Findings:
[Insert findings]
Assess whether customers tend to remain with existing providers or switch.
Consider:
Retention Assessment:
[Insert analysis]
Switching Opportunities:
[Insert analysis]
Identify the principal competitors and alternatives.
Classify competitors where useful:
Competitive Landscape:
[Insert analysis]
Develop a short profile for each important competitor.
Name:
[Insert name]
Offering:
[Insert offering]
Target Customers:
[Insert customers]
Positioning:
[Insert positioning]
Strengths:
[Insert strengths]
Weaknesses:
[Insert weaknesses]
Market Implication:
[Insert implication]
| Factor | Company/Proposed Offering | Competitor A | Competitor B | Competitor C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | [Assessment] | [Assessment] | [Assessment] | [Assessment] |
| Quality | [Assessment] | [Assessment] | [Assessment] | [Assessment] |
| Features | [Assessment] | [Assessment] | [Assessment] | [Assessment] |
| Service | [Assessment] | [Assessment] | [Assessment] | [Assessment] |
| Reputation | [Assessment] | [Assessment] | [Assessment] | [Assessment] |
Use objective evidence where possible.
Identify areas where the proposed organisation or offering could compete effectively.
Strength 1:
[Insert strength]
Evidence:
[Insert evidence]
Strength 2:
[Insert strength]
Evidence:
[Insert evidence]
Identify weaknesses or gaps that may need to be addressed.
Gap:
[Insert gap]
Importance:
[High / Medium / Low]
Potential Response:
[Insert response]
Customers may solve the same problem without using the proposed product or service.
Identify:
Substitute Solutions:
[Insert analysis]
Analyse current market pricing.
| Offering | Provider | Pricing Model | Price Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Offering] | [Provider] | [Model] | [Range] | [Notes] |
| [Offering] | [Provider] | [Model] | [Range] | [Notes] |
Explain whether prices are directly comparable.
If research has been conducted, summarise evidence about acceptable pricing.
Research Method:
[Insert method]
Indicative Price Range:
[Insert range]
Important Conditions:
[Insert conditions]
Avoid treating stated willingness to pay as guaranteed purchasing behaviour.
Assess how products or services reach customers.
Possible channels include:
Distribution Assessment:
[Insert analysis]
Identify channels likely to reach the target market.
Potential channels include:
Marketing Channel Assessment:
[Insert analysis]
Identify barriers that could make market entry difficult.
Potential barriers include:
Entry Barriers:
[Insert analysis]
Identify realistic routes into the market.
Potential approaches include:
Potential Entry Strategy:
[Insert analysis]
Summarise the strategic position.
The SWOT analysis should be derived from the preceding research rather than treated as a standalone brainstorming exercise.
Identify the most attractive opportunities emerging from the research.
| Opportunity | Market Evidence | Potential Value | Difficulty | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Opportunity] | [Evidence] | [Value] | [Difficulty] | [Priority] |
| [Opportunity] | [Evidence] | [Value] | [Difficulty] | [Priority] |
Identify market-specific risks.
Possible risks include:
Market Risks:
[Insert analysis]
Assess likely market developments.
Consider:
Outlook:
[Insert analysis]
Summarise the most important findings.
[Insert finding]
Evidence:
[Insert evidence]
Business Implication:
[Insert implication]
[Insert finding]
Evidence:
[Insert evidence]
Business Implication:
[Insert implication]
[Insert finding]
Evidence:
[Insert evidence]
Business Implication:
[Insert implication]
Separate research evidence from assumptions.
| Statement | Classification | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| [Statement] | Finding | [Evidence] |
| [Statement] | Assumption | [Basis] |
| [Statement] | Estimate | [Method] |
| [Statement] | Interpretation | [Reasoning] |
This distinction helps decision-makers understand how strongly each conclusion is supported.
Explain what the research means for the organisation.
Consider implications for:
Strategic Implications:
[Insert analysis]
Develop recommendations directly from the evidence.
Recommendation:
[Insert recommendation]
Supporting Evidence:
[Insert evidence]
Expected Benefit:
[Insert benefit]
Priority:
[High / Medium / Low]
Recommendation:
[Insert recommendation]
Supporting Evidence:
[Insert evidence]
Expected Benefit:
[Insert benefit]
Priority:
[High / Medium / Low]
Convert recommendations into practical actions.
| Action | Purpose | Responsible Party | Timing | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Action] | [Purpose] | [Owner] | [Timing] | [Priority] |
| [Action] | [Purpose] | [Owner] | [Timing] | [Priority] |
Where useful, develop evidence-informed customer profiles.
Name:
[Descriptive name]
Customer Type:
[Type]
Needs:
[Needs]
Pain Points:
[Pain points]
Buying Factors:
[Factors]
Preferred Channels:
[Channels]
Relevant Offering:
[Offering]
Avoid presenting assumptions as research findings. Clearly distinguish illustrative personas from statistically representative customer segments.
Use charts and tables where they improve understanding.
Possible visualisations include:
Every visual should have:
If survey research was conducted, document key results.
Question:
[Insert question]
Sample Size:
[Insert number]
Response Distribution:
[Insert results]
Finding:
[Interpretation]
Implication:
[Business implication]
Avoid implying that survey findings represent the entire market unless the research design supports that conclusion.
Summarise recurring themes from interviews.
Theme:
[Insert theme]
Frequency or Prevalence:
[Insert information]
Supporting Evidence:
[Summarise evidence]
Implication:
[Insert implication]
Where quotations are used, obtain appropriate permission and protect confidential information.
Evaluate the quality of the evidence.
Consider:
Data Quality Assessment:
[Insert assessment]
Identify potential sources of bias.
Examples include:
Potential Biases:
[Insert analysis]
Mitigation:
[Insert mitigation]
Where primary research is conducted, consider:
Ethical Considerations:
[Insert considerations]
Summarise what the research establishes.
The conclusion should answer the original research questions and avoid introducing unsupported claims.
Conclusion:
[Insert conclusion]
If the research supports a business decision, state the implication clearly.
Possible outcomes include:
Decision Statement:
[Insert statement]
Identify questions that remain unresolved.
Unresolved Question:
[Insert question]
Why It Matters:
[Explain]
Recommended Further Research:
[Insert research]
Priority:
[High / Medium / Low]
Where applicable, include the research questionnaire.
[Insert question]
[Insert question]
[Insert question]
[Insert question]
Opening:
[Insert introduction]
Question 1:
[Insert question]
Question 2:
[Insert question]
Question 3:
[Insert question]
Question 4:
[Insert question]
Closing:
[Insert closing]
| Competitor | Product/Service | Market | Pricing | Distribution | Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Competitor] | [Offering] | [Market] | [Pricing] | [Channel] | [Strengths] | [Weaknesses] |
| Reference | Source | Date | Type | URL/Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Reference] | [Source] | [Date] | [Type] | [Location] | [Notes] |
| [Reference] | [Source] | [Date] | [Type] | [Location] | [Notes] |
Maintain enough information to allow important research claims to be traced back to their sources.
Before finalising the report, verify:
Avoid:
When researching a new product, emphasise:
The research should help determine whether the proposed product addresses a meaningful customer need.
For a service, investigate:
Service research should consider both what customers want and what can realistically be delivered.
For geographic expansion, examine:
Avoid assuming that a successful offering in one market will automatically perform the same way in another.
For online products and services, consider:
Where digital data is used, distinguish observed platform data from broader market estimates.
For business-to-business research, examine:
B2B purchasing decisions may involve several stakeholders rather than one individual buyer.
For consumer research, consider:
Avoid reducing customers to demographics alone when behavioural information is available.
For additional resources, explore:
This template is a general framework for conducting and presenting market research. It should be adapted to the research question, market, audience, industry, geography, available evidence, and intended decision.
Research findings should accurately reflect the quality and limitations of the underlying evidence. Estimates, assumptions, opinions, and projections should not be presented as established facts.
Where research involves personal information, confidential business information, regulated activities, or sensitive populations, appropriate privacy, ethical, contractual, and legal requirements should be considered.
The strongest market research reports connect well-defined questions, appropriate evidence, careful analysis, transparent limitations, and practical recommendations.