How to Write and Conduct a Market Analysis

A landscape of large and small buildings. Represents conducting a market analysis to understand your audience and market.

Tim Berry

3 min. read

Updated January 3, 2024

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A market is the total sum of prospective buyers, individuals, or organizations that are willing and able to purchase a business’s potential offering. A market analysis is a detailed assessment of the market you intend to enter. It provides insight into the size and value of the market, potential customer segments, and their buying patterns.

In this section, we’ll be covering what information to include in your business plan after completing your research. If you’re struggling with the research itself, you should check out our market research resources for step-by-step guidance.

How to write your market analysis

The information featured in your market analysis should focus on firmly defining who your customers are. Here are the two steps you need to take:

Optional information to include

The main purpose of the market analysis is to show who your customers are. While defining your target market may be enough, it can be helpful to include some of the following supporting details.

Why conduct a market analysis?

Conducting any sort of in-depth research can be a time-intensive process. However, the benefits far outweigh the investment—so much so that it’s recommended that you revisit your market analysis at least once a year in order to stay on top of emerging trends or changes in the market.

As part of your business plan, it demonstrates that you have a firm understanding of your customers. Here are the other benefits gained by completing a market analysis:

Reduce risk

If you really understand your potential customers and market conditions, you’ll have a better chance of developing a viable product or service. It also helps you explore if your idea will work or not. If you determine that the market size can’t sustain your business, there are too many barriers, high starting costs, intense competition, or some other factor that would lead to a higher chance of failure—you can pivot and avoid wasting your hard-earned time and money.

Better position your business

Researching the market landscape will help you strategically position your business. This may be done through pricing, specific features, production/distribution, or any other method to differentiate your business and make it more attractive to your target audience.

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Verify product/market fit

Part of positioning your business is determining if there is a sustainable market for your business. This starts with segmenting and identifying your ideal customers. It then involves a process of gathering feedback, gauging interest, and finding any sort of demonstrable traction. To learn more about finding product market fit, check out the market research section of our Starting a Business Guide.

Inform investors

Research is not only valuable for informing you as a business owner but in convincing investors and lenders that your idea is worth funding. In many ways, the fact that you spent time pulling together viable information is just as important as the information itself. It shows that you care about finding success as a business owner and are willing to put in the work, even at this early stage.

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Content Author: Tim Berry

Tim Berry

Tim Berry is the founder and chairman of Palo Alto Software , a co-founder of Borland International, and a recognized expert in business planning. He has an MBA from Stanford and degrees with honors from the University of Oregon and the University of Notre Dame. Today, Tim dedicates most of his time to blogging, teaching and evangelizing for business planning.