Market Research Sprint with Claude

Use Claude Cowork to produce a competitive intelligence brief in 30 minutes.

Introduction

30 Second Summary

Market research is one of those tasks that everyone knows is important but few people enjoy doing. Hours of Googling, comparing pricing pages, and piecing together scattered data into a coherent picture.

In this project, you will delegate an entire market research workflow to Claude Cowork, producing a market sizing summary, competitive landscape brief, and tool evaluation matrix in about 30 minutes.

What You'll Build

A complete market research package produced by Claude Cowork, organized in a local folder on your computer with three structured Markdown deliverables.

By the end of this project, you'll have:

A Cowork project workspace configured with reusable instructions that Claude follows for future market research tasks.
A market sizing summary with TAM/SAM/SOM estimates and source citations.
A competitive landscape brief covering 3-5 competitors with positioning, pricing, strengths, and white space analysis.
A tool evaluation matrix comparing key vendors across criteria you define.
Secret Mission: Set up a scheduled weekly competitive intelligence scan that runs automatically every Monday morning.

Are there any prerequisites?

You need a paid Claude subscription (Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise) and the Claude Desktop app. No coding experience or additional tools are required.

Install and Set Up Claude Desktop with Cowork

Before you can delegate research tasks to an AI agent, you need a workspace where it can operate. Claude Desktop is a desktop application that brings Claude's capabilities directly to your computer.

In this step, you will install the Claude Desktop app, confirm that Cowork is available on your plan, and create a local folder where Cowork will save its research deliverables.

In this step, get ready to:

Install Claude Desktop from the official download page.
Verify the Cowork tab is visible in the mode selector.
Create a local market-research folder on your desktop.

Download and install Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop is available for macOS (macOS 11 or higher) and Windows (Windows 10 or higher).

Open your web browser and navigate to the Claude Desktop download page:
claude.ai/download
Click macOS if you are on a Mac, or Windows if you are on a PC.
Once the download completes, open the downloaded file to install it.

macOS

Open the .dmg file and drag Claude into your Applications folder.
Launch Claude from your Applications folder, or press Cmd+Space, type Claude, and press Enter.

Windows

Run the installer and accept the UAC prompt when it appears. Administrator privileges are required for Cowork to function.
Press the Windows key, type Claude, and press Enter to launch it.

Windows Cowork requirement

Claude Desktop for Windows requires the Virtual Machine Platform feature to be enabled for Cowork to work. If Cowork is unavailable after installation, open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName VirtualMachinePlatform -All -NoRestart

Restart your computer after running this command.

Why do I need a paid plan?

Cowork is available exclusively on paid Claude plans. It consumes more usage allocation than standard chat because complex multi-step tasks are compute-intensive and require more tokens.

Verify Cowork is available

Once signed in, you need to confirm that Cowork is accessible in your app.

Look at the top of the Claude Desktop window for a mode selector that shows Chat and a Cowork tab.

✔️ I see the Cowork tab

You are all set. Your paid plan includes Cowork access and you are ready to move on.

ⓧ I don't see the Cowork tab

Confirm you are signed in with a paid plan (Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise). Free plans do not include Cowork.
Check that your Claude Desktop app is up to date. On macOS, click Claude in the menu bar, then Check for Updates. On Windows, click Help, then Check for Updates.
Restart the app after updating.

What is Cowork?

Cowork is Claude's agentic mode for autonomous, multi-step knowledge work. You give it a goal and Claude works on your computer, reading and writing local files to return a finished deliverable.

Unlike regular chat where you coordinate each step, Cowork breaks tasks into subtasks and coordinates parallel workstreams on its own.

Create your working folder

Cowork saves its output files to a local folder on your computer. You will create a dedicated folder for this project's research deliverables.

Open your terminal. Press Cmd+Space (macOS) or the Windows key (Windows) to open your search bar.
Type Terminal (macOS) or PowerShell (Windows) and press Enter to open it.
Move to your Desktop by running this command:

cd ~/Desktop

Create the market-research folder by running this command:

mkdir market-research

Confirm the folder exists by running:

ls

You should see market-research listed in the output.

Don't see the folder?

Make sure you ran cd ~/Desktop first. Without it, the folder may have been created in your home directory instead.
On Windows, if ~/Desktop does not resolve, try cd $HOME\Desktop in PowerShell instead.

Help me create a folder on my Desktop using the terminal.

Your environment is ready. Next up, you will create a Cowork project and give Claude the context it needs to research your market.

Create Your Market Research Project in Cowork

Your tools are installed and your working folder is ready. Now you need to give Claude the context it needs to research your market intelligently.

A Cowork project is a persistent workspace that holds your folders, standing instructions, and memory across sessions. Without one, you would re-explain your business context every time you start a new task.

In this step, get ready to:

Create a new Cowork project linked to your existing folder.
Connect your market-research folder as the working directory.
Write project instructions that give Claude your business context and output preferences.

Create a project using your existing folder

Cowork projects collect everything Claude needs for a recurring area of work: folders, instructions, and memory. By creating a project now, every research task you run later starts with your context already loaded.

In the left navigation panel of Claude Desktop, find Projects and click the + button.
Select Use an existing folder from the three options shown.
Browse to and select the market-research folder on your Desktop.
Name your project something descriptive like Market Research - [Your Industry] so you can identify it in the sidebar later.

Why use an existing folder?

Cowork offers three starting points: start from scratch, import a Claude chat project, or use an existing folder. Since you already created the market-research folder in the previous step, the "Use an existing folder" option connects it directly as your project's working directory.

Any files Claude creates during research tasks will be saved into this folder automatically. You can find them in Finder (macOS) or File Explorer (Windows) at any time.

Write your project instructions

Project instructions are standing guidance that Claude reads before every task in the project. This is where you tell Claude who you are, what market you are exploring, and how you want outputs formatted.

In the project creation screen, find the Instructions text box.
Write instructions that cover the following four areas (adjust the details to match your actual situation):

Who you are: your role, company, or the perspective you are researching from.
What market you are exploring: the industry, product category, or opportunity area.
Geographic focus: which regions or countries your analysis should cover.
Output format: specify Markdown reports saved to the project folder (not slide decks or spreadsheets).

Here is an example to model yours on:

## Context
I am a product manager at a B2B SaaS startup exploring the project management tools market.

## Market Focus
- Industry: Project management and work collaboration software
- Geographic scope: North America and Western Europe
- Company stage: Early-stage, looking for underserved segments

## Output Preferences
- Save all deliverables as Markdown (.md) files in the project folder
- Include source citations for any claims or data points
- Structure reports with clear headings, bullet points, and a "So What" summary section
- Focus on actionable insights, not just descriptions

What makes good project instructions?

Think of instructions as the brief you would give a research analyst on their first day. The more specific you are about your situation, the more relevant Claude's research will be.

You can always update these later from the project's settings panel. For now, focus on giving Claude enough context to produce useful first drafts.

After writing your instructions, click Create to finish setting up the project.
Verify that your new project appears in the left sidebar under Projects.

Don't see your project in the sidebar?

Make sure you clicked Create after filling in the project details. If the project still does not appear, check that you are in the Cowork tab (not Chat) where the Projects section lives.

Help me find my Cowork project in the sidebar.

Confirm your folder is connected

When you created the project using your existing folder, Cowork automatically connected it as the working directory. Any files Claude produces will land in this folder.

Click on your new project in the sidebar to open it.
Look for the market-research folder listed under the project's context or folders section.
If you do not see it, click the project settings and add the folder manually by selecting Work in a folder in the chat bar when starting a task inside the project.

Why does the folder connection matter?

Without a connected folder, Claude would only show you research results inside the chat window. You would have to copy and paste each output manually.

With the folder connected, Claude saves finished Markdown files directly to market-research on your Desktop. You can open, edit, and share these files like any other document on your computer.

What is project-scoped memory?

Cowork projects have their own memory store that persists across sessions. This means Claude remembers what you discussed and decided in previous tasks within the same project.

Memory is scoped to each project individually. It does not transfer between projects or carry over to standalone Cowork sessions outside a project.

Your research workspace is configured. Next, you will put it to work by asking Claude to size your target market using real data and the TAM/SAM/SOM framework.

Run a Market Sizing Task

Your Cowork project is set up with context about who you are and what market you are exploring. Now it is time to put Claude to work on your first research task.

Before you can make strategic decisions about entering or competing in a market, you need to know how big the opportunity actually is. In this step, you will delegate a market sizing analysis to Claude and review what it produces.

In this step, get ready to:

Start a market sizing task using the TAM/SAM/SOM framework.
Review Claude's research plan before it begins pulling data.
Verify the output Markdown file includes sourced estimates.

Start your market sizing task

Market sizing uses a framework called TAM/SAM/SOM to estimate the total opportunity, the portion you can realistically reach, and the slice you can capture. This gives you concrete numbers to ground your strategy.

In your Cowork project, click the text input area to start a new task.
Type a prompt that asks Claude to research and size your target market using the TAM/SAM/SOM framework. Use the example below as a starting point, replacing the placeholder with your own market:

Research and size the market for [[YOUR_MARKET="e.g., AI-powered customer support tools in North America"]].

Use the TAM/SAM/SOM framework:
- TAM: Total addressable market (everyone who could theoretically buy)
- SAM: Serviceable addressable market (the segment we can reach with our model)
- SOM: Serviceable obtainable market (realistic capture in year 1-2)

For each level, provide a dollar estimate and explain your reasoning. Cite your sources (analyst reports, public filings, industry publications). Save the output as a Markdown file called market-sizing.md in my connected folder.

What makes this prompt effective?

The prompt names a specific framework (TAM/SAM/SOM) so Claude structures its analysis consistently. It asks for dollar estimates with reasoning, not just vague descriptions.

Requesting cited sources pushes Claude to ground claims in real data rather than generating plausible-sounding numbers. The file-save instruction tells Claude exactly where and how to deliver the output.

Press Enter to submit the task.

Customize your prompt freely

You do not need to copy the example word for word. Add details about your specific geography, customer segment, or time horizon. The more context you give, the more relevant Claude's analysis will be.

Review Claude's research plan in the sidebar

After you submit the task, Claude builds a research plan before it starts pulling data. You can review this plan in the sidebar to make sure it covers the right angles.

Look at the sidebar on the right side of the Cowork interface. Claude displays its approach and the subtasks it plans to execute.
Check that the plan covers the market segments relevant to your business.
Check that the plan includes your target geography (or geographies).
If something important is missing, type a follow-up message telling Claude to include it before it finishes. For example: "Also break down the SAM by enterprise vs. SMB segments."

Why review the plan first?

Cowork is designed to run autonomously, but steering early is much faster than asking Claude to redo finished work. A quick check at this stage saves you from getting a polished report about the wrong market segment.

Once you are satisfied the plan looks right, let Claude continue working. Keep the Claude Desktop app open while it runs.

Claude stopped mid-task?

Claude Desktop must remain open while Claude is working. If you close the app or your computer goes to sleep, the task stops. Reopen the app and ask Claude to resume where it left off.

If Claude seems stuck or is taking a very long time, you can type a message to check its progress or nudge it forward.

Help me troubleshoot why Claude stopped working on my market sizing task.

Review the market sizing output

When Claude finishes, it saves the completed file to your connected folder. The output should be a structured Markdown document with estimates at each level of the TAM/SAM/SOM framework.

Open your market-research folder on your Desktop using Finder (macOS) or File Explorer (Windows).
Confirm you see a market sizing Markdown file (Claude may name it market-sizing.md or something similar based on your prompt).
Open the file in any text editor or Markdown viewer.

Now verify the quality of the output. Check for these three things:

TAM, SAM, and SOM sections are present with dollar estimates for each.
Each estimate includes reasoning that explains how Claude arrived at the number.
Source citations appear (analyst reports, industry publications, or public data). These confirm Claude grounded its analysis in real information rather than generating plausible numbers.

What if citations look wrong or are missing?

Claude's outputs should be treated as editable first drafts, not finished work. If sources are missing or an estimate seems off, go back to the Cowork task and ask Claude to add citations or recalculate a specific section. You can also verify key claims by searching for the cited sources yourself.

File not appearing in your folder?

Make sure the task has fully completed. Check the Cowork interface to see if Claude is still working. If the task finished but no file appeared, ask Claude in a follow-up message: "Please save the market sizing analysis as market-sizing.md in my connected folder."

Help me figure out why Claude did not save a file to my connected folder.

You now have a structured market sizing document grounded in real data. Next, you will ask Claude to map out the competitive landscape so you know exactly who else is playing in this space.

Generate a Competitive Landscape Brief

Your market sizing document gives you the "how big" picture. Now you need the "who else" picture.

Knowing your competitors' positioning, pricing, and blind spots is what turns a market opportunity into an actionable strategy. In this step, you will delegate a competitive landscape analysis to Claude and get back a structured brief that highlights exactly where the openings are.

In this step, get ready to:

Start a competitive landscape task in your Cowork project.
Steer Claude mid-task to refine competitor coverage or analysis depth.
Review the finished brief for actionable positioning insights.

Start a competitive landscape task

A competitive landscape brief profiles the key players in your market. It goes beyond listing names to analyze how each competitor is positioned, what they charge, who they serve, and where they leave gaps you could fill.

In your Cowork project, click the text field to start a new task.
Type a prompt asking Claude to identify and profile 3-5 key competitors in your market.
In your prompt, specify that each competitor profile should cover: pricing model, target audience, key features, recent strategic moves, strengths, weaknesses, and white space they are not addressing.
Ask Claude to end the brief with a "So What" section that ties findings back to your positioning and identifies clear openings in the market.
Press Enter to submit the task.

Be specific about your competitors

If you already know some competitors in your market, name them in your prompt. Claude will still research and verify the details, but naming them upfront ensures the brief covers the players you care about most.

After you submit, Claude builds a research plan you can review in the sidebar before it starts pulling data.

Check the sidebar to see Claude's approach. Confirm it covers the right competitors and market segments.
Let Claude run. Keep the Claude Desktop app open while it works.

Why review the plan first?

Claude breaks complex work into smaller tasks and coordinates parallel workstreams. Reviewing the plan lets you catch misunderstandings early. If Claude picked the wrong competitors or is focusing on the wrong geography, it is cheaper to correct course now than after the full analysis is done.

Steer Claude mid-task if needed

Cowork tasks are not fire-and-forget. You can jump in at any point to adjust the direction without starting over.

While Claude is working, check the progress in the task thread.
If Claude is missing a competitor you know about, type a follow-up message naming that competitor and asking Claude to add it to the brief.
If the analysis feels too surface-level, ask Claude to go deeper on a specific dimension (for example, "Go deeper on pricing models and how each competitor monetizes free users").
If everything looks on track, let Claude finish without interrupting.

When should I steer vs. let it run?

Steer when Claude has picked the wrong targets or is missing something obvious. Let it run when the plan looks reasonable. Over-steering defeats the purpose of delegation.

Think of it like managing an analyst. You would correct a wrong direction immediately, but you would not micromanage every paragraph.

Review the competitive brief

Once Claude finishes, it saves the competitive landscape brief as a Markdown file in your market-research folder.

Open your market-research folder on your Desktop.
Locate the competitive landscape Markdown file Claude saved.
Open the file and check that it profiles 3-5 competitors.
For each competitor, verify that the brief covers: pricing model, target audience, key features, recent strategic moves, strengths, weaknesses, and white space.
Scroll to the "So What" section at the end. Check that it ties the findings back to your positioning and identifies clear openings you could pursue.

What makes a good "So What" section?

A good "So What" does not just summarize what competitors are doing. It identifies specific gaps, underserved segments, or positioning weaknesses that create an opportunity for you.

If the section feels generic ("there is room for differentiation"), ask Claude a follow-up: "Be more specific about which gaps I could exploit given my strengths."

Brief feels shallow or missing competitors?

If the brief only covers 1-2 competitors, or the profiles feel thin, start a follow-up message in the same task thread asking Claude to expand. Name the missing competitors or ask for deeper analysis on specific dimensions.

If the file did not appear in your folder, check that your market-research folder is still connected to the project. You should see it referenced in the chat bar area.

Having trouble getting useful competitive insights?

You now have both the market size and the competitive landscape mapped out. Next up, you will ask Claude to evaluate specific tools or vendors relevant to your market, giving you a structured comparison to inform your strategy.

Build a Tool Evaluation Matrix

You now have market sizing data and a competitive landscape mapped out. The final piece of strategic intelligence is knowing which tools and vendors can help you execute in this market.

A tool evaluation matrix gives you a structured comparison of your options. Instead of scattered browser tabs and half-remembered demos, you get a single document that makes the decision clear.

In this step, get ready to:

Start a tool evaluation task in your Cowork project.
Define evaluation criteria for comparing tools or vendors.
Review the matrix and drill into the top-ranked option.

Start a tool evaluation task

Your market sizing and competitive landscape gave you the "what" and the "who." Now you need the "how." The tools and vendors in your space determine what's possible to build, integrate, or buy.

These could be tools you would use to enter the market, or tools your customers already use that you would integrate with.

Return to your Cowork project in Claude Desktop.
Click the text input area to start a new task within the same project.
Type a prompt asking Claude to evaluate 3-5 tools or vendors relevant to your market. Be specific about what category of tools you want compared.

What kind of tools should you evaluate?

Think about two angles. First, tools you would use to build or launch in this market (e.g., platforms, APIs, infrastructure). Second, tools your target customers already rely on that you might need to integrate with.

Pick whichever angle is more relevant to your current decision. You can always run the other angle as a separate task later.

Specify your evaluation criteria

A matrix is only as useful as the criteria it compares. Generic criteria lead to generic answers. Your specific constraints and priorities make the output actionable.

In your task prompt (or as a follow-up message if you already sent it), specify the criteria you want Claude to evaluate each tool against:

Pricing (free tier, per-seat, usage-based, enterprise pricing).
Ease of integration (API quality, documentation, SDKs, time-to-first-value).
Feature coverage (does it handle your core use cases out of the box).
Community and support quality (active forums, response times, documentation depth).
Deal-breakers specific to your situation (e.g., must support a certain region, must have SOC 2 compliance, must offer self-hosted option).

Add at least one deal-breaker criterion that reflects a real constraint for your situation. This is what separates a useful matrix from a generic comparison table.
Send your task and review Claude's research plan in the sidebar before it begins working.
Let Claude run autonomously to produce the evaluation matrix.

Why review the plan first?

Claude builds a research plan you can review in the sidebar before it starts pulling data. If it's targeting the wrong tool category or missing a vendor you care about, you can steer it now rather than waiting for a finished output that misses the mark.

Keep Claude Desktop open

The Claude Desktop app must remain open while Claude is working. If you close it or your computer goes to sleep, the active task will stop.

Review the matrix and ask a follow-up question

Once Claude finishes, it saves the evaluation matrix as a Markdown file in your market-research folder. Your job is to verify the output and then push deeper on the most promising option.

Open your market-research folder on your Desktop and confirm that a new Markdown file for the tool evaluation matrix has appeared.
Open the file and scan the matrix. Check that each tool has entries across all your specified criteria.
Identify which tool Claude ranked highest or recommended.

What should I look for in the matrix?

A good evaluation matrix does not just list features. It highlights trade-offs and makes a recommendation clear. Look for whether Claude surfaced any deal-breaker failures and whether the ranking logic makes sense given your criteria.

Remember that Cowork outputs are editable first drafts. If a tool is missing or a criterion is scored incorrectly based on your knowledge, note it for correction.

Back in your Cowork task, type a follow-up question that drills into the top-ranked option. Ask Claude to expand on a specific dimension.

For example, you might ask about the tool's migration path from free to enterprise tier, its biggest customer complaints, how its roadmap aligns with your needs, or what the onboarding experience looks like for a team of your size.

Review Claude's follow-up response. This deeper analysis gives you the detail you need to make a confident decision.

Matrix missing a tool you expected?

If Claude left out a vendor you know belongs in the comparison, send a follow-up message naming the tool and asking Claude to add it to the matrix. Because you are in a project with context, Claude remembers your criteria and can slot it in.

Help me figure out why Claude missed a tool in my evaluation matrix.

Your market-research folder now holds a complete set of market intelligence: sizing data, competitor profiles, and a tool evaluation matrix. You have everything you need to make strategic decisions backed by structured research.

Secret mission

Schedule a Weekly Competitive Intelligence Scan

You have a complete market research package. But markets move fast. What if Claude could monitor your competitors automatically every week and deliver a fresh intelligence brief without you lifting a finger? In this secret mission, you will set up a recurring scheduled task that scans your competitive landscape every Monday morning.

Clean Up Your Resources

Decide whether to keep your resources running, pause them to come back later, or delete them entirely. This project uses Claude Desktop and local files. No separate charges exist beyond your Claude subscription, but your scheduled weekly task consumes usage allocation each time it runs.

Resources you used:

market-research folder on your Desktop (contains market-sizing.md, competitive-landscape.md, and tool-evaluation-matrix.md).
Cowork project with market research tasks and project instructions.
Scheduled weekly competitive intelligence scan (visible in the Scheduled section of the left sidebar).
Claude Desktop app.

Keep everything running

No action needed. Choose this if you plan to keep using your Cowork project for ongoing market research.

Your market-research folder stays on your Desktop for reference.
Your Cowork project retains all context and instructions for future tasks.
Your scheduled weekly scan continues to run every Monday at 6 AM, consuming usage allocation each time.
Claude Desktop stays installed on your machine.

Pause - I'll come back to this later

Cancel your scheduled task to stop it from consuming usage allocation while you are away. Keep everything else intact so you can resume later.

Open the Scheduled section in the left sidebar of Claude Desktop.
Find your weekly competitive intelligence scan and delete it to stop future runs.
Leave your market-research folder and Cowork project in place. When you return, you can reschedule the task using /schedule again.

Delete - I don't want to use this again

Remove all project resources and start fresh.

Cancel your scheduled task: open the Scheduled section in the left sidebar and delete your weekly competitive intelligence scan.
Delete your Cowork project: locate the project in the Claude Desktop sidebar, open its options menu, and remove it.

Delete the local folder by running this command on macOS or Linux:

rm -rf ~/Desktop/market-research

On Windows, open PowerShell and run:

Remove-Item -Recurse -Force ~\Desktop\market-research

To uninstall Claude Desktop:

On macOS: open Finder, go to Applications, find Claude, and drag it to the Trash.
On Windows: open Settings, select Apps, then Apps & features. Find Claude and click Uninstall.

That's a Wrap!

Nice work! You just turned hours of manual market research into a 30-minute delegation workflow powered by Claude Cowork.

You've learned how to:

Set up Claude Cowork as an autonomous research agent that produces structured deliverables saved directly to your computer.
Produced investor-grade market intelligence including TAM/SAM/SOM sizing, competitive landscape profiling, and a tool evaluation matrix.
Created a reusable project workspace with persistent instructions and context that makes future research tasks faster to delegate.
Secret Mission: Configured a scheduled weekly competitive intelligence scan that delivers fresh monitoring briefs automatically every Monday morning.

Ready to quiz yourself?