Category Analyst

The Category Analyst is one of the five Research analysts. It covers the market category itself: sizing, growth dynamics, and structural forces shaping the space. If you need to understand how big the opportunity is, what's driving it, and where the category is heading, this is the output to start with.

What it does

The analyst quantifies the category opportunity and the forces shaping it. You get TAM, SAM, and SOM where source data exists, along with base and optimistic projections. For target and priority geos, key markets are ranked by size, CAGR, accessibility, and whitespace.

The forces driving category evolution (trends, innovations, regulatory shifts) are mapped onto an importance vs. brand-readiness quadrant. Strategic patterns that don't fit the standard frame (regulatory positioning, technology shifts, adjacent-market opportunities) surface alongside.

Citations come from market research reports, industry analyses, government data, and any documents you've attached. The analyst notes when figures are estimates vs. directly cited so you can trace the basis of each claim.

Where to find it

Inside a brand or campaign, navigate to Research. After the Research run completes, the Category Analyst output appears as the first of five analyst tabs on the Research page.

How it works

When you start a Research run, all five analysts run in parallel. The Category Analyst reads the brand profile, the campaign brief if you're running campaign-scoped Research, and any documents you've attached. It then pulls additional category data from web research.

The analyst organizes its findings into the sections above and displays them on the Category tab. Category market data tends to be well-documented in published reports, which means the analyst has dense, structured source material to work from.

What you can adjust

Document attachment: Before starting a Research run, you can select documents from the Documents page (PDFs, Word files, Markdown, CSVs, Excel sheets) to attach as context. The analyst treats attached documents as high-priority input alongside web research. This is where prior market studies, custom sizing models, or internal reports can directly shape the output.

Refine: Use the Refine button after a run to submit feedback. Refining Category re-runs only this analyst; the other four carry forward unchanged. Prior versions stay in history. See Refine.

Limits and considerations

• Data sparsity for niche categories. TAM/SAM/SOM and CAGR figures are well-documented for established consumer markets. For niche B2B verticals or emerging categories, published data is thin, and the analyst will note where figures are estimates rather than directly cited. Prior market studies or internal sizing models attached from the Documents page are the most effective backfill.
• English-first source bias. Web research draws primarily from English-language sources, which can underweight non-Western markets in the sizing and trends sections.
• Quantitative slant. The Category Analyst prioritizes market structure and economic forces. For lifestyle, identity, or values-driven framings of the category, the Culture Analyst is the right complement.
• Beta software. Outputs are strong but not infallible. Validate cited numbers before briefing teams or committing budgets.