Market research software for desk research that cites everything

Survey platforms and panels ask people questions. They are the right choice when you need to know what a specific audience thinks and no one has published it, for example how many of your users would pay for a new add-on.

Desk research, also called secondary research, works with what is already public, such as company websites, pricing pages, reviews, job listings, filings, regulation and news. It answers questions like who sells this, at what price, to whom, and how is that changing. Most strategy questions start here, and most teams spend weeks on it.

MarketAgent is desk research software. It does not run surveys, recruit panels or conduct interviews. It does the secondary research thoroughly and fast, so any primary research you commission is sharper and cheaper.

You ask a question in plain language in the research module. The agent plans the work, reads sources and returns a report with a clear structure, an answer up front and the evidence below it.

• Executive answer in a few sentences
• Market map with segments and players
• Competitor table with pricing, positioning and recent moves
• Customer view from review mining, with common complaints and switching reasons
• Trends and regulation that affect the question
• Sizing where relevant, with method and Estimate labels
• Source list with capture dates

Desk research is not only about competitors. Public reviews contain thousands of unprompted opinions about what buyers like, what frustrates them and why they switch. The customer insights module groups those reviews into themes per competitor, which often answers questions teams would otherwise put into a survey.

It does not replace talking to your own customers, but it tells you what to ask them and which hypotheses are worth testing.

A practical sequence many teams follow is simple. Run desk research first to learn who competes, at what price and with which complaints. Then design a short survey or a handful of interviews around the open questions that remain. The primary research gets smaller, faster and more focused, because the public facts are already settled and sourced.

Consultants use it to prepare proposals and first drafts for clients, see market research for consultants. Founders use it before board meetings and fundraises. Investors use it for a quick market view during screening. Strategy teams use it for market entry questions and to keep a watch on adjacent categories.

If you want to see the depth before buying, browse the sample reports, which are complete examples with every source left in place.