Session Report: Masterclass on “Market Research Using Excel: Competitor Analysis & Insights”

The masterclass on “Market Research Using Excel: Competitor Analysis & Insights” was successfully conducted on 01 May 2026 via Google Meet, witnessing an active participation of 85 attendees from diverse academic and professional backgrounds. The session was designed to provide a practical understanding of how Excel can be used as a powerful tool for market research, particularly in analyzing competitor performance and deriving actionable insights.

The session commenced with a brief introduction to the concept of market research, where participants were introduced to its importance in understanding market dynamics, identifying trends, and supporting strategic decision-making. The facilitator emphasized that market research is not limited to data collection but extends to interpreting data in a way that leads to meaningful business insights.

Following the introduction, the focus shifted to competitor analysis as a key component of market research. Participants were guided on how brands evaluate their competitors based on various performance indicators such as reach, engagement, and content activity. The session highlighted the relevance of analyzing publicly available data, especially from digital platforms, to understand how brands position themselves in the market.

A major part of the session was dedicated to hands-on demonstration using Excel. Participants were introduced to a structured dataset comprising multiple brands, platforms, and time-based data points. The facilitator demonstrated how raw data can be transformed into useful metrics by creating calculated fields such as total engagement, engagement rate, and engagement per post. This helped participants understand how to move from basic data to meaningful analysis.

The session further covered the use of Pivot Tables to summarize large datasets efficiently. Participants learned how to generate brand-wise and platform-wise insights, enabling them to compare performance across competitors. The use of charts, including bar graphs and line charts, was demonstrated to visualize data trends and make interpretation easier. This part of the session reinforced the importance of visual storytelling in market research.

In addition to basic analysis, the session introduced participants to more advanced concepts such as ranking competitors based on performance and building a weighted scoring model. This model combined multiple metrics to provide an overall view of brand strength, helping participants understand how decision-making frameworks are developed in real-world scenarios.

A key highlight of the session was the discussion on identifying market gaps and opportunities. Participants were shown how to interpret patterns in data, such as identifying brands with high reach but low engagement or those with strong engagement but low activity levels. These insights were then translated into strategic recommendations, demonstrating how data analysis directly contributes to business decision-making.

The session also briefly touched upon correlation analysis to understand relationships between variables, such as the impact of posting frequency on engagement. This provided participants with a deeper analytical perspective and encouraged them to think beyond surface-level observations.

Towards the end of the session, participants were introduced to the concept of building a simple dashboard in Excel. This included combining key metrics, charts, and filters to create a consolidated view of market performance. The facilitator emphasized that such dashboards are commonly used by professionals to monitor and evaluate brand performance on an ongoing basis.

The session concluded with a summary of key learnings, reinforcing the idea that Excel is not just a data management tool but a powerful platform for conducting market research and generating insights. Participants were encouraged to apply the concepts learned during the session to real-world scenarios and continue exploring Excel for analytical purposes.

Overall, the masterclass was well-received, with active engagement from participants throughout the session. The practical approach, combined with real-world examples, ensured that attendees were able to grasp both the conceptual and technical aspects of market research using Excel. The session successfully met its objective of equipping participants with foundational skills in competitor analysis and data-driven decision-making.