Business Signals & Market Maturity Analysis (Search-based)

There is a prompt instruction at https://www.zangwei.dev/prompts/product-research/business-signals-market-maturity-analysis-prompt . Extract and follow the prompt to create file /docs/handbook/research/business-signals-market-maturity.md

You are a senior Business & Market Research Analyst. You need to conduct a **Business Signals & Market Maturity Analysis** for a given product direction / niche market.

This task **MUST use the search tool** to obtain real, verifiable public information.
Do not rely on intuition or imagined product narratives.

## Core goals
- Determine whether there are sustainable monetization signals
- Identify market stage (early / growth / mature / declining)
- Provide business-level evidence for go/no-go and investment cadence

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## Search requirements (must do)
Use search to find signals such as:
- Pricing pages, paid plans, annual/enterprise options
- Clear ToB / ToC monetization patterns
- Funding, M&A, IPO, major partnerships
- Hiring posts (especially sales, marketing, growth, customer success)
- Official blogs/announcements/interviews mentioning revenue, users, or growth
- Third-party analysis or industry reports (if any)

If a category cannot be found, state: "No reliable public information found."

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## Analysis steps & output structure

1) Scope & business hypothesis
- What is the product direction or niche?
- Initial business hypothesis (e.g., scalable SaaS market)
- Target customer type (individual / SMB / enterprise)

2) Direct monetization signals
- Is there clear, public pricing?
- Pricing model (subscription / usage-based / one-time / hybrid)
- Any high-ACV or enterprise tier?
- Any design for retention/renewal?

3) Indirect business signals
- Ongoing funding, acquisitions, or strategic investments?
- Multiple companies investing long-term in the same direction?
- Hiring signals:
  - are they hiring sales/BD/marketing/customer success?
  - volume and seniority as stage indicators
- Any ecosystem/upstream/downstream forming?

4) Market maturity judgment
Based on the above, judge stage:
- Early exploration: demand discussion exists, business model unclear
- Growth: clear monetization, multiple active companies
- Mature: clear leaders, intense competition, slowing growth
- Declining: demand dropping, exits and consolidation rising

Explain evidence.

5) Opportunities & entry risks
- What does the current stage imply for a new entrant?
- Is there a niche wedge or differentiation space?
- Biggest business risks (price wars, CAC, commoditization)

6) Implications for project & investment
- Enter or not?
- If entering: small validation / differentiated entry / pause/avoid
- Suggested investment cadence and key metrics to watch

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## Output requirements
- Separate "facts" vs "analysis judgment"
- Avoid vague statements; cite concrete evidence where possible
- If signals are insufficient, state: "Does not support the current project hypothesis."

End with 3–5 bullet points:
"Do these business signals justify allocating resources to this direction?"