Perplexity VS GPT Search for Business Research

I was listening to a Podcast which was talking about using Perplexity as a next-level research tool;

Such as

Industry trends
Competitor analysis
Client research (e.g. who they’re collaborating with, where they’re advertising, which influencers they use)

This is the detailed breakdown GPT gave me after listening / summarising the audio from the podcast.

Having not really used Perplexity, I was wondering if GPT had the same capabilities with its search, and if its able to go into THIS much detail?

🔍 Using Perplexity AI for Research, Competitor Analysis & Industry Trends

1. Research that actually saves you time

Most people “research” by Googling and clicking through 37 tabs. Perplexity skips that pain. You pop in a question, and it synthesises info from multiple credible sources, then spits out a clear, cited response. No fluff. No SEO-stuffed blog posts. Just actual insights.

Use Cases:

Summarise 10+ articles into one paragraph (with links to the originals if you want to dig deeper)
Get instant overviews of complex topics (e.g. “What are the top UX trends in 2025?”)
Quickly understand technical stuff without reading whitepapers
Ask follow-ups like “Can you simplify that?” or “How would I apply this to an eCommerce brand?”

2. Competitor Analysis on Steroids 🕵️‍♀️

This is where Perplexity really flexes. You can literally ask it to spy on your competition (ethically, of course).

Example prompts:

“What influencers is [Brand X] currently working with?”
“Where is [Brand Y] spending their ad budget?”
“What podcasts or media features have included [Brand Z]?”
“Summarise [Brand A]’s current positioning and tone of voice.”

It can pull insights from:

Press mentions
Social media activity
Job listings (yep, hiring patterns say a lot)
Sponsorships and collaborations
Ad campaign data
Public filings and reports

Use this to:

Benchmark your brand against others
Find white space in the market
Get inspo for your next launch or strategy doc

3. Spotting Industry Trends – Fast & Early

Instead of waiting for trend reports or downloading a 78-page McKinsey PDF, Perplexity can tell you:

What’s currently trending in your niche
What’s emerging but hasn’t gone mainstream yet
What people are talking about (based on forums, media, etc.)

Smart prompt examples:

“What are the key marketing trends for DTC brands in 2025?”
“Summarise what industry leaders are saying about AI in design”
“What are Gen Z consumers shifting toward in wellness & skincare?”

You can ask it to:

Pull from multiple global markets
Filter by year, industry, or even compare trends across regions
Create summaries you can drop straight into presentations or social content

4. Pro Tips to Go Deeper

Feed it context: The more info you give it, the smarter the results. e.g. “I run a boutique design studio in South Africa. What trends should I know about in XYZ?”
Use follow-ups: Ask it to simplify, summarise, or give examples
Check citations: Everything is linked so you can verify or dig deeper
Export content: Use it to generate outlines, captions, blog content, or even sales angles based on the data

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