Maclean Research & Intelligence
Research and market intelligence for the decisions behind investment, business growth and project delivery. Our focus is the parts of African economies that conventional datasets do not capture well, starting with South Africa.
Our research focus
How does commerce work beyond the conventional data picture?
Understand township commerce, informal retail, local supply chains, prices and business conditions. Connect what businesses experience on the ground to market-entry and service decisions.
Which opportunities have a credible route to delivery?
Examine project pipelines, infrastructure constraints, demand and implementation readiness. Translate investment signals into a view of the evidence, dependencies and next decisions.
Where is demand becoming an actionable opportunity?
Track procurement notices, buyer priorities, requirements and award patterns. Support opportunity screening, bid decisions and delivery planning with traceable sources.
What is changing, where, and what does it mean?
Bring local economic activity, sector conditions and market evidence into strategic planning. Separate observed changes from assumptions and explain the implications for a specific decision.
Research that informs execution
A market-entry brief, a view of procurement demand, or an assessment of infrastructure constraints should lead somewhere: a choice, a preparation plan or a better-defined project.
Research sits alongside Maclean’s advisory, project delivery and automation work. We can scope a commissioned study, a recurring intelligence brief or a research contribution to a wider programme.
Discuss a research briefThe publication programme
Planned publications.
No editions are available to download yet.
Flagship report
A grounded view of informal enterprises, trading conditions and the connections between local commerce and the wider economy.
Recurring monitor
Track how trading conditions, distribution and demand change across selected township markets.
Proposed index
Measure price movements in a defined basket across participating informal retailers.
Proposed index
Follow business owners’ expectations, trading experience and intentions through a repeat survey.
Longer-term research programme
Develop a comparable view of selected economic activity signals across African markets as reliable coverage grows.
Flagship outlook
Examine commercial opportunities, market constraints and infrastructure needs linked to informal economic activity.
The relationship with Switch LogisTech
Two distinct roles in the developing research model, connected by documented sources, methods and agreed rights to use the data.
Proprietary datasets, field collection, data engineering, analytical models, APIs and indices. Switch develops the underlying technical assets and the processes needed to keep them reliable.
Research, industry reports, advisory, strategy, market intelligence and decision support. Maclean connects the evidence to a client’s commercial question, implementation choices and delivery responsibilities.
Publication depends on validated coverage and agreed data access. Client delivery information is used in wider research only where the engagement permits it.
Our publication standard
Every release should identify its sources, collection period, geographic reach and permissions.
Sampling, definitions, weights and revisions belong alongside the findings. Pilot results are labelled as pilots.
We distinguish observation from inference, disclose research sponsorship and retain responsibility for the conclusions.
Work with Maclean
Tell us the market, geography and question you need to understand. We will define the evidence and scope required.