Glossary → PEST analysis
A framework for scanning the political, economic, social and technological factors that affect a market.
PEST analysis is a framework for scanning the macro environment around a business across four factors: political, economic, social and technological. Variants add legal and environmental factors, giving PESTLE. The goal is to surface external forces that could reshape a market before they catch you off guard.
PEST is a complement to competitor analysis, not a substitute. It covers the weather; competitive intelligence covers the other players on the field.
RivalDesk focuses on the competitive layer, watching what rivals actually do, while a PEST scan keeps the wider context in view alongside it.
RivalDesk puts a team of AI analysts on your competitors so the concepts in this glossary become a weekly briefing, not a research project.