Market/Industry
Doing Market Research
When doing market research, you are looking at the consumers. e.g. Who is buying, how much, from what firm, et cetera.
When doing industry research you are looking at who is operating in that industry. e.g. Who is manufacturing the product, how large are they, et cetera.
In order to see if there is room for you to enter the market you need to find out how big the market is, is it currently saturated with competition, what void would your product fill, who is already selling in the market, how strong are the current players in the market, and what does the industry look like overall.
- Market size
- Market share
- Industry profile
What if There Is No Data on My Market?
Sometimes there is no data or established market research covering a specific industry. This is often the case when a industry is fairly new--such as with technology related markets. It can also be difficult or impossible to find much data where an industry is very specialized or very secretive.
In these situations sources such as trade journals, industry associations, interviews, and articles may be your best source for information.
Feel free to email us for assistance.
How to: Research Consumer Markets
- How to: Research Consumer MarketsThis online guide gives a quick overview of the key resources the Management Library offers Cornell students, faculty, and staff for their consumer market research needs. It serves as an ideal starting point for researching consumer markets.
Market Research Resources
Use the following resources to find target consumer profile, usage behavior, attitudes, and other consumer-related information.
- Mintel AcademicOffers yearly market research reports covering UK, Europe, US and International consumer markets for products, markets and demographics. Analysis includes market sizes and forecasts, market trends, market segmentation, competitive context, broken down segment performances, retail channels, consumer demographics and survey results, leading companies, brand share, marketing strategies, and more.
- TechnavioTechnavio provides market research reports for a variety of global industries, including technology, healthcare, retail, energy, aerospace, consumer goods and automotive. Unlimited report viewing is available, but each Cornell email address is limited to 20 downloads per month.
- Frost & SullivanIn-depth market research and strategy reports with European and global coverage of the following areas: Aerospace & Defense; Automotive & Transportation; Chemicals, Materials and Food; Electronics & Security; Energy & Power Supplies; Environment & Building Technologies; Healthcare; Industrial Automation & Process Control; Information & Communication Technologies; Measurement & Instrumentation. Covers 1998 to present, updated as new reports are produced.
- StatistaStatista provides access to statistics and studies gathered by market researchers, trade organizations, scientific publications, and government sources on over 600 industries.
- SimplyAnalyticsSimplyAnalytics is a web-based mapping application that allows you to create thematic maps and reports using demographic, business, and marketing data for the United States. Excellent source for locating demographic and marketing data for specific geographic locations.
- PassportExcellent resource for international industries, countries, markets, and products. Market research reports, statistics, and analyst reports cover consumer market sizes, country market data, forecasts, consumer lifestyles, companies and brands, and many product & location specific reports.
- Mintel Global New Products DatabaseMonitors worldwide product innovation and new product activity in consumer packaged goods markets. Covers food, drink, household, beauty & personal care, healthcare, and pet sectors across key global markets.
- Sports Market AnalyticsSports Market Analytics provides searchable news and market research from the National Sporting Goods Association and other industry sources on all aspects of sporting goods, sports equipment, participation, demographics, fan profiles, sports finance, sponsorship, broadcasting, media, and marketing.
- Census Data: data.census.govA product of the US Census, data.census.gov is the replacement for American FactFinder. It includes data from the American Community Survey, 2010 Decennial Census, Economic Census, County Business Patterns and more.
- Mergent IntellectMergent Intellect is a highly flexible web-based application that features a deep collection of worldwide business information that enables companies to generate insightful business intelligence. Coupling Mergent's expertise in developing products for the reference marketplace with D&B's private company database, Mergent Intellect offers new and existing clients a unique opportunity to access private and public U.S and international business data, industry news, facts and figures, executive contact information, the ability to access industry profiles and much more.