Market & Industry Research Strategies
Introduction
The following resources can be used to research market and industry research strategies.
While these resources are generally the most relevant, there may be other resources available. If you are looking for something in particular or cannot find a lot of information about a niche segment, please Ask Us.
Reports & What To Do Next
Start with Reports
Reports provide written overviews, helpful statistics, and give you a sense of where the analyst thinks the industry or market is headed. New, niche, and disruptive industries are often harder to find represented in existing reports.
Then, Explore the Many Other Options
This guide has suggestions for when you can't find a report or you want more information. See also industry-specific guides.
Not sure where to start? The following resources aggregate statistics and information from many sources on a wide range of industries and topics. Use these as a starting point to find additional sources to investigate further.
- Statista This link opens in a new windowStatistics on many topics, industries, and markets. Use the Source tab on the chart page to track down more data. Go to Insights > Consumer Insights to get country-level consumer behavior and brand preference data.
- ProQuest Statistical Insight This link opens in a new windowStatistical data from U.S. government publications (1973-), state government and private sources (1981-), and international organizations (1983-).
- RKMA Market Research Handbook Series This link opens in a new windowUse these market research handbooks for quick facts and to find more sources. Covers U.S. industries like restaurants, healthcare, sports, and travel.
For: Current Stanford faculty, staff, and students.
More Industry Analysis, Insights, Statistics, & Data
There are so many groups, beyond industry and market report providers, who provide insight, data, and statistics about industries.
Industry Associations
Industry and trade association websites often contain industry news and information, although some data may be available to members only. Look for sections called: "news," "research," "resources," "library," or "data."
Industry Analyst Reports
Analyst reports are written by Wall Street analysts and typically focus on factors that would influence a public companies performance. Analyst reports can be focused on companies, industries, or regions.
Industry News & Publications
Sometimes, the only information available are from news and trade outlets (i.e. AdAge, Chronicle of Higher Education, Auto News Daily, etc.). You can get some access through search engines, but for more advanced searching and more coverage try the following.
- Search Business News & Trade ArticlesOne great way to learn about an industry, market, or product, is to scour news and industry media outlets for information.
Government Data & Reports
US Government
The US government creates a lot of data and reports that are available online, but can sometimes be hard to find.
For example, if you're looking for market information on the organic whole chicken (broilers) market the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service has production, sales, and inventory data for the past 20 years, the USDA Economic Research Service provides market outlook for poultry and eggs, and the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service provides news briefs on the organic poultry market.
Here are some places to start if you're not sure what agency would have information:
- Google your topic + location (if necessary) + site:.gov (or .mil, if US focused) + filetype:pdf. Example: [organic broiler industry site:.gov filetype:pdf]
- CRS ReportsDetailed reports from the Congressional Research Service which supports members of Congress.
- Data.govA portal to search the US Governments' open data and can point you to data sources and relevant agencies.
- Data USACharts and data on places, industries, jobs, and higher education in the U.S. Use the source information to locate more data.
- Statistical Abstract of the U.S. This link opens in a new windowSummary of U.S. social, political, and economic statistics. Use source to locate more data.
Non-US Government Data
For non-US market and industry data and analysis, you can try searching government websites for the countries in question (sometimes you will need to be able to read the nation's language, as not all websites will have an English version).
You can search via Google limiting to country codes, or do a general Google search [country + industry + data]
Regulators
Regulators can be government agencies (like the FDA for pharmaceuticals in the US) or professional groups that control professional standards and licenses. Many of these organizations collect and make available all sorts of data and information. If you can't find it on their website contact them to see if they have additional information.
NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations)
NGOs, like the United Nations (UN) or World Bank also collect and distribute lots of reports, analysis, news, and data on markets and industries around the world. You can find a lot through searching online along with the organization's name. Particularly helpful organizations to look at are:
- World Bank Data This link opens in a new windowIncludes World Development Indicators (WDI), Global Development Finance (GDF), Africa Development Indicators (ADI), Global Economic Monitor (GEM), etc.
- World Bank e-Library This link opens in a new windowThe World Bank's periodicals, books, working papers and studies.
- IMF Data This link opens in a new windowData from International Monetary Fund (IMF) sources, including Balance of Payments Statistics, Direction of Trade Statistics, Government Finance Statistics, and International Financial Statistics.
Access: To download data, create an account with your Stanford email.
- Last Updated: May 5, 2023 3:22 PM
- URL: https://libguides.stanford.edu/library/industry-strategies
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