Market & Industry Research Strategies

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.

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.

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.

Governments, IGOs/NGOs, and Regulators

Governments and IGOs/NGOs (like the World Bank) around the world tend to release a lot of economic, demographic, and industry data they collect.

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.