MCL Reference Dept.-- market research

Market Research

Demographic data Who are your customers? Where do they live? Can they afford to buy your products? This information is essential to your market plan. Census data is free and readily available on the Internet.

MCL's statistics page...Census, state, local & commerical links
American FactFinder.....Census 2000 results
Census reports.....complete list of all Census products...look for children, hispanic origin, computer ownership, college enrollment and more!
Consumer Expenditure Survey.....how Americans spend their money
County and City Data Book.....complete document is available at most public libraries...this web site offers city rankings
Current Population Surveys.....current statistics on race, education, earnings and other popular topics
EASI Quick Reports & Analysis.....fill out the form indicating geographic area and type of report...free!
New Jersey numbers.....population profiles, employment data and income statistics
Zip codes by county...and other free products from MelissaData
BOOKS
Annual Survey of Buying Power (Sales & Marketing Management Magazine)
Lifestyle Market Analyst (Standard Rate & Data Service)
Sourcebook of Zip Code Demographics (CACI).

Government statistics & reports
Our federal government reports domestic industry data by Standard Industrial Classification code (SIC). This four digit numbering system is revised periodically to accomodate new industries and technology. The SIC is also used by commercial publishers (Dun & Bradstreet, Standard & Poor's and many popular business databases) to report market data. If you are currently following a specific industry, you need to know that the current four digit SIC code is being replaced by the new North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). For the time being, you can still use the 1987 SICs.

U.S. Census Bureau Home Page
.....more than people information! search by keyword or browse by topic
FedStats (Federal Interagency Council on Statistical Policy)
.....quick access to statistical data reported by 70 federal agencies
Statistical Abstract of the United States
.....best place to begin searching for basic economic, trade and consumer data
County Business Patterns (U.S. Department of Commerce)
.....number and size of establishments, arranged by SIC Codes; national and state reports available

Industry data
Access to data gathered by trade associations varies. Some organizations offer extensive databases of free information, others limit data access to their paid membership. Your public library can help you identify major associations (and their URLs) by subject.

Internet Intelligence Index
.....Fuld's guide to industry-specific internet resources...some free, some fee
Internet marketing data: ClickZ & Pew Internet & American Life Project
.....demographics, industries, traffic & trends
BOOKS & LIBRARY DATABASES
Business and Company Resource Center, profiles hundreds of industries by SIC, includes links to companies, news and investment research reports [database]
Market Share Reporter, annual compilation of data culled from industry sources [book]
Standard & Poors Industry Surveys, profiles 50 major industries [book]

Competition
Which companies are engaged in the same business & where do they rank?

Reference USA, compile target lists of companies by industry, size and location [database] available from home (library card required)
Wards Business Directory, companies ranked by SIC/sales; total U.S. and by individual states [book]

[NOTE: our library owns several industry-specific directories which list companies and products. Please ask the reference librarians for assistance.]

News
Need to track industry trends? Recent mergers? New products? MCL offers several excellent databases covering trade journals, consumer magazines and newspapers. You can access several databases from home. Many articles are available full-text. Need more?

Business News New Jersey
.....type in telecommunications or office space...MCL owns back issues or you can purchase reprints directly from the publisher
PR Newswire
.....read latest events in the hottest industries
Patents
.....search by company, inventor, classification or keyword
Yahoo! Industry News
.....latest developments culled from current sources
Yahoo!list of trade magazines
.....scan current headlines...or...search the archives for background information

Advertising Age.....searchable archive dates back to 1995...dataplace rankings offer popular charts
Adweek.....also current articles from Mediaweek and Brandweek
American Demographics.....searchable from home, many articles available full-text.
GoogleGroups.....newsgroup postings are full-text and keyword searchable (try shampoo and favorite)
PollingReport.com...latest results on politics, business & the American scene
Public Opinion Poll Database.....free data from Louis Harris and other major polling organizations...simply fill out the form!