Market Research & Consumer Data
What is Secondary Research?
This guide focuses on secondary research: reports and analyses completed by third-party companies, researchers, and analysts.
In addition to researching competitors, your industry, and potential consumers, you’ll want to explore articles and books about advertising and marketing for your specific product or service. Consider both recent (last 6 months) and long-term trends (last 5-10 years).
Target Markets
RKMA Handbooks provide a summary of market data for a specific industry.
Click to see industries
Find Customers
Books and websites about consumer behavior, spending, and attitudes.
Click to see Consumer categories
By Age
- Generation & Age (Pew): find the latest news and trends
- American Generations: Who They Are & How They Live
Spending Habits
Recent Trends
- Pew Research Center: public attitudes and economic trends
- Nielsen Newswire (Markets and Finances): business trends
- International Market Analyses: international sales trends
- Small Business Snapshots: Research reports on popular U.S. small business ideas
Gather Data
Recent and historical data will help you identify potential customers and competitors.
Click to see data sources
- Consumer Expenditure Survey: Annual survey of American consumer spending, income, and characteristics.
- American Time Use Survey: Annual survey of daily time spent in work, play, family, hobbies, and more.
- Small Business Data and Trends: Recent government data on credit use, spending, and employment.
Article Databases
These databases aggregate articles from press releases, trade publications, and scholarly journals. Search for specific trends, business and product ideas, consumer attitudes, and markets.
| Name | ProQuest Business Databases |
| Tip | Use the Peer-reviewed and source type filters |
| Name | Business Source Ultimate |
| Tip | Use the Peer reviewed and publication type filters |