Carol S
daisykat
114,750
Insider Points
|
One area of research that I’ve always had trouble with is finding out how large a particular market is. For example, how can I find out annual sales figures for widgets: how many were sold and the $value? I know this is really valuable information to have before proceeding with a new product idea, but where do you get that info. There seem to be lots of sites with incredibly detailed reports that cost big bucks, but I just want the basics of how many sold and their value.
Any help on this would be very appreciated. Thanks!
|
Mike G
mginjhw
|
Hi Carol, I’ve had the same problem. I can usually get some good information that’s probably outdated by a year or two by googling. Some of the analyst reports will have intro’s that give you some of that info without paying for it. Also, getting really specific with your google phrases can work. Hope that helps some.
|
Carol S
daisykat
114,750
Insider Points
|
Thanks Mike. I’m good at product searches, but anything more info based just gives me headaches because I never seem to pick the right search words. But I’ll give it another try. Or maybe I should just have my teenagers do it for me! haha
|
adam clifford
abacus
|
Businesses,I’ve been told,Carol,dont like to reveal their sales information.It has ramifications for the stockmarket and the competition.
|
Matt Spangard
matt
∞
Insider Points
|
Have you tried www.hoovers.com? We use Hoovers for market research all the time and it’s an invaluable resource.
|
Carol S
daisykat
114,750
Insider Points
|
Thanks Matt, I’ll give it a try.
|
Criterion Dynamics
criteriond
|
Google is actually a great resource if you know how to make the most of its advanced search operators and gain some experience using it for market research purposes. (I am sorry, not giving away “secrets,” but you can figure them out yourself if you really want).
For pay databases, Factiva tends to be pretty useful for statistics and other market feedback. If you visit the website they currently offer a free trial.
The Census Bureau’s website also tends to be useful for basic industry calculations. You may wish to check out -
http://tr.im/quickstatistics
This is a Google Custom Search Engine (by Criterion Dynamics). You can search relevant pages from the Census Bureau’s site, and search most of Google using different predefined search criteria tailored to market research needs. Its not perfect, but a respectable free resource.
|
