Company & Industry Research
Company Information:
- Company History
- Products in the line
- Product Categories
- Brand's mantra
- Competitors (industry)
Don't forget to check out Dewey's Bakery website and their competitors' websites!
- IBISWorldThis database will supply you with industry reports, to give you a larger context of the industry your market is in.
- StatistaUse search terms that describe industry, product or customer
- Data AxelUse the "US Businesses" section to find private competitors. Select the 'advanced search' tab. Under the business type filter, select the box for 'keyword/naics/sic' and then type in the industry name & select the industry. Update the count and view results to get a list of competitors in the industry.
- Nexis UniUse company or industry search terms, or the search terms suggested below to get started
- ProQuest Central (includes NC newspapers)Search by keywords that describe the industry or company name(s) or search terms suggested below to get started.
- The Business JournalsLocal business coverage can be very helpful when researching smaller, regional companies. Click here to learn how to access the American City Business Journals network, including the Triad and Charlotte Business Journals free of charge.
Suggested Search Terms:
- [company name]
- [industry name]
- "Cookie, Cracker & Pasta Production"
- "Cookie and Wafer Manufacturing"
- "Grocery Wholesaling"
- Search using specific competitors' names as search terms
Customer & Product Research
Consumer & Product Research:
- Brand awareness
- Image of brand
- Strengths & weaknesses of the brand
- Position in the market
- Consumer preferences and behaviors
Example:
- "cookies" AND consumers
- "baked goods" OR "snacks" AND consumers
- "Cookies" AND "consumer attitudes"
- "packaged baked goods" AND "consumer preferences"
- "packaged cookies"
- "cookies" AND "market share"
- "baked goods" AND "market size"
- (consumer type/segment) AND (product)
- Mintel ReportsThis is the best place to start since most of the content of this resource is market research.
- Simmons InsightsA consumer and media analysis tool based on the Simmons National Consumer Survey.
- ABI/INFORM CollectionUse the suggested search terms & limit results to trade publications and newspapers
- StatistaUse this for specific market statistics or look for the dossier reports. Keep your search terms relatively broad.
Tutorials for Simmons Insights V.1
Marketing Strategies
Questions to ask yourself when searching:
- Which market segment(s) of the category should be targeted?
- Potential areas of opportunity in category or brand?
- How would you grow the brand going forward?
- ABI/INFORM CollectionUse below suggested search terms to get started!
Search Term Suggestions:
- "cookie" OR "packaged cookie" AND trends
- (industry) AND (trends OR innovation)
- distribution AND (product or industry)
- "promotion strategies" AND (product or industry)
- (company or industry) AND partnerships
- (industry or product) AND "pricing strategies"
- SimplyAnalyticsMapping software
- eMarketerUnderstanding where consumers are going online, how they’re spending their money, and how marketers are reaching them through digital channels.
- AdAge.com Data Center (VPN required for off campus access)Useful source of statistics, facts, and special studies related to advertising and marketing.
- Winmo This link opens in a new windowFind data on advertising agencies, advertisers, key contacts, ad spends, media types, and more with this sales prospecting tool formerly known as the Advertising Red Books
