Whittemore Library: Marketing Resources: Secondary Sources

Customer Demographics

ABI/INFORM Collection This link opens in a new window
The database features thousands of full-text journals, dissertations, working papers, key business and economics periodicals such as the Economist, country-and industry-focused reports, and downloadable data. Its international coverage gives researchers a complete picture of companies and business trends around the world.

Consumer Expenditure Survey
Provides information on buying habits of American consumers, including data on their expenditures, income and consumer unit characteristics.
Pew Research Center
Conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research.
The American Time Use Survey (ATUS)
Measures the amount of time people spend doing various activities, such as paid work, childcare, volunteering, and socializing.
TrendWatching
Trend firm which offers some a free weekly newsletter and a few other resources.

WGSN This link opens in a new window
WGSN accurately forecasts consumer, lifestyle and product design trends, empowering our clients to make confident decisions, adapt and stay ahead of an ever-changing consumer landscape and rapidly escalating climate priorities. With a unique blend of global expert insights, unique data & analytics tools and cross-industry knowledge, WGSN helps businesses get ahead of the right trends.

Company Reports

Business Source Ultimate This link opens in a new window
Business Source Ultimate is Ebsco's largest database of Business resources. It includes over 1900 full text Business Journals, company profiles, interviews, market reports, and related video sources.

Country Commercial Guides
Published annually by U.S. embassies with the assistance of several U.S. government agencies. These reports present a comprehensive look at countries' commercial environments, using economic, political and market analysis.

Gale Business Insights This link opens in a new window
This Database contains a variety of business resources including in depth information, analysis, and news on companies, as well as in depth reports and analysis on industries. On top of this GBI provides access to over 4000 business publications.

Industry Reports

ABI/INFORM Collection This link opens in a new window
The database features thousands of full-text journals, dissertations, working papers, key business and economics periodicals such as the Economist, country-and industry-focused reports, and downloadable data. Its international coverage gives researchers a complete picture of companies and business trends around the world.
Gale OneFile: Business This link opens in a new window
Gale OneFile: Business provides full-text coverage of all business disciplines including accounting, economics, finance, marketing, management, and strategy, as well as business theory and practice. Users will understand the activities of companies and industries worldwide through nearly 4,000 leading business and trade publications, updated daily. Complementing these titles is a selection of international, U.S., and regional news publications

Country Reports

ABI/INFORM Collection This link opens in a new window
The database features thousands of full-text journals, dissertations, working papers, key business and economics periodicals such as the Economist, country-and industry-focused reports, and downloadable data. Its international coverage gives researchers a complete picture of companies and business trends around the world.

CIA World Factbook
Select a country from the pull-down menu labeled 'Please select a country to view' to see the full country report.
NationMaster
A statistics database which offers a large directory of variables for comparison purposes. A wide range of economic and demographic indicators are available, across 300 industry verticals (agriculture, consumer goods, ICT, Pharma). Composed of data from trustworthy sources such as national statistic agencies, governments, and international organizations.
U.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets
Brief synopses of U.S. relations with other nations.

Brands

ABI/INFORM Collection This link opens in a new window
The database features thousands of full-text journals, dissertations, working papers, key business and economics periodicals such as the Economist, country-and industry-focused reports, and downloadable data. Its international coverage gives researchers a complete picture of companies and business trends around the world.

Gov't Actions & Regulations

Current Bills in Congress
Current Bills under consideration in Congress.
Federal Register
Published by the Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) , the Federal Register is the official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as executive orders and other presidential documents. RSS feed available.
Laws Passed by the U.S. Congress (Advanced Legislation Search Tool)
Search for and learn about current bills and federal laws that have already passed. You can look up bills and laws by name, keywords, congressional session, or type of legislation.
Reginfo.gov
Published by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, Reginfo.gov provides reliable, transparent information about regulations under development.
Regulations.gov
Regulations.gov, launched in January 2003, removes the logistical barriers that made it difficult for a citizen to participate in the complex regulatory process. Through this website, the public can participate and impact Federal rules and regulations.

Market Segmentation

Population Census
The U.S. Census Bureau conducts the decennial census, annual American Community Survey and Current Population Survey. This vast repository of data is used by governments, businesses, universities, researchers and others go gain insight into the make-up of the population. Subjects include age, sex, race, income, home ownership, language spoken, etc. Data can also be accessed through the American Fact Finder.
Economic Census
The Economic Census is the major source of statistics for industries from the national to the local level. Taken every five years, with years ending in "2" and "7." Data can also be found using American Fact Finder to drill down to specific tables.
Explore Census Data
Replaces American Factfinder. Provides population, housing, economic, and geographic data in tables, graphs, and more from the U.S. census and surveys.
Statistical Abstract of the United States
The Statistical Abstract of the United States, published from 1878 to 2012, is the authoritative and comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States.

Articles about products & brands:

ABI/INFORM Collection This link opens in a new window
ABI/INFORM Complete is a comprehensive business database of over 4,055 journals, with more than 2,965 in full-text. Subjects covered include business and economic conditions, corporate strategies, management techniques, as well as competitive and product information. The full suite of databases consists of ABI/INFORM Global, Trade & Industry, Dateline, Archive and The Wall Street Journal, eastern edition.
Regional Business News This link opens in a new window
Weekly business newspapers from regions and cities across the U.S.

LexisNexis Academic
U.S. daily newspapers, wire services, industry and product-level trade journals, 1960s -

Demographic Data

American Factfinder
Census Bureau. Zip Code Statistics
Small Business Administration Statistics for Specific Industries
Labor Demographics
Consumer Expenditure Survey
The Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE) program consists of two surveys, the Quarterly Interview Survey and the Diary Survey, that provide information on the buying habits of American consumers, including data on their expenditures, income, and consumer unit (families and single consumers) characteristics. The survey data are collected for the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Market Share and Size

Business and Economy
Economic data across the economy from the U.S. Census.
Industry association websites
May provide free snippets of research on its members and the overall industry under "research" or "statistics." Try an open web search like: [industry description] + association

Industry Data

Current Industrial Reports
Monthly, quarterly and annual measures of industrial activity.
Economic Briefing Room
Current economic indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau.
FedStats
Clearning house for all U.S. Government agency statistical publications.
Statistical Abstract of the U.S.