Consumer Buying Habits

Consumer Buying Habits:

MediaMark Reporter (Internet Explorer Only) – Consumer buying and media habits

Consumer Expenditure Survey – Government statistics on consumer spending

Product Research: Idea generation

Places to start researching possible products:

ThomasNet http://www.thomasnet.com/

ToyInfo.Org http://www.toyinfo.org/

Playthings – The Business of Play http://www.playthings.com/

Toy Reviews & News http://www.toy-tma.com/

Dr. Toy’s Spotlight on the Toy Industry http://www.drtoy.com/spotlight_on_the_toy_industry/index.html

Toy Trends 2009

Associations

Toy Industry Association  http://www.toyassociation.org

Associations Unlimited – Database of thousands of regional, national and international associations.

Market Research

Conducting Market Research
Market research involves finding and analyzing competitor information, demographics, and industry information.

The databases and links available here will lead you to relevant, quality information. Further assistance is available by visiting the Reference Desk of the Management & Economics Library.

Identification and description of the customers

Describe the potential customers

Find statistics and demographic information

Identify a target selling price

Find similar products

Identify a target sales quantity

Determine how much it will cost to run your company and what the potential market will be

Customer and engineering requirements and target values

Review recent research and federal regulations

Descriptions and analysis of competitive products and relevant patents

Seek companies producing similar products
Conduct effective patent research

Other Resources

These books will be useful in market research and developing surveys:

Market Research books in the Purdue Libraries

Developing questionnaires books in the Purdue Libraries

Government Agencies

U. S. Patent and Trademark Office – Search the Patent & Trademark database to determine what has been invented by others.

Industry Overviews and Market Research

These resources will be best for finding information about your Industry and some Market Research:

Bizminer – Market & financial analysis for small and startup companies.

Global Market Information Database – Market research and statistics.

IBIS World – Market research reports.

MarketLine Business Information Centre -  Market research and company profiles.

Marketresearch.com Academic -  Market research reports.

Hoovers (free) – Toy Industry Overview
Hoovers (Library access – more information)  Switch to Power Search and limit to Hoover’s Profiles and Industry Reports.

Company Research

These databases will be the best resources for starting your company research:

ReferenceUSA (Krannert Only) – Company profile/directory database, brief information is provided.

ThomasNet – directory of companies, products, and services.

CatalogExpress – Access to catalogs or manufacturers for product and component information. Engineering and related disciplines.

Demographics

The following sources are the best place to start gathering information about the demographics of your market and potential customers:

U.S. Census Bureau – The central source for population, age and ethnicity statistics.

U.S. Statistical Abstract – A compilation of many sources this provides statistics on population, age, ethnicity and more.

STATS Indiana – Indiana demographic and economic statistics.

Articles

The following databases are the best resources for finding accurate and authoritative information from business publications.

ABI/Inform Global – Strong in general and academic business articles.

ABI/Inform Trade&Industry – Trade and Industry focused publications.

Business Source Premier – Strong in academic and regional business journals.