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Research for Alumni

Library databases with market research content

Our specific market research database are: Marketline and IBISWorld - both on campus only, See below.

Other resources will have market research content within them, such as the Fitch reports in ProQuest Direct.

Searching the web

Some web searching suggestions:

1. Think about your search terms.
Alternative terms: for example Strollers (USA) are Buggies or Pushchairs (UK) and make sure to make a not of alternative keywords or acronyms as you go.

2. Using Google to find reports? 
You could try adding .pdf as an additional search term or add Filetype:PDF as reports and other longer documents will often be uploaded to websites as PDF attachments. 

3. Who will be writing about the sector you are interested in?
Industry Associations are often a good source of information and data,  but some content may only be available to their members.
The large accountancy and consultancy firms often make reports on various sectors freely available on their websites (try some of the links below)

The British Library and other business and IP centres

Anyone with proof of a UK address can apply for a Readers Ticket which will get them access to the reading rooms. The British Library's Business and IP Centre offers a range of electronic resources that will are useful in researching an industry.) They may also have print copies of Market Research reports that they can consult.

A list of the available market research databases can be viewed here. Please note in order to make use of them you must visit in person. Also strict downloading or printing limitations will be imposed.

There are a number of smaller Business & IP Centres in other major UK cities. The services on offer may vary vary from centre to centre, but most seem to offer access to at least some databases. Further information can be found here.

Finally, see our page about using other libraries. As we find examples of public libraries offering a good range of business databases we will list them there.

Buying Market Research

There are a number of websites that sell on research from a variety of publishers. They can be useful as a means of finding out what has been written on a market. Even if you don't wish to purchase a report (they can range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars in price) you may find that some headline figures are made available. Below we list two of the biggest sites.
https://library.london.edu/research_alumni/industry
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