Competitive Analysis for Entrepreneurs
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Part I - Size Up the Competition
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Screen for Competitors
RefUSA
RefUSA provides descriptions of over 14 million U.S. businesses and is one of the largest databases covering small businesses. Find companies by name, location (city, state or zip code), SIC code or yellow pages heading. Screen a list of companies by size, sales, location and other variables.
Hoover’s
Hoover’s profiles all U.S. public companies and many large private companies. It includes product and industry information and a list of major competitors. Use “Build Company Lists” to screen by SIC code, sales, number of employees, and geography (state, region, metro area, area code, or zip code).
NetAdvantage contains two company directories. Begin by clicking on the “Companies” tab at the top of the page; then choose “Register Private Co” or “Register Public Co” from the pull down menu under “Advanced Search”. Filter for companies by 6-digit NAICS code in a city, state or zip code area.
Identify Local Companies
RefUSA
RefUSA provides descriptions of over 14 million U.S. businesses and is one of the largest databases covering small businesses. Find companies by name, location (city, state or zip code), SIC code or yellow pages heading. Screen a list of companies by size, sales, location and other variables.
Ward’s Business Directory of U.S. Private and Public Companies
Over 90% of the companies in this directory are private. Companies are listed by state and zip code. Companies are also ranked by sales within SIC and NAICS codes. (Index Table 5B)
Harris New York Manufacturers Directory
Harris lists over 19,000 companies located in New York. It names the officers and gives a sales estimate, number of employees and SIC code. Firms are listed by city, by SIC code, and by product. (Index Table 5B)
Greater New York and New Jersey Regional Industrial Buying Guide
Index Table 5B and www.ThomasNet.com
This directory of local manufacturers with addresses is searchable by product name or brand.
SuperPages.com
http://www.superpages.com/
This online Yellow Pages directory identifies local businesses and suppliers by company name, keyword, or location (state, city, zip code or street). Search within a map or by distance from a location. Click “Browse” keyword for a list of industry/product categories.
Industry Specific Directories
Industry Specific Directories at SIBL
The Science, Business and Industry Library, New York Public Library at 34th and Madison Avenues has an extensive collection of industry directories and statistical factbooks that are listed in this guide.
CUNY+
To find directories at the Newman Library, use CUNY+, the library catalog. At the CUNY+ search screen, select the search type: "Subject begins with ...", and enter the name of the industry, for example, “Wine industry –United States –Directories”.
Rankings from Business Magazines
TableBase
This database extracts tables, charts and statistical data from hundreds of business magazines and trade journals. Search for company or brand rankings, consumption data, market size, market share, forecasts, the demographics of markets and more.
Business Rankings Annual
This annual index to rankings appearing in popular business magazines and trade journals covers companies, industries, products and services. Brief extracts from the rankings are included along with the citation to the source article. (Index Table 5B)
http://www.specialissues.com/lol
This website brings together company/product lists and rankings that appear in business magazines, newspapers and trade journals. Use it to identify magazines that publish “Top 100” lists or to find issues of the Fortune 500, the Inc 500 or similar lists.
Industry Classification Schemes
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North American Industry Classification System: United States, 2007
http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/naics.html
Reference 2nd Floor HF1042 .N6 2007 (and copy at the Reference Desk)
NAICS, the North American Industry Classification System, is a common system used by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico to classify establishments based on similar processes or means of production. Codes are assigned using a two to six digit level of detail, from broad sectors like manufacturing and retail (2-digit codes) to individual industries (6-digit codes). Search the NAICS directory on the Web by keyword for industry codes. The directory provides lengthy industry definitions and a correspondence table for converting SIC codes to NAICS.
Standard Industrial Classification Manual
http://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/sicsearch.html
Reference 2nd Floor HF1042 .A55 (and copy at the Reference Desk)
SIC codes are four digit numbers representing a particular industry or line of business. The SIC industry system has been replaced with the more detailed NAICS system.
Part II -Know Your Customers
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Demographics
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American FactFinder
http://factfinder.census.gov/
American Factfinder is a Web portal for population data from the U.S. Census Bureau. “Facts Sheets” profile the population of states, counties, metropolitan areas, cities, and zip codes. For detailed social, economic and demographic data or graphs, search “Data Sets”. Statistics from the annual American Community Survey allow you to build “Subject Tables” of local demographics (select “Place – New York City”). American Factfinder also provides tools for creating, printing and downloading customized maps.
Community Sourcebook of Zip Code Demographics
Community Sourcebook of County Demographics
Reference HA 203.S66 and HA203.S65
These books contain area profiles of all counties and zip codes in the United States and feature projections of population, household size and median household income. They report income and spending potential for 20 product and service categories. Spending potential is an index of the likelihood of expenditure for a product or service. The Sourcebooks also include data on the total number of firms, the total employees and the top ranked industry in the area. Published by ESRI Business Information Solutions.
Editor & Publisher Market Guide
Ref HF5905.E38
This annual guide includes brief profiles of cites in the U.S. with population, income and retail sales data. It lists major industries and retail centers in each city. It also gives market rankings by county, MSA and city.
Euromonitor’s Global Market Information Database (GMID)
GMID offers market research reports and a statistical database of socio-economic and consumer data. From “Browse Reports” select “Future Demographic reports” to identify population trends and analyze marketing segments. Reports cover 205 countries including the United States. Statistics chosen from the geography and category menus can be used to analyze trends from 1977 to 2016 or to rank countries by various attributes.
Estimated Daytime Population and Employment-Residence Ratios: 2000
http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/daytime/daytimepop.html
This report is the Census Bureau’s first measure of daytime population, the number of people present in an area during normal business hours. Estimates cover states, counties and places with more than 2,500 workers.
MRI + MediaMark Research
MRI provides data on demographics, product usage and media exposure from an annual national survey. Use MRI to profile consumer-buying habits for hundreds of products. Create a profile of the demographic characteristics of users of particular products or brands and measure the extent of their use of various media outlets. (New users must register).
Population Estimates
http://www.census.gov/popest/estimates.php
The U.S. Census provides annual population estimates with age, sex and race characteristics for states, counties and cities. Estimates cover all years back to the last decennial Census in 2000. Projections at the national and state level go forward to the year 2050.
Rand McNally Commercial Atlas and Marketing Guide
Atlas Shelves
Detailed state maps are supplemented with population and economic data for over 120,000 U.S. cities, towns and places. Data includes per capita income and disposable income by city. Principal business centers are identified. Updated annually.
U.S. Census Bureau
http://www.census.gov/index.html
The website of the national statistical center for the United States offers a collection of data sets, annual report series and research on people, business and geography. Use the “Subjects A to Z” (at the top of the page) to find specific demographic data on topics such as aging, minorities, wealth, households, gender, race and ethnicity.
Demographics – New York
Gotham Gazette
http://www.gothamgazette.com/
A website with news and policy reports about New York City published by the Citizens Union Foundation. Pages are organized in 20 topics including “Demographics”, “Children”, “Immigrants” “Community Development” and “Transportation”.
InfoShare Online
This database focuses exclusively on New York City data including population, immigration, health and socio-economic statistics. It provides detailed data on income, occupations, language and family structure from the 2000 Census. It includes profiles of boroughs, neighborhoods and community districts and offers the ability to build tables or compare data by census tract, zip code, police precincts and many other sub-borough areas.
New York State Data Center
http://www.empire.state.ny.us/nysdc/
The Data Center is a clearinghouse for detailed population and economic data from the U.S. Census covering regions of New York. It provides easy access to frequently requested data about New York.
NYCData
http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/nycdata
NYC Data is a compendium of statistics on 16 areas of life in New York City including employment, business activity, income and wages, education and population. Created by the Weissman Center for International Business at Baruch College.
The official NYC government website offers links to all city agencies. Local government offices also provide information about the boroughs and their neighborhoods:
Bronx at http://bronxboropres.nyc.gov/
Brooklyn at http://www.brooklyn-usa.org/
Manhattan at http://www.mbpo.org/
Queens at http://www.queensbp.org/
Staten Island at http://www.statenislandusa.com/
Income/Purchasing Power
Consumer Expenditure Surveyhttp://www.bls.gov/cex/home.htm
This annual Department of Labor survey gives data on income and average spending by U.S. consumers for such items as health care, groceries, clothing, transportation, and housing. Use it to track trends in consumer spending or compare metro areas like New York City to regional or national data. Cross-tab tables relate income/spending to age, region and household size.
Euromonitor’s Global Market Information Database (GMID)
Socio-economic and lifestyle demographic data as well as statistics on specific consumer and industrial markets in 205 countries and regions are available in GMID. The data show growth trends and include projections and can be converted to a per capita or household basis.
Household Spending
HC110 .C6O34 2006
Every two years New Strategist publishes this book of data on "who spends how much on what." They cover expenditures on apparel, entertainment, healthcare, housing, food, financial services, and transportation.
Purchasing Power Profiles
http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/ETI/PurchasingPower/purchasing.htm
This database provides statistics on the characteristics of jobs and purchasing power of residents of central cities and densely populated urban areas. It offers data on retail expenditures in 16 areas including food, clothing, appliances, personal products and computers.
Survey of Buying Power and Media Markets
Periodical Shelves, 3rd floor
The Survey, an annual supplement to the magazine, Sales & Marketing Management, is a comprehensive collection of data on population, retail sales and consumer buying power for counties, CBSA’s (Core Based Statistical Area), Media Markets (DMAs), and selected cities. Five-year projections are only available online. The survey is important because it provides two indexes: the Effective Buying Income (EBI) and the Buying Power Index (BPI). EBI is a measure of disposable income. Median household EBI is often used as a measure of affluence. BPI measures consumer-spending power. All data in the survey is provided by Claritas.
Consumer Lifestyle
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Advertising Age’s American Demographics
“American Demographics”, a magazine that tracked consumer trends and analyzed market data now appears on the first Monday of each month as a report in Advertising Age magazine. Search the reports online through LexisNexis.
The American Marketplace
The American Marketplace is an online collection of essays from New Strategist Publishers that features extensive data on demographics and spending patterns at the national level. The essays cover trends in spending, education, wealth, health, housing, population, labor force, living arrangements and income. Search for the essays in LexisNexis (Choose the “Sources” tab to select this title). New Strategist publishes many books on consumer studies that can be found by searching CUNY+.
http://www.esribis.com/reports/ziplookup.html
ESRI, a business information research service, offers free access to their lifestyle segment data. Lifestyle segments are descriptions of U.S. neighborhoods based on demographic variables and consumer behavior. Some of ESRI’s 65 segments are “metro renters”, “laptops and lattes”, “urban chic” and “retirement communities”. Search by Zip code to find the top three segments in an area.
Euromonitor’s Global Market Information Database (GMID)
Euromonitor’s lifestyle reports provide household profiles and data on buying habits in 71 countries including the United States. The reports typically include statistics on disposable income, eating and drinking habits, home ownership, health data, and consumer expenditure trends. From the “Browse Reports” tab select “Consumer Lifestyle reports”.
Lifestyle Market Analyst
Index Table 6B
This book comes in three parts: Market Profiles, Lifestyle Profiles, and Consumer Segment Profiles. All profiles are for Designated Market Areas (DMAs), a market area defined by television viewing patterns, and identify the key consumer segments (by age or marital status) that make up lifestyle audiences. Many of the lifestyles are based on popular activities and hobbies. DMAs are ranked by specific lifestyle interests. Published by Standard Rate & Data.
Part III - Research Your Market
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Market Size
Economic Census
www.census.gov
The Economic Census, taken every five years by the U.S. government, collects detailed output data on all economic sectors of the economy including manufacturing, retailing and services. Key data published in the Census reports includes number of establishments, sales, revenues, production, employment, and capital expenditures. The latest Economic Census was taken in 2000 but many of the reports are updated through the publication of an Annual Survey or other periodic reports. Census programs with links to all the industry report series are listed on the “Economy Overview” page. Two important annual surveys are the following:
County Business PatternsAnnual Survey of Manufactures
In American Factfinder Data Sets
This report provides data on the number of establishments, ownership form, number of employees and payroll as well as data on the cost of materials, size of inventory, hours worked, fuel & energy costs and capital expenditures. It includes estimates of the value of shipments for over 1,800 classes of products. Coverage is limited to only those industries defined as “Manufacturing” by NAICS. Data is collected at the national and state level.Annual Retail Trade Survey
http://www.census.gov/svsd/www/artstbl.html
Each spring the Census Bureau produces a benchmark study of retail and food services industries that includes estimates of annual sales, per capita sales and inventory data at a national level. E-commerce sales data are included in a related report series.
Zip Code Business Patterns
Metro Business Patterns
http://censtats.census.gov/cbpnaic/cbpnaic.shtml
These Census Bureau reports provide annual data on the number of establishments, the number of employees and the total payroll for U.S. industries. Industries are defined by 2-digit through 6-digit NAICS. Data is given for county, zip code area, state total, or the entire United States. Metro Business Patterns covers all Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) including New York, NY.
Estimated Daytime Population and Employment-Residence Ratios: 2000
http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/daytime/daytimepop.html
This report is the Census Bureau’s first measure of daytime population, the number of people present in an area during normal business hours. Estimates cover states, counties and places with more than 2,500 workers.
Euromonitor’s Global Market Information Database (GMID)
GMID offers market research reports on consumer, industrial and service markets in 52 countries including the United States. Their market size data covers over 300 consumer products and contains 6-year historic data and 5-year forecasts.
Location Quotient Calculator
http://www.bls.gov/cew/cewlq.htm
This calculator is a Bureau of Labor Statistics tool used to measure industrial activity in local economies. Location Quotients (LQs) are ratios that measure an area’s distribution of employment by industry in relation to a reference area, usually the U.S. or a state. LQs greater than 1 indicate an industry with a larger share of the total employment in that area. Industries are defined by 3-digit NAICS; local economies are defined by state, county or metro areas.
Market Share
Euromonitor’s Global Market Information Database (GMID)
Euromonitor’s market research reports cover major consumer, industrial and service markets in the U.S. and 52 other countries. They feature market size data for more than 300 consumer products. To use GMID, select from the geography and the category menus OR choose the list of industry reports or retailing reports from “Browse Reports”.
Market Share Reporter
At the Reference Desk, 2nd floor
This book is an annual index to market share data in business magazines, trade journals, newspapers, and government reports. Tables of the market share data are given along with the citation to the source article.
Tablebase
This database extracts tabular data from over 1000 magazines and trade journals as well as government reports and trade association publications. Choose from the list of "Concept Terms" to search for market share, company and brand rankings, production and consumption statistics, industry trends and demographics. In most cases the full text of the article is included along with the table.
Market Trends
Standard and Poor’s Industry Surveys
Part of Standard & Poor’s NetAdvantage
These annual industry surveys cover 52 industries of interest to U.S. investors. The reports describe current issues facing the industry; analyze major industry segments; and list major companies in the industry. There are sections on how to analyze a company in that industry, how to use ratios, and how to find industry specific performance metrics. A glossary and a bibliography listing trade associations, major magazines and trade journals, and government agencies rounds out the survey. Open the “Industries” tab at the top of the page to select an industry.
Mergent Industry Review
Index Table 7A Ref HG 4961 .M68
This collection of financial statistics and ratios on over 6,000 companies is updated twice a year. The data is organized in 137 industry groups so that companies can be compared with each other or measured against industry averages. Mergent projects revenue growth rates for key companies and also ranks companies within each industry.
Business and Company Resource Center
This database brings together a wide variety of resources for building industry profiles. It includes selected periodical articles, investment research reports, and excerpts from reference titles, including the Business Rankings Annual, Datamonitor Industry Market Research, and the Encyclopedia of Emerging Industries. Choose the industry search option and enter the SIC code, the NAICS code, or an industry description; then choose from the tabs (at the top of the page) for an industry overview, rankings, investment reports, associations, and news.
RAB National Marketing
Online at the Reference Desk 2nd Floor
Over 160 product and service sectors are covered in the “Instant Background” reports from RAB, the Radio Advertising Bureau. Service industries like dating services, museums, and overnight couriers, and small business sectors like chiropractors and drycleaners are featured in RAB. The reports present data on who buys, where they buy (company rankings), and their buying habits. Each report concludes with a forecast of business trends. (New users must register).
Bureau of Labor Statistics. Statistics by Industry
http://www.bls.gov/bls/industry.htm
Regular reports from the Department of Labor supply detailed data on employment, productivity and wages by industry. "Industry at a Glance" reports profile twelve industry super sectors including manufacturing, information, leisure and hospitality, and professional and business services.
http://www.nylovesbiz.com/default.asp
This Website includes state and county workforce data, profiles of 13 state “Industry clusters”, and links to “Empire Zones” and high tech incubators in the state of New York. In addition, there is information on state programs for entrepreneurs and small business owners including trade show venues, export assistance and tax and financial incentives.
Market Trends – Foreign Markets
Business Monitor Online
This collection of market research reports covers 14 industry sectors in 50 global markets. Each report includes forecast data, SWOT analysis and major company profiles. Reports are updated quarterly.
Encyclopedia of Global Industries
Part of Business and Company Resource Center
This book is a collection of industry snapshots that cover the structure of large global industries. Each report identifies companies that are current industry leaders and examines the markets of those countries where the industry has a dominant presence.
ISI Emerging Markets
ISI is a country-focused news database covering 35 emerging market countries. It includes company profiles and industry information from analysts’ research reports, rating agency reports, stock exchanges, government agencies and independent consulting firms. To use ISI, select a country and then click on the appropriate tab from the top of the page.
Mergent Online
Mergent’s Industry Reports cover 25 major industry sectors including Banking, Biotech, Food & Beverage, IT & High-Technology and Media. Each report examines the current environment for the industry, identifies leading companies and discusses major market trends. Reports cover regions: North America, Asia-Pacific and Europe.
STAT-USA: the National Trade Data Bank
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s STAT-USA database offers government reports for researching foreign markets. Its reports are selective covering countries and industries offering the best opportunities for U.S. exports. Begin by selecting the GLOBUS & NTDB database and scrolling down to the “Market & Country Research” section. The Industry Sector Analysis reports provide in-depth information about industries in various countries and are kept current with International Market Insights(IMI) from American consulates.
Export.gov
http://www.trade.gov/td/tic/
Export.gov is a portal for information from across the U.S. government that can help U.S. companies analyze international markets for their export potential. Start with the link to "Trade Opportunities - By Industry" for the most current market research reports from the U.S. Commercial Service as well as trade data and links to industry associations.
Associations
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Encyclopedia of Associations
This database contains profiles of over 160,000 national, international, state and local associations located in the United States and abroad. Choose “Extended Search (Organization)” to search for associations by name, location, SIC code, or keywords. Each association profile includes a list of key publications and the address of the association’s Web site.
National Trade and Professional Association’s of the United States
Reference 2nd Floor - HD2425 .D53
This annual directory of over 7,500 associations located in the United States describes the history, programs, and publications of each association. Use the subject index at the back of the book to identify associations in particular industries.
To find association publications at Newman Library, use CUNY+, the library catalog. At the CUNY+ search screen, select search type: "Keyword in author", and enter the name of the association, for example, National Association of Realtors or American Council of Life Insurance.
Market Research
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Euromonitor’s Global Market Information Database (GMID)
Euromonitor’s market research reports cover major consumer, industrial and service markets in the U.S. and 52 other countries. They feature market size data for more than 300 consumer products. To use GMID, select from the geography and the category menus OR choose the list of industry reports or retailing reports from the “Browse Reports” tab at the top of the page.
FAITS-Faulkner’s Advisory for Information Technology Studies
FAITS is a collection of market research reports covering industry sectors in information technology, telecommunications, and the Internet. “Marketplace Reports” analyze industry trends and name the market leaders. Details about pricing strategies and sales channels are found in the product profiles and the comparison & selection guides. Profiles of leading companies are included.
Gartner
Gartner, a technology market research and advisory firm, provides analysis of IT markets for hardware, software, IT services, semicondutors and communications. They also report on IT issues in ten industries including education, banking, retail, healthcare and manufacturing. Popular Gartner reports include their "Hype Cycles" that evaluate technologies in the current environment and forecast five years out. "Magic Quadrant" reports evaluate specific vendors and their competitors. Access to Gartner is through the CUNY portal.
MarketResearch.com
MarketResearch.com is a collection of market research reports from over 350 market research firms and publishers. Reports cover a wide variety of industries from consumer goods to food and beverages and biotechnology. Use this database for industry overviews, competitive analysis, market trends, product data, market share and consumer behavior.
Industry News
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ABI/Inform
The ABI Inform database provides a combination of citations, abstracts and full text articles from over 1800 business magazines, trade journals and scholarly research journals. Click on the “Topics” tab at the top of the page to use a searchable thesaurus that offers broader terms, narrower terms and related terms for any industry you select.
Business Source Premier
This database offers full text access to nearly 2,280 business journals covering management, economics, finance, accounting, and international business. It features the entire series of many journals including the Harvard Business Review. The database has a “Thesaurus” to help you choose industry names. Search for industry information using NAICS codes by changing the default field to "NAICS code or description".
Factiva
Factiva, one of the most comprehensive business news databases, features news from the Dow Jones and Reuters wire services, the Wall Street Journal, Barron’s and more than 9,000 other sources in English and 21 other languages. To search for industry news, use the “Industry Lookup” to select Factiva’s industry code. Combine this code with index terms like market share or industry trends/analysis from the “Subject Lookup”.
LexisNexis
Nearly 5,000 publications in LexisNexis provide coverage of news, financial, medical, and legal information. The database includes newspapers, magazines, wire services, federal and state court opinions, federal and state statutes, federal regulations, and SEC filings such as 10-K’s, 10-Q’s, and their exhibits. From the left hand side of the screen, choose “Business” and then “Industry/Market” to search sources from a drop down menu of 25 industry sectors or choose “Business” and "Business News" for a search on any company, industry or business topic.
Tablebase
This database extracts tabular data from over 1000 magazines and trade journals as well as government reports and trade association publications. Choose from the list of "Concept Terms" to search for market share, company and brand rankings, production and consumption statistics, industry trends and demographics. In most cases the full text of the article is included along with the table.
By Prof. Louise Klusek
Newman Library, Baruch College
February 2006, Revised March 2008
By Prof. Louise Klusek
Newman Library, Baruch College
February 2006