Finding Consumer Behavior Data: Consumer Behavior

Based on workshop presented November 9, 2015

Psychographics vs. Demographics

Psychographics look at a consumer's preferences, attitudes, opinions, and feelings.

Demographics focus on data such as age, gender, and income. 

   
   

 

Market Research Reports

If you have spent some time searching on the internet for market data, you may have come across some market research reports that will seemingly address all your research needs, however they tend to cost thousands of dollars.  These reports are costly because market research can be very labor intensive work. Watson Library provides access to some market research reports via the following databases:

Consumer markets

A database of e-business and online marketing statistics, aggregated and analyzed from over 2,800 sources. Topics include market research and trend analysis on Internet, e-business, online marketing, media and emerging technologies

Contains country reports and industry data on both developed and emerging national markets. Reports include data on market share, market size and sale forecasts. Each report provides qualitative commentary on sales trends, new product and marketing developments, consumer preferences, national company and brand competition and market strategies, and the views and assumptions underlying national sales forecasts.



Covers consumer markets in the UK, US, and many countries in western Europe. Reports contain information on market segmentation, new products, market drivers.... Registration with your Columbia email address is required.

 

Technology markets

 

Reports analyze a broad range of technology areas such as new media, computing, software, networking, telecommunications and the Internet, and project how technology trends will affect businesses, consumers, and society.

 

IT, telecommunications, and consumer technology market research and analyst reports.

 

These reports are only to be used for academic purposes.

Demographic, Geographic, & Spending Profiles

 

When looking at the market it is important to identify who will potentially be buying your product. For example:

  Who are the current customers?
  What is the purchasing power of target customers?
  Pyschographics and lifestyles of customers?

Many of these data can be found via government resources such as the US Census or Bureau of Labor Statistics. Some commercial data providers use government data in conjuction with their own survey data for their estimates and forecasts.

Find social, economic, & other data using products like the Decennial Census & the American Community Survey.


Databases for finding census and other government data: