What's on this page?
This page will be particularly helpful for finding secondary research for the Industry Analysis, Line of Business, and Business Model sections of your Marketing Audit and the Positioning section of the Marketing Plan.
Below, you'll find:
- Tips for identifying your company's industry
- An overview of Industry Classification Codes
- How to use IBISWorld for industry information, including major players, size and growth, and trends
- Recommended databases for industry research
Photo by Rene Böhmer on Unsplash
Tips for identifying your company's industry
- Look at an Industrial Classification System like NAICs - where does your company fit within this list of industries?
- Find more information on the industry by locating industry reports in databases like IBISWorld
- For more emerging industries, try Statista and GlobalData Explorer
- If your company fits within is a newer or more niche industry, look at multiple reports from industries with similar markets, products, or services
Industry Classification Codes
Industry classification codes are numerical systems used to organize information about a particular industry. Industrial classification codes are used by government agencies, market-research firms and throughout various publications. Below are links to search options, in a selection of these codes:
Industry Classification System - Canada
Industry Classification System - United States & Global
- North American Industry Classification System United States, NAICS United States
- International Standard Industrial Classification United Nations, ISIC (Passport database uses the ISIC)
- Global Industrial Classification Standard, GICS (FP Infomart database includes options to use the GICS)
Finding Industry Information in IBISWorld
IBISWorld is one of many sources for industry information. Below are suggestions for some of the ways you can use IBISWorld to find industry research. Use IBISWorld in combination with the databases below.
Major Services & Products
IBISWorld reports have a section that breaks down Products & Services.
For instance, here is a Products & Services Segmentation for the IT Consulting industry in the US.
Major Players
You can find some of the major players within an industry by looking at the Companies section of a report, including the market share by company.
Size & Growth
IBISWorld reports include information on an industry's size, revenue growth, and volatility and outlook for the next five years. This can be found under the Performance section.
Trends
There is no single section that discusses trends within a report, you will find information on national and economic trends throughout each report.
Industry Research Databases
The following databases are recommended for industry information. Read the descriptions of each database to determine whether they will have what you're looking for. See the Industry Guide for more recommendations.
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IBISWorld This link opens in a new windowIBISWorld provides industry intelligence for over 450 Canadian industries and over 700 US industries, including NAICS, specialized, and expert industry reports. Reports include detailed performance data and analysis, supply chain information, forecasts, operating strengths and weaknesses, analysis of external drivers, major player market strategies, and industry profit and cost benchmarks. Global and China industry reports are also available.
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Passport This link opens in a new windowPassport, from Euromonitor International, is a comprehensive market research platform that delivers global data and in-depth analysis on industries, markets, companies, economies and consumers. With coverage spanning 210 countries and 99.9% of the world’s consumers, it supports research assignments across many subjects. It’s an invaluable resource for creating impactful, real-world projects, whether you’re focused on scenario planning, forecasting, crafting product and brand strategies, or conducting SWOT and PEST analyses.
With access to market sizes, market shares, company and brand data and interactive dashboards to identify trends, Passport simplifies data comparison across categories and countries by using consistent methodologies. -
Statista This link opens in a new windowStatista.com is one of the first statistics portals to integrate over 60,000 diverse topics of data and facts from over 10,000 sources onto a single professional platform. Categorized into over 20 market sectors, Statista provides business customers, researchers, and the academic community with direct access to relevant quantitative facts on media, finance, politics, and many more areas of interest. Sources of information include market researchers, trade publications, scientific journals, and government databases. Toronto Metropolitan has access to Global Consumer Survey (GCS) via Statista.
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GlobalData Explorer This link opens in a new windowGlobalData Explorer is a comprehensive database including cross-sector and market data such as sector activity indicators and global ads, expert analysis, thematic research, business fundamentals, and alternative data such as tenders, job analytics. GD Explorer meets the needs of multiple disciplines and departments with cross sector coverage.
A note about GlobalData Explorer access:
Sometimes when accessing GlobalData, you may come across a Login page (see screenshot below). If this happens, just click on “IP Access” to access the database.
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FactivaA Dow Jones company, Factiva provides global industry snapshots. Select the ‘Companies/Markets’ tab at the top of the screen and then select ‘Industry’.
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Industry CanadaProvides detailed reports and statistics on select Canadian Industries.