Secondary research

A design method

Secondary research is a design method for finding a range of published information about your customers, your competitors and political, social and economic trends

How

Search online or at your local reference library (where you can ask for help). Some online systems allow you to automatically repeat your search daily or subscribe to RSS feeds, enabling you to keep up with developments in your area.

Particularly good sources of information are:

  • National press and trade periodicals
  • Specialist blogs
  • Conference reports
  • Market research, market reports and official statistics
  • Business reports from commercial publishers (such as KeyNote, Euromonitor, Mintel, Datamonitor, and The Economist Intelligence Unit)
  • Public sector periodicals, reports and papers
  • Trade associations and organisations
  • Colleges and universities
  • Think tanks

Resources

Some libraries will require a reader pass, some websites will require a subscription. Most current market research reports will have to be paid for, however last year's reports can often be accessed free at local reference libraries

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