Depending on the nature of your project, you can take several approaches to industry and market research.
For well-defined and established industries, search databases and online resources by using the industry name or classification codes.
To look up codes by keyword, use the following sites:
Use this site to search for NAICS codes.
Note: It can be tricky to find the right wording. Try variants- cell phone vs. mobile phone vs. wireless communications, etc.
Use this U.S. Department of Labor site to search for an industry code by keyword, or look up an SIC code.
The Current Industrial Report (CIR) program provides monthly, quarterly, and annual measures of industrial activity, including data on production and shipments of selected products
A free resource that covers more than 400 industries. For each industry, it includes overviews, key issues, trends and the industry's outlook as well as financial bench marking, compensation surveys and valuation resources.
Provides information including international statistics, industry analysis, competitiveness, trade data as well as recent reports and news about a number of different industries.
Includes videos, statistics, company profiles, associations/professional organizations, market research/trends and glossary of definitions.
Deloitte offers industry prediction reports for state government, banking and securities, commercial real estate, energy and resources, insurance, payments, process and industrial products, renewable energy, retail and talent strategies industries
Yahoo Industry Center has abrowsable Industry Index where you can find financial market data by industry, compare performance of top companies within an industry, and find news and top-ranked analysts.
From the U.S. Bureau of Labor, includes reports on over 100
Uses Google Maps to drill down to specific regions and countries. The Entrepreneurship tab uses data from the World Bank entrepreneurship research group.
From the World Bank, provides statistics and other metrics on doing business in regions and countries. Includes topics related to starting businesses.
Manufacturing and Services (MAS) Industry Reports
From the U.S. International Trade Administration (ITA), a gateway to statistics, reports, and links to associations and other sources. Useful for startups involving import/export functions.
Trade association websites often contain industry news & information, although some data may be available to members only. Look for news, research, resources, library, data, or other tabs on the association's website.
These are often great sources of information, so don't overlook them!
How to find relevant industry associations and organizations
Do an advanced Google Search, structured like the following: industry description + association
Example: fiber optics + association
Example: automobile + association site:.org
Hint: Adding the site:.org command to a Google search will limit all the results to those with domains ending in .org.
Business Week Sector Overviews
Joint project of the German National Library of Economics and the University and City Library of Cologne, gateway to materials in multiple languages from global sources, including many freely available sources. Coverage includes sources on companies and industries.
Ernst & Young Industry Reports
Reports on specific industries by a global leader in tax advisory and management services.
Harvard Business School Industry Guides
From the HBS' Baker Library, comprehensive guides to selected industries. Note: some sources are only available to the HBS community.
Manufacturing and Services (MAS) Industry Reports
From the U.S. International Trade Administration (ITA), a gateway to statistics, reports, and links to associations and other sources.
News from various sources for specific industries.
Statistics and Reports on general sectors