Library Resources
for Market Analysis
Mary Buelow, Head of Information Services
Hedberg Public Library
316 S Main St
Janesville, WI 53545
(608) 758-6581
referencedesk@hedbergpubliclibrary.org
What is Market Analysis?
It is the process of gathering and synthesizing
information that will help you make informed
decisions for your business.
Why do I want this information?
• To help understand your business’s operating
environment
• To make informed business decisions
• To minimize business surprises
• To help funding organizations understand your
business
Research for a Market Analysis
covers:
xYour field or industry
xYour competition
xYour markets
Your Field or Industry
Small Business Sourcebook
Small Business Sourcebook
has leads for:
Start Up Information
Associations and Other Organizations
Reference Works
Trade Periodicals
Franchise and Business Opportunities
and more!
“Society of American Florists”
Growers, wholesalers, retailers, and allied
tradesmen in the floral industry. . .provides
business resources. Sponsors Floricultural
Hall of Fame . . . Compiles statistics; sponsors
competitions.
SIC and NAICS
Business Classification
Business classification systems are
“Dewey Decimal” numbering systems
for companies
Many databases and directories arrange
listings by classification codes.
Two major Business Classification
systems in use are:
▫ Standard Industrial Classification System (SIC)
▫ North American Industry Classification System
(NAICS)
Some classification categories
can be very broad
• SIC 5812 “Eating Places” includes coffee shops,
restaurants, caterers, institutional food service
establishments
• SIC 7299 “Miscellaneous Personal Services, Not
Elsewhere Classified” includes genealogical
investigations, dating services, buyers clubs,
tattoo parlors
It is important to understand exactly what your
SIC or NAICS classification represents!
Search for classification codes in
print directories or online:
SIC
www.osha.gov/pls/imis/sicsearch.html
NAICS
www.census.gov/naics/
Subject Codes for Florists:
• SIC Code for Florists is 5992
• NAICS Code for Florists is 453110
RMA Annual Statement Studies
Annual Statement Studies
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Arranged by NAICS code
Balance Sheet Data
Income Data
Ratios
Data sorted by assets, and data sorted by sales
Five years comparative historical data
Balance Sheet Data
• Average percentage for asset categories,
including cash and equivalents, trade
receivables, inventory, fixed assets, intangibles
• Average percentage for liabilities including
short term notes payable, trade payables,
income taxes payable, long term debt
Ratios
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Sales/Working Capital
Fixed/Worth
Quick Ratio
Sales Receivables
Cost of Sales/Inventory
Cost of Sales/ Payables
Percent Profits Before Taxes/Total Assets
Percent Depreciation, Depletion, Amortization /
Sales
Financial Ratios
Help you analyze a financial balance sheet
or estimate future benchmarks
Periodical Articles
EBSCOhost Business Source
Premier
EBSCOhost
Business Source Premier
• Available to all Wisconsin residents through
BadgerLink www.badgerlink.net
• Also available on the Hedberg Public Library’s
Research Databases page
United States Census
Economic Census
United States Census
• Decennial Census. Taken every ten years to
collect information about people and housing in
the US
• American Community Survey. Ongoing survey
that provides data about your community every
year
• Economic Census. Profiles the US
economy every five years.
Economic Census
is now available on American FactFinder
Advanced Search
Options are on the left
Click on the arrow to expand
options.
In this example, we are selecting the
Geographies Option.
An overlay pops up
Use the pull down menu to select a geography option
In this example, we are selecting State
Once we select the geographic type “State”, we can select the state we wish
search.
Click “Add to Your Selections”
Wisconsin will be added to Your Selections
Close the option filter overlay with the
We will narrow our search with the Industry Codes option.
Click on the arrow to expand options.
An overlay pops up
We will use the search box in the overlay, enter our NAICS code for florists,
and click
Check the box to select 453110 – Florists
Click
to add to Your Selections
Close the option filter overlay with the
Search Results Listings:
There are 32 tables and other products that contain data for Florists in Wisconsin
Click on any table to access that data.
This table gives the number of florists in Wisconsin in 2011 (307)
the number of employees for all 307 establishments (1,595)
and the annual payroll for all 307 establishments (20,346,000)
This table compares statistics between surveys completed in 2002 and in 2007
The next table shows data for product categories sold at Wisconsin florists.
What is NOT in the Census
• Anything that would allow you to identify
information for a specific individual or company.
• If data for a search category allows you to guess
data for a specific individual, that data will be
suppressed. In that case, data will be replaced by
or
or
or “the data you requested are not
available”
• The Census is confidential!
Search the Economic Census:
http://factfinder2.census.gov
Your Competition
Sources for Researching Competitors:
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Wisconsin Business Directory
Wisconsin Manufacturers Directory
Wisconsin Services Directory
Illinois Manufacturers Directory
Illinois Services Directory
ThomasNet.com
Reference USA
Reference USA
Reference USA
Print and Download Limits
• 25 at a time from a library computer
• 10 at a time from a home computer
Search Reference USA for
•
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Competitors
Suppliers
Clients and prospects
Lost addresses and phone numbers
Accessing Reference USA
• Reference USA is a subscription product.
• You must visit a library that has a subscription
to Reference USA, or
• You must have a library card with a library that
has a subscription to Reference USA
Reference USA is available at the
following libraries in Rock County:
• Eager Free (Evansville) Public Library
• Hedberg (Janesville) Public Library
To Access Reference USA through
Hedberg Public Library
• Go to the Hedberg Public Library’s website at
www.hedbergpubliclibrary.org
• Click Research Tools
• Then Research Databases
• Select Reference USA
• Type in your Hedberg library card number
A similar product
“A to Z Databases” is available at:
• Beloit Public Library
Your Markets
First, think about the categories of people
and/or organizations who would purchase your
product or service.
Second, research those categories of people.
Are there enough potential customers to support
your business?
Potential Customers For Florists
• Purchasers are adults
• Purchasers have disposable income
• Flowers are given as gifts to adults within a
specific time frame and geography
• Floral displays purchased for special events
within a specific time frame and geography
• Floral displays purchased by companies or
organizations to impress their customers
Consumer Expenditure Survey
US Bureau of Labor Statistics
www.bls.gov/cex/
More resources for business
Bureau of Labor Statistics
http://www.bls.gov/audience/business.htm#industry
Examples of useful BLS statistics
for businesses
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Consumer Price Index Escalation Guide
Producer Price Index Escalation Guide
Employment Cost Index Escalation Guide
Employer Costs for Employee Compensation
Report
• Employee Benefits in Private Industry Report
• International Labor Comparisons
United States Census
Population Census
United States Census
• Decennial Census. Taken every ten years to
collect information about people and housing in
the US
• American Community Survey. Ongoing survey
that provides data about your community every
year
• Economic Census. Profiles the US economy
every five years.
Census Data is available on American FactFinder
Community Facts
Type in a place name
The search requires exact Census terminology. We will use the suggestions that pop up to select
Janesville city, Wisconsin
Advanced Search
Your Selections
Your searches will only retrieve data for
your selections.
Our last search was for Janesville city,
Wisconsin . This has been retained as
one of our selections.
For this search, all tables retrieved will
have data for population for the City of
Janesville, Wisconsin.
Search Results Listings:
There are 11,584 tables and other products that contain data for Janesville , Wisconsin
Click on any table to access that data.
Search Results Listings:
The Title column lists the name of each table.
The Dataset column lists the census series and year the data was collected.
The
for each title links to a preview of the data found in that table
The
for each title links to a preview
of the data found in that table, but does not have
any actual data.
Clearing Selections
You can clear a selection by clicking the
next to that selection, or by clicking
Using the Filter Options
Options are on the left
Click on the arrow to expand
options.
In this example, we are selecting the
Geographies Option.
An overlay pops up
Use the pull down menu to select a geography option
In this example, we are selecting County
Once we select the geographic type “County”, we can select our state,
Wisconsin, and scroll down the list to select Rock County.
Click “Add to Your Selections”
Rock County, Wisconsin will be added to Your Selections
Close the option filter overlay with the
We will narrow our search with the Topic option.
Click on the arrow to expand options.
Click on the
to view sub-options.
We will look at sub-options for “People”.
We will look at (sub) sub-options for “Income & Earnings”, and select
“Income/Earnings (Households)”
This will be added to our Selections
We will narrow our search again with the Topic option.
We will select “Age of Householder”
And close the option filter with the
There are 429 tables and other products that match our selections.
We will select
“Age of Householder by Household Income in the Past 12 Months”
Action Options:
Modify Table
Bookmark
Print
Download
What is NOT in the Census
• Anything that would allow you to identify
information for a specific individual.
• Name files are closed for seventy years.
• If data for a census block or census tract allows
you to guess data for a specific individual, that
data will be suppressed.
• The Census is confidential!
Sourcebook of ZIP Code
Demographics
For each ZIP Code:
• Population statistics for last decennial census,
current year estimate, and five year projection
• Breakdowns for age, race, and gender
• Household income distribution
• Home value distribution
• 20 categories of spending potential indices
Spending Potential Categories
• Financial Services: Auto Loan, Home Loan,
Investments, Retirement Plans
• The Home: Home Repair, Lawn and Garden,
Computers, Major Appliances, Audio and Video
equipment, Furniture
• Entertainment: Dine in/Carry Out, Sports
Equipment, Fees and Tickets, Toys and Games,
Travel, Cable TV
• Personal: Apparel and Services, Auto Repair,
Health Insurance, Pets and Supplies
Spending Potential Indices
• Are only meaningful when compared to a
percentile scale
• The percentile scale can be found in the book’s
introduction
Our Janesville Florist example
• No spending potential for “flowers” so we will
use “Entertainment-Fees and Tickets” instead.
• Spending potential for “Fees and Tickets” in ZIP
53545 is an index number of 100
• Median “Fees and Tickets” index number is 66.
At the median index, half of ZIP codes spend
more, half spend less.
Janesville Florist example (continued)
• 75th percentile “Fees and Tickets” index number
is 95. At the 75th percentile, 25% of ZIP codes
spend more, 75% spend less.
• 90th percentile “Fees and Tickets” index number
is 140. At the 90th percentile, 10% of ZIP codes
spend more, 90% spend less.
• ZIP 53545, with index number of 100, is in the
top 25% but not in the top 10%.
From the Introduction
to the 2009 Edition
• Statistical updates are converted and
extrapolated from Acxiom, Post Office delivery
stats, residential construction stats from
Hanley Wood Market Intelligence, and others
• Income statistics are for the 2008 calendar
year.
• Spending potential indices derived from
Consumer expenditure surveys (2005 – 2006)
From the Introduction
(continued)
• Projections for 2014 assume continuation of
current rate of inflation (2.9%)
• Risk that the projections are inaccurate is
inversely related to the size of an area. The
smaller the area, the greater the risk.
FedStats
www.fedstats.gov
Your Librarians are Here to
Help!
Working With Your Librarian
Help us help you!
• Ask for help
• If you are looking for specific information, ask
specific questions.
• Some searches take time. Avoid tight
deadlines.
• Tell us when to stop!
Library Resources
for Market Research
Mary Buelow, Head of Reference and Adult Services
Hedberg Public Library
316 S Main St
Janesville, WI 53545
(608) 758-6581
referencedesk@hedbergpubliclibrary.org