Industrial markets are distinguished from consumer markets by purchases which are made on behalf of organisations rather than by individuals. Information on industrial markets may be found in market research reports, trade journals and newsletters. However, this research is usually very expensive and this limits availability. If accessing industrial market research reports proves too expensive, it is worth considering more accessible sources such as trade journals and newsletters that will often contain market summaries.

Market research reports

Market research reports are the principal source of information on industrial markets and are a useful starting point for any research project. They are a combination of statistical data (from official and unofficial sources), interpretation and analysis. They will include some, or all, of the following information:

Specialisation is common among publishers of industrial market research. With a few exceptions, publishers focus on a particular industrial sector, or related sectors.

Publishers

Some of the publishers who produce reports covering a range of sectors are:

MBD/Market & Business Development: Series produced by the Mintel group, specifically on UK industrial, not consumer, markets. Reports updated quarterly. Contents lists available on Mintel's website.

Datamonitor: reports cover 55 countries but focus primarily on the UK, Europe and the US. The main areas covered by Datamonitor are automotive and transport, energy, medical equipment, technology and e-commerce. Titles can be found at www.datamonitor.com.

Economist Intelligence Unit: produces a number of market research publications, most of which cover individual industrial areas but some cover a range of sectors. The major areas of specialisation are the automotive industries, healthcare and telecommunications. The geographical coverage of these publications varies from worldwide to regional surveys, to reports on individual countries. Individual reports can be purchased via the EIU Online Store at www.eiu.com.

Frost and Sullivan: reports cover industries undergoing frequent changes brought about by technological developments - healthcare, telecoms, IT, transportation, environment, energy, aerospace and electronics. The geographical coverage is either US or European and the subject coverage of each report is often very specific. F&S reports can also be searched and purchased direct from www.frost.com.

Informa: focuses on a number of major international markets: telecoms and media, maritime, trade and transport, finance and insurance, commodities and energy, law and tax, biomedical and pharmaceutical. The geographical coverage varies, with most reports providing European or international coverage. Details are available at www.informa.com.

Keynote: provides an excellent overview of the UK market for areas such as agricultural machinery, defence equipment, industrial pumps, industrial valves and rubber manufacturing and processing. It is possible to obtain free executive summaries from their website at www.keynote.co.uk.

Marketing Strategies for Industry: MSI is a UK publisher covering European industrial markets ranging from construction through to engineering, environmental, process and healthcare markets.

Reed Electronics Research (formerly Elsevier Advanced Technology): this publisher specialises in reports on industry sectors which are at the cutting edge of technological development. In addition to electronics and electronic components, RER reports also cover areas such as communications and IT. The majority of their reports are worldwide or European in coverage. Further details are available at www.rer.co.uk.

Specialist publishers

There are a significant number of publishers who specialise in a particular industrial market. Quite often the publisher will also be the trade association representing the interests of that particular industry. Examples of specialist industrial market research publishers are:

Links to other publishers may be found via the Market Research Society Business & Industry Group's website. http://www.marketresearch.org.uk/

Trade journals

When looking for market data it is always worth investigating any trade journals that cover a particular industry. Trade journals quite often provide short summaries of the key data contained within expensive published reports as well as including unofficial statistics collected by trade associations. They also have the advantage of being more up-to-date than one-off research reports. Some examples of trade journals which contain market data are:

In order to identify the trade journals published in your specific area of interest, use sources such as Benn’s Media Guide or Willings Press Guide.

Industry newsletters

These are a good sources of official and unofficial statistics and market data. In fact, statistics often appear initially or uniquely in industry newsletters. They are also particularly readable, presenting information in a condensed form which allows quick scanning. The industries that are well covered by this kind of publication are IT, pharmaceuticals, energy and the media. Some examples of useful newsletters are:

Script and Software Futures

National Statistics: Collects statistical information for the UK government but is increasingly commissioning or collating additional statistical information aimed at helping and informing businesses and citizens.

The National Statistics website http://www.statistics.gov.uk/ contains a huge volume of free statistical data, and the volume and range of coverage is ever growing.

The European Union's website http://europa.eu.int/ and the United Nations' website are similarly useful and provide statistical information beyond the UK.

Another useful electronic source of statistics, especially for industrial markets, are the websites of individual Commercial, Trade and Industrial Organisations.

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