Research guides: MGD421H5: Technology Entrepreneurship: Market Research: Free Resources

Free Resources for Market Research

What follows is a highly selective list of free, public websites you can use for market research. Thousands of other websites exist that focus on specific technologies or industries. To identify these, use the Checklist of Potential Sources of Market Research found on the Workshop Materials page of this guide.

Government of Canada: Canadian Company Capabilities
A government-sponsored directory of Canadian companies. Can be searched by keyword or browsed. Listing data is self-reported by the companies.
Government of Canada: Directory of Business and Trade Associations
Use this directory to identify organizations who may sponsor or publish research and insights relevant to your market or sector.
Alibaba
A global directory of products and suppliers. Using for sourcing parts, manufacturers, and competitors.
Canadian Trade Index
A directory of Canadian industrial and manufacturing products and services. Useful for identify potential partners, suppliers and competitors.
Thomas.net
Another global directory that supports product sourcing, supplier selection, and competitor identification.
Google News
A major source of global news. Some full-text may behind a paywall - use Factiva to obtain this if needed.
BetaKit
Offers news about and analysis of Canada's technology sector.
TechVibes
A competitor to BetaKit.
TechCrunch
A pioneer in online news coverage of the tech sector. US-centric but aims for global coverage.
Owler
A "...community-based competitive insights platform." Allows users to track or follow companies. Estimated revenues are provided for many companies - use with caution!
Crunchbase
A freemium directory of startups. The free profiles include investment information, news, and team bios.
Socialmention
A free social media search and analysis platform that can be used to track and evaluate public sentiment or consumer interest in a given topic, company, etc.
PennWell
PennWell publishes 150+ online and print magazines that target industries ranging from photonics to wastewater management. Drill down into the relevant sector to find titles relevant to your venture.
WebWire - Trade Publications by Industry
An alphabetical listing of trade and industry publications.
MaRS Startup Library
Offers overviews and recommended resources and research strategies for a range of sectors, ranging from digital health to education tech.
Nielsen Insights
Free reports and briefings derived from Nielsen's proprietary data and analytics. Nielsen focuses on measurement and analytics for the media and consumer packaged goods industries.
ComScore: Insights
Free reports, briefings, and infographics based on ComScore's proprietary data and analytics. Topics covered include social media, TV/video, mobile, advertising and commerce.
MarketingCharts.com
Aggregates and summarizes data and insights from other third-parties. Some content is sponsored but is clearly identified as such.
Think with Google
Google's 'thought leadership' platform provides "... data, insights, [and] research" on topics and sectors important to Google. Covers search, video, mobile, and online consumer behaviour.
Statistics Canada: CANSIM
Offers access to thousands of tabular data from Statistics Canada. Tables can be browsed by subject or the associated survey, or searched by keyword.
US Census Bureau: American FactFinder
Provides access to US demographic, socio-economic and industry data from multiple surveys and censuses.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment Statistics
Provides employment and wage data for 800 occupational categories.
Pew Research Center: Internet & Technology
A non-profit research center that tracks American use of and attitudes towards technology, online media, and devices.
Compass
Offers benchmarking and industry data for e-commerce startups. Most but not all data available with two-month free membership.
US Census Bureau: Industry Statistics Portal
Streamlines access to US industry-specific data. Search by NAICS code or drill down using the industry menu.
Government of Canada: Financial Performance Data
Provides performance benchmarking data for Canadian small businesses. Includes revenues and expenses, industry averages for income statements and balance sheet items as well as financial ratios for 1000+ industries. Data is current as of 2015.