Industry reports can help entrepreneurs by giving them information on benchmarks, financial information and insights into their industry. The ABI/Inform database was used to access the following industry reports:
- First Research Industry Profile
- US Industry & Market Reports
- Plunkett Analytics Reports
First Research Industry Profile
The best comprehensive industry report is a First Research Industry Profile, published by Dun & Bradstreet. These are updated quarterly and packed with information.
Below are some of the main headings within the report:
How to access the First Research Industry Profile report:
- Start at sno-isle.org and choose “Online Resources” from the navigation bar.
- Look under Subjects and choose “Business & Finance.”
- From that menu, scroll down to ABI/Inform Trade & Industry.
- Use your library card and PIN to log in.
Choose the Advanced Search, then build your search this way:
- In top box, type in “First Research Industry Profiles,” then change the search type to Publication Title.
- In second box, type in your industry (such as “home care,” “accounting,” etc.)
- Click the teal-colored Search button.
From the results page, use the filters in left column to limit search by Publication Date:
- Limit to current year by sliding the small gray marker to the right, in the Publication Date filter.
- Click the teal-colored “Update” button.
- Look through the search results for the most recent (quarterly) report.
Using the information in these reports, you can answer questions such as:
- What are the current industry revenues and profits in this field?
- Is the industry currently in a growth phase, stable, or in decline?
- What are key drivers of industry performance?
- What trends are shaping the industry now and in the near future?
- What is the industry outlook for the coming years?
There are two other Industry Reports in ABI/Inform that you may want to look at. They can be found using the same steps as used in the previous example.
US Industry & Market Reports
Another useful data set to look at in ABI/Inform is US Industry & Market Reports. This report is published annually and can be found using the same steps as used in the previous example.
Some helpful sections are:
- Market Drivers & Market Restraints: what factors create demand, limit demand, and influence the market.
- Growth projections in terms of number of businesses, sales, and number of employees.
The bulk of these large reports (usually about 200 pages) are tables of data on the businesses, sales, and employees by state, then by city. Stick to the first dozen or so pages for the “meaty” industrywide data.
Plunkett Analytics Reports
Plunkett has much the same type of information in the US Industry & Market Reports, but more detailed information on the biggest companies in the industry. Updated quarterly, the Plunkett Analytics Reports provide financial analysis, market size and benchmarks, with:
- Historical revenues for the past 8 years
- Projections for the next 7 years
Some businesses (yoga instructor, life coach, etc.) are small niche businesses and not prominent enough to have large corporations and a huge market segment to warrant an industry report. Some are too new to be assigned a NAICS code (cannabis dispensary). If you’re having trouble finding your industry, try browsing through the 495 reports by industry name or NAICS code at https://www.plunkettresearch.com/plunkett-industry-analytics/.
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Still have questions about how to access industry reports with your library card? Book a Librarian to arrange for a personalized virtual or in-person session with a trained library professional. Please don’t hesitate to contact us, opens a new window for help in finding a report for your industry.
Information provided by the Sno-Isle Libraries does not imply recommendation or endorsement, is not interpreted and should not be used as a substitute for consultation with a (law, engineering, financial, health care, etc.) provider.
