LibGuides: Design: Market research

Market research resources

Market research from reputable sources is not usually available for free. The Library subscribes to several resources so you can access market research reports for free.

Mintel and Marketline Advantage are particularly useful for UK consumer markets, providing access to hundreds of full text market research reports.

Mintel Academic Reports This link opens in a new window
Mintel is a leading name in Market Research, the Library provides access to reports published in the last two years for leading UK industries including: Technology, Media, Household Care, Health and Wellbeing, Food and Drink, Beauty and Personal Care, Automotive.
The Library subscription also covers Mintel Market Sizes which provides global market data such as market size, market share, market forecasts and segmentation.
WGSN This link opens in a new window
A global market research service providing images and reports for the fashion, design and retail industries. It has a huge collection of images of the latest clothes and accessories from designers and stores around the world. You can use an extensive set of criteria to search for images and can zoom into the images to focus on details.

As well as images you can browse for news, analysis and reports on business, trends and marketing within the industry. It looks at all aspects of fashion and design, including materials, colours, brands and packaging. It also covers trends and images in related areas such as art, interior design, pop culture and celebrity.
You can use WGSN without creating an account. However, students who want to use the personalisation features should use the firstname.lastname@student.shu.ac.uk format of their Hallam email address to
Mintel Academic Reports This link opens in a new window
Mintel is a leading name in Market Research, the Library provides access to reports published in the last two years for leading UK industries including: Technology, Media, Household Care, Health and Wellbeing, Food and Drink, Beauty and Personal Care, Automotive.
The Library subscription also covers Mintel Market Sizes which provides global market data such as market size, market share, market forecasts and segmentation.
Marketline Advantage This link opens in a new window
Marketline Advantage provides quality information on industries, countries and companies and is updated daily. It has interactive reports and databases and is ideal for understanding companies and sectors.
Business Source Premier This link opens in a new window
Full text coverage of trade and academic journals covering all business disciplines, including marketing, management, accounting, finance and economics. Also includes industry and company profiles and SWOT analyses, country economic data and market research.
Passport (Euromonitor) This link opens in a new window
Market research data that analysts at Euromonitor have collated including consumer lifestyle reports, future demographics, country profiles, updates on consumer and industry trends, company information, market sizes and economic indicators. Passport covers more than 200 countries and regions, with a global outlook
COBRA: Complete Business Reference Advisor This link opens in a new window
COBRA provides useful information related to starting up and running a small business.
It includes factsheets, opportunity profiles, market reports, contacts, news, development tools and details of sources of funding. Three users are allowed at a time so if you cannot access it, try again later.COBRA provides useful information related to starting up and running a small business. It includes factsheets, opportunity profiles, market reports, contacts, news, development tools and details of sources of funding. Three users are allowed at a time so if you cannot access it, try again later.
Statista This link opens in a new window
Access to global statistics, data, graphs and infographics. Statista provides detailed information on over 100 industries and 120 countries, as well as global companies and market trends.

Other marketing resources

Which? online This link opens in a new window
Full text of reports from the main Which? publications: Gardening Which?, Holiday Which?, and Computing Which?
Supplements such as Which? Car and The Tax-Saving Guide are also included, along with The Good Food Guide and Good Bed and Breakfast Guide. It is updated every month, and the magazine archive goes back to 2005.
WARC (World Advertising Research Center) This link opens in a new window
International market research database covering peer-reviewed journals, case studies, WARC briefings and best practice guides on marketing strategy & implementation, research papers, media & advertising data and market context analysis. Includes Market Leader, the Journal of Advertising Research, International Journal of Advertising and the International Journal of Market Research.

Statistics resources

Statista This link opens in a new window
Access to global statistics, data, graphs and infographics. Statista provides detailed information on over 100 industries and 120 countries, as well as global companies and market trends.

National Statistics Institutes
A comprehensive list of links to official national statistics institutes around the world. Compiled by the UK Data Service.
Neighbourhood Statistics
Official UK Government website providing local statistics. You can type in your postcode to get a summary report for your local area.
UK Office for National Statistics
The main gateway to UK official statistics. Provides direct access to tables of data, full text publications and the latest official releases. Covers Britain's economy, population and society at national and regional levels. Updated daily