Getting Started

Principles of marketing tutorials

KnowThis LLC

These tutorials on market research cover planning, primary and secondary research. Under "Manage and Plan", see also tutorials on preparing a market study and writing a marketing plan.

Country and sector information for international business

Global Affairs Canada

Research current business opportunities in specific countries, or browse by sector to find new markets and growth possibilities.

Market Intelligence reports

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Brief overview reports of export opportunities for food and beverage products in foreign markets. Market reports are organized by product or country.

Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN)

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service

U.S. Foreign Service officers submit information on the agricultural situation in more than 130 countries, issued as reports such as Taiwan Pet Food Market, Japan Food Trends, UK Organic Products Market Report, etc. Search options include Search by Date and Categories/Countries/Posts. (Registration required.)

Global FoodMate - food industry reports

Global FoodMate

This part of the site aggregates market reports from agencies such as Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, GAIN, etc. Some reports are not free – tables of contents are provided. Good coverage of Asia.

Top markets series

U.S. International Trade Administration

Written for U.S. exporters, the reports rank future export opportunities within 19 industries: agricultural equipment, aircraft parts, automotive parts, building products and sustainable construction, civil nuclear, cloud computing, cold supply chain, education, environmental technologies, health IT, media and entertainment, oil and gas, recreational transportation, renewable energy, renewable fuels, semiconductors and related equipment, smart grid, textiles and apparel, and travel and tourism. Each industry report provides a market assessment of the competitiveness, opportunities and challenges within a sector, and case studies.

Destination Canada - tourism

Destination Canada

Provides reports covering tourism research and intelligence; information about market, product, industry trends, research; and statistics. These include annual statistics, arrivals and departures, and tourism trends.

Quirk’s researcher sourcebook directory of market research companies

Quirk Enterprises Inc.

Directory contains detailed listings of more than 7,000 companies, mostly in the U.S., providing marketing research products and services. Browse by country, or search by U.S. state or Canadian province, and by area of research (such as package research or branding) or industry specialization.

ESOMAR directory of research

ESOMAR

ESOMAR is an international market research association with more than 4,900 members in 130 countries, particularly in Europe. The Directory of Research includes a directory of research companies and a directory of national market research associations. Country overviews for 70 and more countries that list the laws that affect market research in that country, challenges for market research, and cultural and other issues.

AIIP members - business directory

Association of Independent Information Professionals (AIIP)

Directory of AIIP member companies that can provide secondary market research. Search the member directory by industry sector.

Export Market Access Program

Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC)

Grants available under the Export Market Access program include conducting market research for more precise international market targeting. Eligibility: 5 or more employees and annual sales of $500,000 and more.

Multi-Country Sources

Country information

Export Development Canada (EDC)

Search by country to find overviews covering economic and political issues.

Global export forecast

Export Development Canada (EDC)

This report identifies the major forces acting on the world economy and the implications for Canadian exporters. It describes which foreign markets will offer the best opportunities for Canadian exporters for the coming year, and analyzes the sales outlook by sector. It also discusses the major risks faced by exporters. Includes a link to the Country Risk Quarterly reports.

BBC country profiles

BBC

History, politics and economic background of countries and territories, and background on key institutions, plus audio and video clips from BBC archives. Search by country or territory.

The World Factbook

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

Provides information on the history, people, government, economy, energy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 266 world entities. Also provides maps, and country comparisons.

Country profiles and resources

GlobalTrade.net

GlobalTrade.net offers links to resources for most countries in the world as well as more than 80 country profiles. For each country, provides brief introductory information and separate sections on business environment, economic/political overview, selling and buying, operating a business, investing, and travelling.

Globaledge insights by country

Michigan State University

Links to sources of information by country. Also includes statistics, economy, history, government, culture, risk, corporations, trade statistics, indices, and other resources.

Statistics

Trade data online

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

Trade data from Statistics Canada and U.S. Census Bureau. Search for exports or imports by industry (NAICS codes) or by product (HS codes). Choose national or provincial detail, and country of origin or destination. Trade between Canada and U.S. is also provided at the state and provincial levels.

Trade Map Canada

UN/WTO International Trade Centre

Access is free to Canadians, courtesy of Canada Business Network. Provides indicators on export performance, international demand, alternative markets and competitive markets – in the form of tables, graphs and maps – and a directory of importing and exporting companies. Trade map covers 220 countries and territories and 5,300 products of the Harmonized System (HS). Monthly, quarterly and yearly trade flows are available down to the tariff line level (8 digits).

UNdata

United Nations

34 databases covering a wide range of economic and sociodemographic topics, from crime and education to tourism and trade, for countries around the world. Descriptions of the international sources and definitions used in compiling the data are included. Sources: UN, FAO, IMF, OECD, UNESCO, WTO, WHO, and other international agencies. From the home page, link to national statistical agencies through the "Country data services" tab.

World Databank

The World Bank

Databank is an analysis and visualisation tool that contains development data by country and indicator for a wide variety of topics, such as population, income, social, economic, financial, natural resources, and the environment.

Merchandise trade and commercial services

World Trade Organization (WTO)

Home page for statistical series from WTO: statistics database, annual publications such as commodity and tariff profiles, interactive statistics and maps.

Service profiles

World Trade Organization (WTO)

The Services Profiles provide standard information on key infrastructure services for some 150 economies. For the service sectors, e.g. transportation, telecommunications, finance and insurance, there are about 100 indicators relating to investment, market performance, production, employment, and trade.

Consumer expenditure survey - U.S.

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)

Federal survey providing information on the complete range of consumer expenditures and incomes, as well as the characteristics of those consumers. It is used to regularly revise the Consumer Price Index market basket of goods and services and their relative importance.

Eurostat

European Commission

Statistical office of the European Commission. Under "General and regional statistics", select "Regions" to find statistics for countries and smaller regions (counties etc.). Other sections include Industry, International trade, etc.

StatsAPEC

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)

Two useful databases for the countries of APEC, which include Australia, Canada, the U.S. and Vietnam. "Key Indicators Database" covers more than 120 economic, social and environmental indicators such as GDP per capita, internet users, and border administration, for comparing countries. "Bilateral Linkages Database" includes several indicators on merchandise trade, foreign direct investment, portfolio investment assets, and bank lending between APEC economies.

E-stat Japan

Statistics Bureau of Japan

Portal site to official statistics for Japan.

LANIC - statistics

The University of Texas at Austin

Latin American Network Information Center (LANIC) is an extensive collection of resources and links for every country in Latin America. This page provides links to regional and national statistics agencies, as well as banks and development agencies that publish statistics.

CARICOM regional statistics

Caribbean Community Secretariat

Information based on data supplied by CARICOM Member States. Trade statistics are for the Caribbean region.