Information on Consumers - Best Resources
Consumer Information
Find books and ebooks about marketing and consumers:
Books and ebooks are good for finding overviews and history of your topic. You don't need to read the whole book to get the information you need for your project; often one chapter of a scholarly book will cover the information you need.
In this updated e-book, experts and novices alike can see at a glance who spends the most and who controls the largest market share--often surprisingly different--on over 300 products and services that are organized into 21 chapters that focus on entertainment, groceries, transportation, etc.--everything a consumer might buy. Based on unpublished data--you can't find this on the Internet--from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' valuable Consumer Expenditure Survey, Best Customers brings you insight into household spending by householder age, income, type, race and Hispanic origin, region of residence, and education.
- Statista This link opens in a new window
One of the world's largest statistics portals with data from over 18,000 sources. Provides access to 1 million statistics. Also contains information on industries, countries, digital markets, and other topics, as well as infographics.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics - Consumer Expenditure SurveysThe Consumer Expenditure Surveys (CE) program provides data on expenditures, income, and demographic characteristics of consumers in the United States.
Industry and Competitor Information
- Business Insights: Essentials (formerly Business & Company Resource Center) This link opens in a new window
A fully integrated resource bringing together company profiles, brand information, rankings, investment reports, company histories and chronologies. You can also search industry descriptions and for topics in over 4,000 business, economics and technology journals. - Business Source Complete (via EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
Leading scholarly business database with over 1,300 publications, including peer-reviewed journals. Covers all business disciplines, including marketing, management, accounting, finance, and economics. Also includes financial data, company profiles, industry reports, market research reports, SWOT analyses, and more.
- Mergent Online / Mergent Market Atlas This link opens in a new windowMarket Atlas is the new, updated platform that will replace Mergent Online. The former Mergent interface is available here until July 2025: http://menlocollege.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://www.mergentonline.com/basicsearch.php
Provides access to a wide range of financial and business information, including U.S. and international company data, industry reports, global company financials, executive profiles, equity research reports, records from private companies, annual reports, risk ratings and information, ESG ratings, and global equity pricing data. Offers the ability to build custom financial reports. - PrivCo This link opens in a new window
The PrivCo database presents business and financial data on major privately-held companies, including family owned, private equity owned, venture backed, and international unlisted companies. PrivCo covers over 500,000 companies, providing information on finances, M&A and funding activity, ownership structure, and more. PrivCo also has data on more than 18,000 investors.
Click the green "Direct Access" button to access PrivCo without making an account. - Statista This link opens in a new windowOne of the world's largest statistics portals with data from over 18,000 sources. Provides access to 1 million statistics. Also contains information on industries, countries, digital markets, and other topics, as well as infographics.
How to find NAICS codes:
- NAICS: The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the standard used by Federal statistical agencies in classifying business establishments for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data related to the U.S. business economy.
Tutorial:Finding NAICS Codes
Newspaper and Magazine Articles
- Financial Times (via ABI/INFORM) This link opens in a new window
The Financial Times is read daily by businesses, politicians, and academics around the world. The FT covers a variety of topics, including management, business, the legal industry, politics, climate change, and economics, all from a global perspective.
While we no longer have a direct subscription to ft.com, we have access to content published from 05/31/1996 to present (with a 30 Day delay) through ABI/Inform. - Flipster This link opens in a new window
Flipster is a next-generation digital magazine reader.
Bowman Library has access to select past issues of the following magazines: .net, Film Comment, Fit & Well, Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine, Popular Science, ReNew, Web Designer, and World Soccer - New York Times (NYTimes.com) This link opens in a new window
Activate your subscription from one of the links below and make sure you use the off campus activation link if you are off campus and the on campus activation link if you are on campus. After creating your account, you can log on to the New York Times site directly using your Menlo e-mail and the password you have set up. iPhone, iPad, and Android apps are available with your login. The Menlo Community has full-text access to the New York Times from 1851 to the present. For the years 1923-1980 there is a limit of 5 articles per day per user. Passes do not include e-reader editions, Times Premier content or New York Times Games, New York Times Cooking or The Athletic.
- New York Times One-Time Activation from Off Campus This link opens in a new window
To activate your NYT academic pass, click on the link, search for "Menlo College", and follow the instructions to create your NYTimes.com account from off campus. After activating your subscription, log on to the New York Times site (https://www.nytimes.com) directly using your Menlo e-mail address and the password you have set up for your NYTimes account. iPhone, iPad, and Android apps are available with your login. The Menlo Community has full-text access to the New York Times from 1851 to the present. For the years 1923-1980 there is a limit of 5 articles per day per user. Watch this access walkthrough video from NYT for additional assistance with activating your academic pass and registering your NYT account.
- New York Times One-Time Activation from On Campus This link opens in a new windowAfter activating your subscription here, log on to the New York Times site (https://www.nytimes.com) directly using your Menlo e-mail and the password you have set up. iPhone, iPad, and Android apps are available with your login. The Menlo Community has full-text access to the New York Times from 1851 to the present. For the years 1923-1980 there is a limit of 5 articles per day per user.
In Class Resources: Worksheet
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Consumer Behavior
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