Primary sources of marketing information are based upon original research. This original research may be conducted by you or someone you pay to conduct the research for you. It may also be data or information that others collected for their own purposes and have made available to you either at no cost or for a fee. The purpose of primary market research is often to produce data that will fill a gap in marketing knowledge and/or provide a competitive advantage. It can be designed to answer specific questions you have about your business, industry, customers, products, or competition.
Primary source information in marketing can be either quantitative or qualitative, and is usually obtained through surveys, interviews, observation and focus groups. Quantitative marketing research will produce data that can be placed in an Excel spreadsheet, and is usually gathered through surveys, opinion polls, and observation. Qualitative research is conducted and used to answer non-quantifiable aspects of knowledge, such as attitudes and opinions. This type of information is usually gathered through interviews, observations, and focus groups. Conducting primary research can be costly and time-consuming. The best path to locating primary data that others have produced is through the subscription business and industry databases provided by the UL Libraries and OhioLINK, as well as the many government and organization databases linked in this guide.
Examples of Primary Data Sources:
Secondary sources of marketing information are any sources that describe, summarize, review, interpret, and analyze primary sources of data, quantitative or qualitative. Secondary information can be found in books and book chapters, newspapers, magazines, trade publications, reports, and journal articles that describe and evaluate original research done by others. Secondary data can be produced by government agencies, trade associations, public and private organizations, marketing research firms, and individual researchers. sources are available to a wide audience, including your competition. Although most secondary data and information sources, such as those produced by are available at no or little cost, some private market research firms create large in-depth industry reports that can be expensive to purchase. The best path to locating secondary data and information sources is through the subscription business and industry databases provided by the UL Libraries and OhioLINK, as well as various marketing association and research firm web sites.
Examples of Secondary Data/Information Sources: