MK 374: Market Research

Searching the library catalog is another great way to gather information for your business concept and secondary data analysis presentation. What are some strategies you can use to leverage your skills to search the catalog?

Step one: Think about your research question. What kind of information are you trying to find and what do you want to know about creating your business concept and understanding your target consumers? What are some keywords you can use to find resources? Remember the 4 P's that you'll need to consider for your research assignment (product, price, place, and promotion) 

Think about the type of industry you want to research:

• tourism (kayak company, local foodie tour, theme park)
• transportation (ride share service, campus bikes, kayak rental)
• restaurant, food service (bar, cafe, tea shop)
• technology (wearables, health devices or equipment, app)
• retail (boutique store, handcrafted goods, made local, fragrance store)
• health and wellness (spa, gym, sauna, yoga studio, ceramic studio)

Think of different terms to describe owning a business:

• business
• small business owner
• shop local
• entrepreneur
• boutique
• kiosk

Consider researching a specific region or business history (marketing strategies, industry presence, in the news) 

• corporation vs locally owned store vs chain
• research competitors with successful marketing strategies and products
• How does geography impact the type of businesses available?
• How does consumer behavior or preference determine the availability of particular businesses in an area?
• What type of businesses exist in the Skyway Marina district?

Step two: Think about synonyms to describe your keywords! If at first you don't succeed, try again!

• Explore different terms you can use to describe your keywords. For instance, if you want to search for articles on how to create a yoga studio, you can input keywords: startup and yoga business.
• Try not to be too specific because your search may yield 0 results. For instance if you want to search the library catalog for stories on the yellow bikes on Eckerd campus, you may end up with 0 results. But you can consider using the library archives for local content!

Remember to limit your results using the filters on the left side of the screen, also known as "Tweak your Results"

Using the resource type drop down and the subject filter are helpful ways you can narrow your results to the information you need. For the subject filter, think about various aspects you want to research to ensure that your business concept is successful. For instance if I wanted to have a small boutique candle store, I may want to limit the results to candles, stores & retail, design, marketing, etc. Each filter will offer a different set of articles and resources that are worth investigating further