LibGuides: Resources for Fashion Entrepreneurs: Consumer Research

Mintel Reports Academic

Mintel Reports Academic is the best resource that the library subscribes to for constructing a consumer profile and understanding consumer behavior. Their expert analysts construct their own in-depth surveys to understand customers for each industry segment, and the consumer section will even have quotes from the surveyed individuals about their purchasing behavior. These reports are done on a national level on a yearly basis, but they are often supplemented through the year with analyst insights.

Mintel This link opens in a new window
This database is only available at the Central Library. This database does not allow printing or downloading and can only be read on a library computer.

Media Kits and Audience Metrics

Another way to determine your target consumer is by looking at media kits for online or print publications that your customers may read as well as looking at their online metrics. Even if you do not plan on advertising with these publications or websites, you can use these demographic characteristics in your Social Media advertising or when you are constructing a direct mail campaign. The image below is an example of a consumer snapshot form Hearst's media kit, which is Marie Claire, InStyle, and more. You can also use sites like Quantcast to view detailed viewer profiles for websites, and you can sign up to have your own site quantified.

Hearst Media Kit

Quantcast
Quantcast is a website that gives detailed audience metrics for the websites of several media outlets and brands. The metrics on quantcast have detailed demographic information, information about which platform is being used to access the web sites, geographic information, and additional lifestyle information fields. You can also sign up to have your site quantified. (Photo Credit: © Quantcast 2017).

Mapping Local Customers

The library subscribes to a number of databases that allow you to map consumer variables against a set geography or that allow to construct and compare location based reports that contain consumer demographic and psychographic information. Most of this information comes from a combination of government data from the census and consumer expenditure surveys and information from third party providers like Nielsen. This is useful when you want to open your own brick and mortar location or when you are looking to sell to physical retailers. Both Mergent Intellect and SimplyAnalytics allow you to construct searches using the Nielsen PRIZM "best customer" segments. These segments group potential customers by demographic and lifestyle choices to create a best customer profile. The image below is an example of a Nielsen PRIZM segment, and you can click on that image to learn more about the other PRIZM segments.

Mergent Intellect This link opens in a new window
Mergent Intellect's Demographic database allows you to view demographic, income, and Nielsen PRIZM data in nice packaged PDF reports that can be downloaded. You can compare up to four geographies at a time, and the smallest unit of geography that can be used is a zip code. This resource is available remotely with your Brooklyn Public Library card and PIN.
SimplyAnalytics This link opens in a new window
SimplyAnalytics is a tool that allows you to make detailed maps, tables, and rankings based on a number of different variables and geographies. These variables include Nielsen data, consumer expenditures, and demographic information. This database is ONLY accessible on the computers at the Central Library.
Reference Solutions This link opens in a new window
The "U.S. Consumers/Lifestyles" database in Reference Solutions can be used to find target consumers based on lifestyle choices, geography, and income. The "heat map" in the advanced search results can be used to map your search, for example an interest in stylish women's apparel in Kings County. The "charts" can also be used to graphically show your best zip codes.

Example Map from Simply Analytics