UWM Libraries Research and Course Guides: Business & Economics: Consumer Info

What About Consumers?

Demographics = statistics about an audience or population, such as age, income, education, race, marital status or other personal characteristics.

Lifestyles = people's attitudes, hobbies, activities, and opinions that may affect buying trends and habits.

Consumer Expenditures/ Consumer Demand = the amount consumers spend on specific goods and services.

* UWM Libraries Subscription Databases

Simmons Insights (formerly Simmons Oneview)
Provides data on consumer preferences and purchase behavior for thousands of brands, products, and media properties as well as lifestyles, attitudes, and opinions. Hover over "Essentials" in the top menu bar to generate Quick Reports or customized Crosstab Reports.
*Note:The dataset for this academic version of Simmons is 2-3 years older than the commercial version. The UWM Libraries has 10 simultaneous users for this database. If you cannot access the database, please try again later.

►Tutorial videos: Intro to Simmons | Creating Quick Reports | Interpreting Quick Reports
Claritas 360 (via SRDS Media Solutions)
Demographic & consumer segmentation reports by geographic markets (i.e. state, county or DMAs).
*Note: The Claritas 360 module only works using Chrome; to access, click above link and then Claritas 360 near the upper right.

►Tutorials: Intro to Claritas 360 in SRDS video | Walkthrough to create Market Potential Reports | For walkthroughs for more report types and other help, click links on main database page.
Mergent Intellect: Demographics
Demographic reports by county, city, or zip code.
*Tip: Click link above, then scroll down to "Demographics."
Data Axle Reference Solutions: US Consumers (formerly ReferenceUSA)
*Tip: After clicking on link, scroll down and choose "U.S. Consumers/Lifestyles."
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Information on hobbies, buying behavior, and lifestyle choices of groups of consumer on a local, regional or national basis. Consumers are rated on purchase preferences across nineteen categories.

Social Explorer
Interactive tool that combines modern and historical US census and demographic data with an intuitive map interface, 1790 to present.

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Business Reference E-Books (Gale Virtual Reference Library)
Collection of online reference books on marketing, brands, industries, small business and more. See the list below for selected titles; click on above link to access the entire collection.

    -- Encyclopedia of Major Marketing Strategies
    -- Encyclopedia of Global Brands
    -- Corporate Disasters: What Went Wrong and Why
    -- Market Share Reporter: Trends Over Time
ProQuest One Business: Just-Series Market Research Reports
Global market reviews and/or reports on special topics pertaining to industries and product types within the four sectors listed below.

Consumer Info: Open Access Web Sites

data.census.gov (U.S. Census Bureau)
Main portal for U.S. Census demographic data for various geographic areas.
QuickFacts (U.S. Census Bureau)
Tables, maps, and charts of Census Bureau data; available for the nation, all states and counties, and cities and towns with populations of 5,000 or more.
Census Business Builder: Regional Analyst
Overview of the people and businesses in a specific geographic region, e.g. state, county, ZIP code. Reports include a high-level overview of the spending patterns of consumers in the area.
Consumer Expenditure Survey (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Demographic information on the buying habits of American consumers for 300 broad product categories.
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Data USA
Visualization tool for open U.S. Government data on geographic locations, occupations, industries, and more. Map, compare, and download data, e.g. median household income by state.
Claritas Zip Code Lookup
Snapshots of demographic traits, lifestyles & behaviors by zip code.
ESRI Know Your Neighborhood App
Snapshots of socioeconomic, demographic & lifestyle characteristics by zip code. Some portions of the site may only be available for a fee.
Get Facts Wisconsin
Wisconsin demographic data at a range of geographic scales.
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Marketing Charts Collection of 2,500 charts and data files related to marketing.
Pew Research Center Public opinion polling, demographic research, and other data-driven research. Reports and other publications are great sources for data on Pew's major research areas, which include Internet & Technology.
Nielsenwire News and reports by Nielsen about consumers and their interaction with a wide range of media, including mobile, digital, and social media. Note: Some reports require free registration. _____________________________

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United Nations: UNData Search multiple UN statistical databases; topics covered include: agriculture, crime, education, energy, industry, labor, national accounts, population and tourism.
UNESCO Data Centre Indicators for more than 200 countries on education, science, and cultural topics.
EuroStat Statistics on the European Union for economics and finance, population and social conditions, trade and industry, agriculture and fisheries, transportation, and more. Both free and fee-based data.