Research Guides: Entrepreneurship: Market Size &amp; Share

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Market size & share

IBISWorld This link opens in a new window
Current and historic industry research reports for established and niche U.S. industries. Reports estimate the past/current/future sizes of these industries, and the market share of key players (when available). [U.S. only coverage]

For market size, select the At a Glance section in a report.
For market share, select the Companies section in a report.

Statista This link opens in a new window
NEW! A statistics portal that integrates thousands of diverse topics of data and facts from a wide range of sources onto a single platform. Sources of information include market research, trade publications, scientific journals, and government databases. In addition to tables and charts, Statista also provides infographics and studies on selected industries and topics. [Global coverage]
PitchBook This link opens in a new window
Includes "Market Size Estimates," for over 140,000 select markets. Search by market name or select from suggested markets. Market size estimates are based on available published sources. Filters allow you to customize estimate by: geography, estimate year, source, date published, and publisher. [Global coverage]
Users must create an account with their UCI email address. Download limits apply.

The vendor of this resource may monitor, collect, store, and analyze Subscriber’s usage of the Services (“Subscriber’s Usage Data”) on both a Subscriber and individual User basis for the limited purposes of providing or improving the services.

Market Analysis (left menu) > Market Size Estimates

Mintel This link opens in a new window
Market research reports spanning U.S. sectors for consumer products and lifestyles. Availability of market size and share data varies by industry. [U.S. only coverage]

Learn this search: Market size & share

Passport This link opens in a new window
Global market research reports spanning major consumer product categories, including market size and market share. [Global coverage]

Learn this search: Market share

MarketLine Advantage This link opens in a new window
Global reports of major industries. Market size data is in the "Market Overview" section. [Global coverage]
Business Source Complete This link opens in a new window
Covers virtually all business subjects. Includes content from many business magazines and trade publications, which may give insights into an industry's market size or market share. Sample search: market AND size AND furniture. [Global coverage]

RKMA Market Research
eBooks of market research reports that are compiled from widely available data. Topics: Business-to-Business Marketing; Consumer Behavior; Consumer Marketing; Consumer Use of the Internet & Mobile; Entertainment & Leisure; Pandemic Impact: Consumer Markets; Restaurant, Food & Beverage; Retail & E-Commerce; Sports Marketing; Travel & Tourism. [U.S. only coverage]

There are a zillion vendors selling reports about every product or industry imaginable, and the UCI Libraries cannot possibly buy all of them. Even if you can't afford to buy a report, there's no rule stopping you from citing content in a vendor's free preview!

Diagram of concentric circles showing TAM as the largest circle, SAM as the middle circle, and SOM as the smallest circle.

TAM-SAM-SOM model

The TAM - SAM - SOM model is a useful method of estimating your market size.

TAM: Total Attainable Market
SAM: Serviceable Available Market
SOM: Serviceable Obtainable Market

Learn more about the TAM - SAM - SOM Model starting on page 149 of
The Handbook of Market Research for Life Science Companies [eBook]
(Don't let the title fool you! This book is helpful for ALL industries, not just life sciences.)

Estimating B2B market size

In a B2B (business-to-business) market, companies make up your pool of potential customers, or market size.

To estimate the size of a B2B market, you need to determine the number of companies in your target market.

This can be approximated by creating a list of companies that meet specific criteria (e.g., industry, location, size, etc.)

Estimating B2C market size

In a B2C (business-to-consumer) market, people make up your pool of potential customers, or market size.

To estimate the size of a B2C market, you need to determine the number of people in your target market.

The following resources can help you approximate the number of people that meet various demographic or behavioral (psychographic) criteria:

SimplyAnalytics This link opens in a new window
Mapping and data visualization application that lets users create interactive maps, charts, and reports. Includes demographic, housing, employment, consumer spending, and business data for the United States. Users also have access to SimmonsLOCAL consumer behavior data, including information on brands, and Claritas PRIZM, which offers market insights using demographics and consumer lifestyle data. [U.S. only coverage]
Maximum 3 users at once.
Register for a free account to save and return to your work.
Mintel This link opens in a new window
Market research reports that address behaviors, lifestyles, and trends for several major consumer segments. Industry reports covering retail and consumer product sectors that address market conditions, forecasts, prominent brands, trends, and customer decisions. [U.S. only coverage]
IBISWorld This link opens in a new window
Brief, downloadable reports on key consumer behavior characteristics and demographics. [U.S. only coverage]

Learn this search: US business environment profiles

Census Bureau
Population, housing, economic, and geographic information from the United States Census.
Data USA
Visualization engine of U.S. public data. Includes information such as employment, housing, education, diversity, income, transportation, and health based on geography. Allows for easy side-by-side comparison of locations.
PRB: International Data
Useful for quickly making estimates based on worldwide population information.
CDC National Center for Health Statistics
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's statistics portal is an excellent resource for data and information on major medical conditions.

For additional resources for estimating B2C market size, see the Consumers page.

It's helpful to understand:

1. Market size and share information is not always readily available, especially for small, niche industries.

2. It may be necessary to estimate the market size by:

looking at a similar industry that can serve as a “proxy” or benchmark for your industry, or
using pieces of information from various sources to estimate the information you’re looking for.

3. Determining a company's market share for a product that accomplishes a specific task isn't clear-cut.

Companies rarely manufacture a single product (e.g., Apple manufactures phones, computers, watches, etc.).
A product rarely serves a single purpose (e.g., an Apple Watch monitors heart rate and counts counts steps).

Bottom line:

The exact information you're looking for may not be available, and estimates may need to be made based on the information that is available.