# Market Sizing Data Sources

Curated list of credible sources for market research and sizing analysis.

## Industry Research Reports

### Premium Research Firms

**Gartner** (https://www.gartner.com)
- Technology market forecasts and sizing
- Magic Quadrants for competitive positioning
- Typical cost: $5K-$50K per report
- Best for: Enterprise software, IT services, emerging tech

**Forrester** (https://www.forrester.com)
- Business technology and digital transformation
- Wave evaluations for vendor comparison
- Typical cost: $3K-$30K per report
- Best for: Marketing tech, customer experience, B2B

**IDC** (https://www.idc.com)
- IT market intelligence and sizing
- Detailed segment breakdowns
- Typical cost: $4K-$40K per report
- Best for: Hardware, software, IT services

**McKinsey** (https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights)
- Free insights and reports
- Strategic industry analysis
- Best for: Industry trends, macroeconomic context

### Accessible Research

**Statista** (https://www.statista.com)
- Cost: $39/month individual, $199/month business
- Coverage: 80,000+ topics across industries
- Best for: Quick market size estimates, charts, trends

**CB Insights** (https://www.cbinsights.com)
- Cost: Custom pricing (typically $10K+/year)
- Coverage: Venture capital, startup markets
- Best for: Emerging markets, competitive intelligence

**PitchBook** (https://pitchbook.com)
- Cost: Institutional pricing
- Coverage: Private company valuations, M&A, VC
- Best for: Startup valuations, funding trends

**Grand View Research** (https://www.grandviewresearch.com)
- Cost: $2K-$5K per report
- Coverage: B2C and emerging markets
- Best for: Consumer markets, healthcare, cleantech

## Government and Public Data

### U.S. Government Sources

**U.S. Census Bureau** (https://www.census.gov)
- Free, authoritative demographic data
- Economic census every 5 years
- Best for: Business counts, demographics, spending

**Bureau of Labor Statistics** (https://www.bls.gov)
- Free employment and economic data
- Industry-specific statistics
- Best for: Employment trends, wages, productivity

**SEC EDGAR** (https://www.sec.gov/edgar)
- Free public company filings
- 10-K, 10-Q reports with segment revenue
- Best for: Validating market size with public company data

**Data.gov** (https://www.data.gov)
- Free government datasets
- Aggregates across agencies
- Best for: Specialized industry data

### International Sources

**OECD** (https://data.oecd.org)
- Free international economic data
- Best for: Cross-country comparisons

**World Bank** (https://data.worldbank.org)
- Free global development data
- Best for: Emerging markets, macro trends

**Eurostat** (https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat)
- Free European Union statistics
- Best for: European market sizing

## Trade Associations

Industry associations often publish market research:

**Software & SaaS**
- Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA)
- Cloud Security Alliance (CSA)

**E-commerce & Retail**
- National Retail Federation (NRF)
- Digital Commerce 360

**Financial Services**
- American Bankers Association (ABA)
- Financial Technology Association (FTA)

**Healthcare**
- Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
- American Hospital Association (AHA)

**Manufacturing**
- National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)
- Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC)

## Company and Customer Data

### B2B Databases

**LinkedIn Sales Navigator** ($99/month)
- Company and employee counts
- Industry filters
- Best for: B2B customer counting

**ZoomInfo** (Custom pricing)
- Company databases with firmographics
- Contact data
- Best for: B2B TAM calculations

**Crunchbase** ($29-$99/month)
- Startup company data
- Funding and employee information
- Best for: Tech startup markets

**BuiltWith** ($295-$995/month)
- Technology usage data
- Website analytics
- Best for: Technology adoption sizing

### Consumer Data

**Euromonitor** (Custom pricing)
- Consumer market research
- Best for: B2C product markets

**Nielsen** (Custom pricing)
- Consumer behavior and media
- Best for: CPG, retail, media markets

**Mintel** (Custom pricing)
- Consumer trends and insights
- Best for: B2C products and services

## Search and Discovery Tools

### Market Research Aggregators

**Research and Markets** (https://www.researchandmarkets.com)
- Aggregates reports from 100+ publishers
- $500-$10K per report
- Search across all major research firms

**MarketsandMarkets** (https://www.marketsandmarkets.com)
- Custom and syndicated research
- $4K-$10K per report
- Good for niche B2B markets

### Free Search Tools

**Google Scholar** (https://scholar.google.com)
- Free academic research
- Best for: Emerging technologies, academic validation

**SSRN** (https://www.ssrn.com)
- Free working papers
- Best for: Financial services, economics

**arXiv** (https://arxiv.org)
- Free preprints in CS, physics, etc.
- Best for: AI/ML, scientific markets

## Competitive Intelligence

### Public Company Analysis

**Yahoo Finance** (Free)
- Public company financials
- Segment revenue from earnings

**Seeking Alpha** (Free + Premium)
- Earnings transcripts
- Analyst estimates

**Public company investor relations**
- Annual reports (10-K)
- Investor presentations

### Private Company Intelligence

**PrivCo** (Custom pricing)
- Private company financials
- M&A transaction data

**Owler** (Free + Premium)
- Company profiles and news
- Revenue estimates

**SimilarWeb** (Free + Premium)
- Website traffic analytics
- Best for: Online business sizing

## Survey and Primary Research

### Survey Tools

**SurveyMonkey** ($25-$75/month)
- DIY surveys
- Best for: Customer willingness to pay

**Typeform** ($25-$83/month)
- Conversational surveys
- Best for: User research

**Qualtrics** (Enterprise pricing)
- Professional research platform
- Best for: Large-scale studies

### Panel Providers

**Respondent.io** ($100-$200 per response)
- Recruit professionals for interviews
- Best for: B2B customer research

**UserTesting** ($49 per participant)
- User research and testing
- Best for: Product validation

**Google Surveys** ($0.10-$3.50 per response)
- Quick consumer surveys
- Best for: Basic consumer insights

## Data Quality Checklist

When evaluating sources:

**Authority**
- [ ] Who published the research?
- [ ] What's their reputation?
- [ ] Do they have industry expertise?

**Methodology**
- [ ] How was data collected?
- [ ] What's the sample size?
- [ ] When was research conducted?

**Recency**
- [ ] Is data current (< 2 years old)?
- [ ] Has market changed significantly?
- [ ] Are growth rates still applicable?

**Consistency**
- [ ] Do multiple sources agree?
- [ ] Are definitions consistent?
- [ ] Do numbers triangulate?

**Relevance**
- [ ] Does it match your market definition?
- [ ] Is geography appropriate?
- [ ] Are segments aligned?

## Free vs. Paid Strategy

**Start with free sources:**
1. Government data for customer counts
2. Public company filings for segment revenue
3. Trade associations for industry trends
4. Google Scholar for academic research

**Upgrade to paid when:**
- Raising institutional funding (investors expect premium sources)
- Need detailed segment breakdowns
- Market is niche or emerging
- Free sources are outdated or insufficient

**Cost-effective approach:**
- Buy 1-2 key reports that cover your core market
- Use free sources for triangulation
- Supplement with primary research (customer interviews)
- Cite mix of free and paid sources

## Citation Best Practices

Always cite sources in market sizing:

**Format:**
```
Market Size: $X.XB
Source: [Publisher], [Report Name], [Date]
URL: [link if available]
```

**Example:**
```
Email Marketing Software TAM: $7.5B (2024)
Source: Gartner, "Market Share: Email Marketing Software, Worldwide, 2024"
Note: Includes all email marketing software revenue globally
```

**Include:**
- Publisher and report name
- Publication date
- Geography and scope
- Any adjustments made
- Link to source (if public)

## Keeping Research Current

**Set Google Alerts**
- Industry keywords
- Company names
- Market terms

**Follow Research Firms**
- Twitter accounts
- LinkedIn updates
- Free newsletter summaries

**Track Public Companies**
- Earnings calendars
- Investor relations pages
- Annual reports

**Join Industry Groups**
- LinkedIn groups
- Slack communities
- Trade associations

**Review Annually**
- Update market size with new data
- Adjust growth assumptions
- Revisit methodology if market changed

## Emergency Research Guide

**Need market size in < 2 hours?**

1. **Check Statista** (15 min) - Quick industry overview
2. **Find public companies** (30 min) - Get segment revenue from 10-Ks
3. **LinkedIn search** (20 min) - Count potential B2B customers
4. **Google Scholar** (20 min) - Find academic papers
5. **Calculate bottom-up** (30 min) - Customers × Price
6. **Triangulate** (15 min) - Compare sources

**Document everything:**
- Write down all sources
- Note all assumptions
- Show your methodology
- Caveat data quality

Better to have a defensible estimate with clear limitations than no data at all.
