Researching your business idea

Every business needs to understand their market. This workshop will include market size, trends, competitors, and customer attitudes. We will take you through key information sources available for free in the Business & IP Centre and elsewhere online.

A guide to using published market research sources and field research, to find the information you need on your business sector.

Every business needs to understand their market. This workshop will include market size, trends, competitors, and customer attitudes. We will take you through key information sources available for free in the Business & IP Centre and elsewhere online. It will cover practical examples of finding relevant information from our databases such as Cobra, Mintel and IBIS World. As well as freely available sources on the internet.

It will also cover essential field research to complement published market research. This will help find out what your customers think about your specific product or service, including how much they are prepared to pay for it. We will look at how to engage with your customers to find out what they really think, instead of the answers they think you want to hear.

Session Content

  • Why you need to do Market Research
  • Desk research
  • Different sources of information
  • Field research
  • Testing the market
  • Q&A

 

Speaker - Neil Infield - British Library

Neil is a manager in the Business & IP Centre at the British Library, where he leads a team of business and intellectual property reference specialists. The Centre provides information and advice to inventors, start-ups and growing businesses.

Neil is a SFEDI accredited business advisor, and runs regular advice clinics. He has also delivered a range of workshops including 'How to research your market' and 'Why you need a Trade Mark.'

Prior to joining the British Library Neil worked in the City of London for a pension fund, managing their business information services. He has spoken widely on innovation in business information. He blogs at www.inoutfield.com.

In his spare time he can be found digging his vegetable patch, or tinkering with his classic KR-1S motorbike.

 

 

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