Research Guides: MKTG 2P91: Introduction to Marketing: 3. Companies & Industries

Industry & Competitor Analysis

The sources listed on this page can help you to:

learn more about an industry by scanning published industry reports in Library Databases or other sources
identify competitors with similar products/services using Library Databases or other sources
identify relevant industry and trade associations as potential information sources

Find Canadian Industry Reports & Profiles

You can learn more about industries and the competitive landscape by consulting one or more of the following sources of industry reports (listed in alphabetical order). Additional sources of Industry Information, including Ontario-specific industry profiles, may be found on the Companies and Industries Research Guide.

Canadian Industry Statistics (Industry Canada/Statistics Canada)

Conference Board of Canada This link opens in a new window
Mergent Intellect This link opens in a new window
Our subscription includes access to First Research Industry Profiles which cover 500 industries and include Canadian content.
IBISWorld Industry Research Database This link opens in a new window
- The Library subscribes to the following modules in IBISWorld: Canada Industry Reports (NAICS), United States Industry Reports (NAICS), Canada Industry iExpert Summaries, United States Industry iExpert Summaries, United States Specialized Industry Reports, United States Specialized Industry iExpert Summaries, China Industry Reports (200 industries), Canada Industry Provincial Reports (50+ Ontario industries), and Canada Collection of Macroeconomic Business Environment Profiles.
Mintel Academic This link opens in a new window
Passport This link opens in a new window
- Includes Economies & Consumers, as well as Industrial-Canada reports for industries across the entire Canadian economy

Identify Competitors by NAICS Code

You can identify competitors using a variety of business or company directories, databases, and web sites. You can often identify competitors within the same industry by searching by NAICS code or by keywords in the NAICS description.

Get Help With NAICS Codes

Mergent Intellect This link opens in a new window
- A deep collection of worldwide business information that enables companies to generate insightful business intelligence.
- Permitted Uses
Mergent Market Atlas This link opens in a new window
- Contains global business and financial data including company and industry profiles and annual reports.
- Coverage: Current plus up to 15 years of historical data.
- Until June 2025 this content is also available on the legacy Mergent Online platform.
- Permitted Uses

Company Dossier (via Nexis Uni)
more info...close...
NOTE: Use the NAICS Lookup feature within the Company Dossier - it uses the US version of NAICS.
Technical note: works best with the Internet Explorer browser.
CrunchBase (from TechCrunch)

Identify Relevant Industry & Trade Associations

Trade associations can be excellent sources of research, statistics, and current information on industries. These associations often publish this information on their own websites.
IBISWorld Industry Reports (available via the Brock University Library) routinely list such associations in the Additional Resources section of each report.

IBISWorld Industry Research Database This link opens in a new window
- The Library subscribes to the following modules in IBISWorld: Canada Industry Reports (NAICS), United States Industry Reports (NAICS), Canada Industry iExpert Summaries, United States Industry iExpert Summaries, United States Specialized Industry Reports, United States Specialized Industry iExpert Summaries, China Industry Reports (200 industries), Canada Industry Provincial Reports (50+ Ontario industries), and Canada Collection of Macroeconomic Business Environment Profiles.