Frequently Asked Questions

What does Marketdata do, and what is its background?

Marketdata is an independent 44-year old market research publisher and consulting firm. We do all our market research in-house—it is not outsourced. Marketdata also performs custom research projects for clients, and creates business plans, as well as business coaching and in-person consulting. The firm hosts seminars and webinars periodically. We serve international clients at Fortune 1000 companies, investors, start-ups, entrepreneurs, stock analysts, banks, ad agencies, and more. We’ve published in-depth market and industry studies focused mainly on service sectors. Many times, our reports are the ONLY ones that exist for niche or emerging markets, where there may not yet exist a trade association covering this sector, or where the Census Bureau has not yet assigned an NAICS code to the industry and does not yet survey it. Our weight loss market reports have been quoted by all major media since 1989.

Why is market research important?

Before investing significant amounts of time and money in any business, it’s crucial to know the market. Is this a growth business? Is it profitable? How intense is the competition? What are the key operating ratios and benchmarks? What are the industry’s major trends, issues and problems? This is key information, whether one is starting a new business, investing hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy a franchise, or to acquire a company. Yet, many people still think they can skip this step, to save a few bucks. No so. Why reinvent the wheel and why enter a new business or launch a new product line blind?

Even if you have the good fortune to locate some free information on the Internet, chances are that it is out-of-date, incomplete or biased. Sourcing such material in a business report is fraught with problems. Marketdata is a world-leading provider of business information. We start with official and publicly available sources (from the U.S. Census Bureau and trade associations,, non-profit databases, Franchise Disclosure Documents, etc.). Where those sources end, our analysts can call on industry contacts and non-public sources. We do phone interviews with industry movers and shakers, perform custom phone or online surveys -“primary” research. These are further supported by in-house data. This combination of a wide variety of sources provides the most accurate data, findings, and forecasts available.

What are Marketdata’s specialties and areas of focus?

We focus solely on SERVICE sectors. Within this scope, we are especially expert in following the Weight Loss Market and the Self-improvement Market. Service industries are usually harder to research, since they are often populated by small, privately-owned companies that don’t publish their revenues, have annual reports, 10ks, etc. This where Marketdata excels: hard-to-find information.

Who uses Marketdata reports?

We serve Fortune 1000 companies, investors, start-ups, entrepreneurs, stock analysts, banks, ad agencies, trade associations, and more. These are multi-client studies. We’ve published in-depth market and industry studies focused mainly on service sectors.

Can I get Marketdata’s reports anywhere else?

Yes. We have several distributors (resellers) that also sell our reports. You may have an account with them already. They are: MarketResearch.com, Global Information Inc. and ResearchandMarkets. You can also access our reports (at a higher price than if purchased directly from us) via business databases (Profound). Public libraries do NOT have our reports.

Is this a subscription program?

No. There is no commitment to any annual subscription plan, and no contracts. You simply purchase reports on specific markets when you need them.

I’m on a tight budget.  Can you help me?

Yes we can. We sell single chapters from all our reports at lower cost. We also sell $99 Overviews that contain the highlights from all report chapters, usually a 30-page report, suitable for investors or people doing business plans. We also discount older reports. We also have frequent BOGO deals. We also sell “bundles” or “packages” of multiple reports at lower prices. Most of the time, Marketdata’s reports are less costly than our competitors—but they contain an equal or greater amount of information and detail.

How do I receive my report?

Upon receipt of your payment, you will get an email confirmation and your Marketdata report will become immediately available as a Pdf file for download. You may order from our secure e-commerce store on our website, or call and give us your credit card details, and we’ll email the report to you promptly.

Can I get a sample report before I purchase ?

We cannot send the whole report to you but we can send you Sample Pages from various sections of the study before you purchase. Call or email us. We also have very detailed Tables of Contents, and you can speak to our Research Director and ask questions.

How frequently does Marketdata update its Industry reports?

We usually update reports every two years.

How does Marketdata derive its forecasts?

Marketdata collects data from a wide variety of public and private sources, such as the U.S. Census Bureau, FTC, SEC, IRS, Dept. of Commerce, County Business Patterns, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and trade associations. We also check company annual reports, 10K statements, company websites, press releases, Franchise Disclosure Documents (FDDs), and perform telephone interviews with management. We may call on industry consultants and other analysts, and writers and reporters that have covered the market.  This information is augmented by in-house data and modeling to provide accurate five-year revenue and trends forecasts.

Key factors we consider include: macroeconomic variables (the overall economy), demographic and consumer data, regulation and the demand for competing goods and/or services, and changing technology. We look at historical market revenues going back 15-20 years, if available, and consider past industry cycles. Many other market research companies look only at 5 years of historical sales or less – not enough history to make an accurate forecast in our opinion.

If we need more specific information than in your off-the-shelf reports, can you do a custom study?

Yes, we do this all the time. We will consult with you to determine your needs by phone and email, and submit a FREE project proposal, with the methodology, time and cost estimates. Typical rates are $100-$125 per research hour. Many projects are performed for $3,000-4,000 or less, usually with 2-4 weeks.

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