Desk research

Verified market information from publicly available sources.

What is desk research?

Desk research is a research method that involves collecting and analysing data from existing sources and drawing conclusions from that analysis. It is a secondary research method: it does not create new data, but uses data that already exists. That is why it is also called secondary data analysis, open-source data analysis or open-source intelligence. Desk research projects can draw on sources such as:

statistical databases and publications,

company financial statements and annual reports,

public statistics documents,

websites,

media and online publications,

academic repositories,

databases, trade journals and industry reports.

What data does desk research provide?

Desk research can reach a huge amount of reliable information about markets, products, services and the competitive landscape. The data can cover any industry, including retail, industry, manufacturing, e-commerce, innovation and services. With this research method, companies can learn about:

market size and value,

market growth forecasts,

market prospects: growth opportunities and barriers,

market structure and segments,

market and consumer trends,

the largest players in the market,

innovations and technologies in use,

customer buying preferences,

target groups for individual products and services,

the most profitable sales destinations and channels.

When should you use desk research?

Desk research has a very wide range of business uses. It is particularly useful when a company plans to:

develop a growth, marketing or sales strategy,

prepare a strategy for entering a new market,

prepare documents for an investment process, an investor, or a grant or subsidy application,

reach a wider audience,

adjust its pricing to the market, competitors and customers,

choose the most effective marketing channels,

select the right distribution channels,

define the target group for its marketing strategy,

increase and streamline production and logistics,

diversify its range of products or services.

Why choose us for desk research?

Desk research may look like a relatively simple research method, but doing it well takes time as well as very specific resources and skills. That is why it pays to work with the experts at MarketHub, who have:

access to hard-to-find data,

knowledge of reliable sources of information,

extensive experience in desk research projects,

access to expensive tools for finding and verifying data,

the ability to search for information in 9 languages.

What projects can we do?

Using desk research, we can collect and analyse an agreed set of data for your company and add specific conclusions and practical recommendations. We carry out many kinds of projects, including:

the market in numbers,

market analysis,

competitor analysis,

market segmentation,

market monitoring,

trend analysis,

innovation analysis,

patent analysis,

price analysis,

identifying companies, including information on their offer, prices, strategy and media presence,

analysis of trade fairs and events,

analysis of marketing and PR activities.

Examples from over 800 of our analyses

Here are just a few examples of projects we have carried out using desk research:

an analysis of the e-cigarette market in Poland and worldwide,

an analysis of the cosmetics market in Turkey,

an analysis of the ERP market in Poland,

an analysis of the action and outdoor sports market in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Belgium, Germany and the UK.

Need an analysis like this?

Desk research is the foundation of every one of our products. You can see it fastest in the ready-made Market Scan by MarketHub reports, and at full scale in an in-depth market analysis.

See Market Scan In-depth market analysis

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