Research Tips

Using Secondary Data

When people think of market research, they tend to think of collecting data directly from customers, prospects, or other stake holders (this is called primary data collection). However, secondary data can also provide a rich source of information.

Secondary data are data that already exist. This may include quantitative information such as census data, industry-specific reports, previous research on the topic of interest, or data from an organization’s own data base. Qualitative sources of secondary data include magazine and newspaper articles and annual reports of industry participants.

Sometimes the information an organization needs is already available from secondary sources and can be accessed more quickly and less expensively that way. Even if secondary data cannot provide all the answers, reviewing secondary sources first can help to maximize the value of primary data collected later by ensuring it builds on what is already known rather than “reinventing the wheel”.