{"id":131527,"date":"2022-08-03T11:49:25","date_gmt":"2022-08-03T11:49:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/corp\/?p=131527"},"modified":"2025-07-22T07:49:03","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T07:49:03","slug":"secondary-market-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/research\/market-research\/secondary-market-research\/","title":{"rendered":"Secondary Market Research: What It Is and How to Do It Fast"},"content":{"rendered":"

Secondary market research is cost-effective. There\u2019s no professional training needed. And it\u2019s a great place to find inspiration and ideas for growth, or explore a topic deeper <\/b>before making strategic decisions. When you think about it, it’s how most types of research<\/a> start out.<\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re digging around on a rival\u2019s website, reading industry news, or snooping on social media, it all counts.<\/p>\n

So, sit back and take ten to discover everything you need to know about the what, why, and how to do secondary market research right.<\/p>\n

For good measure, I’ve included examples of secondary market research\u00a0and a detailed review of secondary research methods.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Secondary<\/p>\n

What is secondary market research?<\/h2>\n

By definition, secondary market research uses pre-existing data collected or published by a third party. It’s mainly used to establish key facts about a market, product, or service. <\/b>It’s also known as desk-based research<\/a>, and all you need is an internet connection to get started. There are plenty of places to obtain secondary data for free. These include internal and external sources, such as company sales and analytics data, industry or government reports, and published market research surveys<\/a>.<\/p>\n

To save time:<\/p>\n

Choose the right secondary market research methods from the onset. And use a methodical approach to help you analyze a topic, spot trends, and decide whether further primary market research<\/a> is worth it, or not.<\/p>\n

\"secondary<\/p>\n

Why is secondary market research important?<\/h2>\n

Finding cost and time-efficient ways to do market research is key. <\/b>By leveraging prior efforts, you can build on existing research, uncover insights, and make informed decisions faster.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

This type of market research presents a huge window of opportunity! As long as you’re willing to invest the time needed to gather and analyze the data. Particularly when you consider how much data is out there, and is never reviewed.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/x.com\/forrester\/status\/902218053768933377<\/p>\n

Examples of secondary market research<\/h2>\n

All secondary market research types can be split into two subsets; internal and external.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Internal sources come from data held within your organization.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    These examples of secondary market research are for your eyes only. And because it’s data your rivals won\u2019t be able to benefit from, it’s one of the most valuable activities you can do.<\/b><\/p>\n

    2. External sources come from outside your business.<\/p>\n

    External secondary research examples can be accessed by almost anyone, being openly available by nature.<\/p>\n

    By choosing the right secondary market research methods, you can significantly cut your research time and increase your speed to insight.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    In June this year, over 500 business leaders and analysts shared their go-to sources of secondary market research with me via a survey on the HARO platform<\/a>. The key ranking factors were speed, value, and ROI. <\/b><\/p>\n

    With these findings, I\u2019ve collated a list of the best types of secondary market research.<\/p>\n

    \"Secondary<\/p>\n

    Internal examples of secondary market research<\/h3>\n

    1. Website and mobile app analytics<\/b><\/p>\n

    Think Google Analytics or your mobile app intelligence software<\/a>. Both show data about people who interact with your business online. They can also help you understand the device split between desktop and mobile<\/a>.<\/b><\/p>\n

    2. Customer data<\/b><\/p>\n

    Here, you get exclusive insights into your audience demographics.<\/a>\u00a0This is first-hand information about how people use your product or service, their likes, dislikes, and more.<\/b><\/p>\n

    3. Previously conducted research<\/b><\/p>\n

    Perhaps your business used analysts or carried out research in the past. So, even if it seems unrelated, it may be relevant to your research,<\/b><\/p>\n

    4. Historical marketing or campaign information\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

    Things like conversions, website traffic<\/a>, sales, and marketing data. It\u2019s all going to help you build a picture that’ll impact your research.<\/p>\n

    \"Types<\/p>\n

    External examples of secondary market research<\/h3>\n

    Government and non-government agencies<\/h4>\n

    Whether you want to view global or country-specific data, there’s lots of free information here. See below for a quick guide to some of the best secondary data sources in the US.<\/p>\n