IBISWorld: U.S. and Canadian Industry Reports

IBISWorld is a powerful industry intelligence database that enables you to learn about core industries and how changes to those industries can have an impact on companies within that industry. IBISWorld provides instant access to industry reports for over 700 different U.S. industries AND 400 Canadian industries. UNB also provides access to 600 additional reports in the U.S. Specialized industries module.

IBISWorld primarily covers mature industries, not emerging ones, which we learned about in the Getting Started with Industry Research section of this module. IBISWorld can be really helpful if you have developed a product or service which will disrupt an existing industry. You need to understand how that industry is currently performing, major companies that operate in the industry, and the overall outlook for the industry before you can successfully disrupt it.

To access IBISWorld, begin by going to the Databases section on the library website.

Type IBISWorld in the search field, select IBISWorld from the list and click GO.

Select IBISWorld as shown in the screenshot below.

IBISWorld allows you to type the name of the industry, a keyword or company you’re looking to obtain the appropriate industry information.

Not sure which industry report you’d like to access? No problem! First-time users should take a look at the industry report listings by selecting either Canada, US, or Global and selecting Industry Reports:

In the example below, I’ve decided to search for reports about supermarkets (in order to find information about the Canadian supermarket chain Sobeys).  If I’m not finding what I need, I could add an alternate term e.g., grocery stores. If you have the name of the company, you can use it in your search; the database will offer a list of reports where the company name is mentioned.

As you see below, IBISWorld offers several results as well as options for limiting my search. I then select the most appropriate industry report. I’m interested in reading the report “Supermarkets & Grocery Stores in Canada.” Perhaps I might also be interested in learning about supermarkets in the U.S., in which case I can select the report “Supermarkets & Grocery Stores in the U.S.”

Also notice in my results that US/Canadian industry report includes the industry’s primary NAICS code (44511). If you have a NAICS code, you can search IBISWorld using the code. Note that IBISWorld specialized industries do not follow the NAICS coding system.

You can select any of the tabs within each report (Industry at a Glance, Industry Performance, Industry Outlook, Products & Markets, Competitive Landscape, Major Companies, Operating Conditions, Key Statistics) to access more information.

To print or download the entire report of any industry in the IBISWorld database, simply select the download button (highlighted by the red box in the screenshot below).

Would you like to learn more about IBISWorld? Try watching the following library video: