The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) was created by the government for statistical purposes to describe industries, but it is used for a number of reasons, and it can help you research an industry. It is commonly used in reports and databases (and sometimes you will be asked to identify it in an assignment or business plan).

The Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) is a system for classifying industries by a four-digit code.

Researching similar companies may also help.

Includes industry reports for a wide range of retail operations including Women's Clothing Stores, Men's Clothing Stores, Beauty, Cosmetics & Fragrance Stores, Gift Shops & Card Stores, Thrift Stores, Home Furnishings Stores, Fashion Designers, Handbag, Luggage & Accessory Stores, Wedding Services, Used Goods Stores, Art Dealers and many, many more.

Analysis and market research for important industry sectors. Includes trend analysis, statistics, organizations, company profiles, information for job-seekers, and ability to create custom reports.

International marketing data and research. Provides statistics and analysis across industries, countries, and consumers. Covers the apparel industry.

Business and financial data on major, non-publicly traded corporations, including family-owned, private equity owned, venture backed and international unlisted companies.

Great starting place for almost any business topic (including consumer research). Includes a wide selection of sources including trade publication covering the fashion industry.

A great starting place for almost any business topic. For trade publications, look for the Trade Journals as the source types. You can also try the NAICS search field, and industries are typically subject terms. Includes content from the Wall Street Journal.

Watch a demo. From the U.S. Census Bureau. Start by searching with a county or city, and don't forget to try a search for Business and Industry statistics for retail establishments.

Full-text market research reports covering US and global consumer markets. Reports analyze market share, segmentation, and trends. Upon first login register with your VCU email address.

Create thematic maps and reports using extensive demographic, business, and marketing data (like Simmons and Claritas). Allows you to access data by geography, so you can focus on a city, county, zip code, or neighborhood. (5 concurrent users)

Use the "Narrow Segments" tool to filter consumer profiles e.g. by income, education or lifestage group.

Comprehensive company and consumer intelligence. Good for discovering the hierarchy of companies and subsidiaries, and geographic consumer lifestyle data.

Look for the Trade Publications option under Source Types to refine your search.

Comprehensive, full text up-to-the-minute news and business source from Dow Jones and Reuters. Replaces Dow Jones Interactive.

Includes links to Bizminer (financials and local market information)

Info on creating a business plan, market research, managing employees and more.

Industry financial analysis and market trends for thousands of lines of business in national and local markets.

Free business statistics and financial ratios

Info on starting and operating a business, funding and links to RVA-specific resources.