What is business intelligence, and why is it so important now, given our current market environment? To explore this topic more deeply, we asked thought leaders, executives, and consultants to share their insights. These industry experts touch on a variety of compelling benefits that stretch across different business functions — from marketing to sales to customer service. Here are ten ways business intelligence can enhance your organization and help decision makers make more informed, effective choices.  

Launching a business can be an exciting and rewarding endeavor. But passion and vision are not enough. You also need the right tools and strategies to get your business off the ground and turn it into a lasting success.

Today, we’re interviewing author and entrepreneur Jenn Aubert for her tips on starting a business and researching your market. Her first book Women Entrepreneur Revolution: Ready! Set! Launch! explores the mindset, motivation, and behaviors of successful female entrepreneurs. She is also the co-founder and CEO of LearnSavvy, an online education marketplace and community for women business owners. Read the Q&A below to learn Jenn's practical advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Annual consumer spending on Valentine's Day totals 13.2 billion on average, according to the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association. Read our blog post and check out our infographic to learn about the consumer spending trends that help drive revenue on Valentine's Day, including gifting, candy consumption, and other industry statistics.

February is American Heart Month, a time dedicated to spreading awareness of cardiovascular disease, also known as heart disease. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) includes heart attack, arrhythmia, heart valve problems, and the after effects of stroke. CVD is the leading cause of death in the world and in the U.S.

Read on to learn key facts about heart disease and what these statistics could mean for the healthcare industry.

As Americans spend more time on digital devices, pet retailers are finding new, inventive ways to engage consumers online. According to a recent report by research firm Packaged Facts, one of the best storytelling methods available is online videos.

“There’s nothing like being able to show a pet interact with a product,” writes George Puro, the report’s author. “Online videos allow marketers to pull at the heartstrings of pet owners, whether it’s through humor or through a heartwarming tale.”

Take Purina’s “Dear Kitten” video series as a prime example. Created in partnership with BuzzFeed, the original video has now surpassed 25 million views. It has since been developed into a franchise with multiple episodes across different platforms.

If you are currently working as a market research analyst or aspire to be one someday, there’s good news. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job outlook for market research analysts is expected to grow 19 percent over the next 10 years, which is much faster than the average for all occupations.

MarketResearch.com is proud to be the leading provider of business intelligence, offering users access to information about hundreds of industries worldwide. In addition to market reports, MarketResearch.com offers a variety of free downloadable white papers, eBooks, and slideshares that provide insights into current industry trends.

Businesses face new opportunities and challenges as different trends emerge. Decision makers need to be aware of how all these developments will affect their organization and be flexible enough to alter their strategy to meet evolving technological standards and consumer preferences.

Our white papers and eBooks explain important new trends to help you stay ahead of the competition. Below is a list of five of our latest white papers and eBooks.

What is the fastest-growing market in the IT industry? According to MarketsandMarkets, it’s business intelligence and analytics software. The global business intelligence and analytics software market is expected to increase from $17.90 billion in 2014 to $26.78 billion in 2019, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.4 percent.

Given today’s competitive business environment, many companies are looking for ways to optimize their operations and improve tactical and strategic decision-making. Business intelligence and analytics software can help a variety of employees — including executives, financial analysts, marketing managers, security personnel, and others — monitor and visualize real-time data across an organization. These BI software tools include dashboards, visual analytics, and reporting capabilities that help business professionals make sense of data and identify new opportunities to improve ROI.

Differentiation is providing superior value to customers at a profitable price. If we look at the fundamental equation of business (Figure 1), differentiation may be thought of as increasing value through some combination of more or better benefits or a reduced price. Benefits include product and service performance, but also include availability, image, relationship, and many other performance attributes. Price includes the price charged for the product and service, but also includes terms, total cost in use, paperwork required to complete and track the exchange, and other attributes. Any decrease in price attributes or increase in benefits will increase value.

During the economic recession, the furniture retail industry was negatively impacted as consumers cut back on non-essential spending, but now there is an uptick in demand. In fact, the U.S. furniture industry has outpaced the U.S. economy in recent years. While the housing market improves and discretionary spending increases, we will see this growth continue. By 2019, the global market for furniture and floor coverings is forecast to reach $695 billion.

Several key industry trends have emerged, as new innovation and shifting consumer preferences influence the demand for furniture. Read on to learn more about the top trends that are shaping the furniture industry.