Category

Using industry & market research reports are typically the most efficient way to get started with a category analysis.  However personal "cash management accounts/services" is a product category not covered by our subscriptions to services such as IBISWorld, or MarketResearch.com.  Rather cash managment is made up of an array of product and service attributes such as checking, mobile payments, ATM cards, credit card awards and favorable APYs.  Researchers will need to rely on trade news for analysis of developments.  

Note that as you search you will need to focus on personal or consumer cash management while filtering out commercial or business cash management solutions.

In addition to searching the general purpose business databases listed below, use caution when searching the free web.  In particular take note of the reputation, credentials and expertise of publishers and authors you intend to rely on.  You can do this by googling them. Evaluate the content of articles found by critically examining the sources used and when possible verify with follow up searches.

 

  MarketResearch.com Academic  Limitations on Use
Search for report on consumer payments.

  ABI/INFORM Collection (ProQuest)
Provides access to scholarly journals, dissertations, working papers, key business and economics periodicals, and country- and industry-focused reports.

  Business Source Premier (EBSCO)
Provides access to a wide range of academic business journals and trade magazines. Topics include management, marketing, finance, economics, and management information systems. Full text access may be embargoed for up to three years. Coverage goes back to 1965.

  Banking Information Source (ProQuest)

 

Competitors

The competitors for this case fall into several broad categories: fintech, investment management and consumer banks.   Consequently reading industry reports on these categories may be an efficient way to gain familiarity with competitors.

Additionally you will need to pull company profiles for identified competitors and scan relevant business press about them.

Much of the intelligence about competitors will be gleaned browsing their web sites and social media

 Industry Reports: CE, Vanguard, Spring 2020

  D&B Hoovers

  IBISWorld

  NetAdvantage (Standard & Poor's Capital IQ)

  Statista

Customer Analysis

Market research reports are rich sources for understanding consumer behavior around product categories.  Mintel and Marketresearch.com are particularly useful for understanding target customers Millennials or Gen X.

Scholarly research (discoverable through ABI Inform, Business Source Premier & PsycInfo)  on "consumer behavior" "consumer attitudes" purchasing or "decision making" may not always be timely but is typically reliable. 

You may find some very interesting results by googling.  Be discriminating about using reports that don't source data presented.  See Business Sources:  How to Evaluate Them

  ESRI Business Analyst Online  Tutorial  Access Instructions
Provides geographic analysis tools. Includes demographic, consumer spending, and business data.
Access courtesy of the Department of Geography & the Environment.

  Mintel Insights & Analytics  Limitations on Use
Offers product and industry market research reports covering U.S. and international marketplaces. Each report combines data and analysis of the competitive landscape, supply chain, market-share size and trends, and consumer profiles. Analytics advance search monitors new product activity in consumer packaged goods markets worldwide.

  MarketResearch.com Academic  Limitations on Use
Provides marketing reports for many industries and demographic reports on a variety of age groups. Documents are formatted as Adobe Acrobat or PowerPoint files.

  Simmons Insights  Tutorial
Provides access to the results of a National Consumer Study (most recent studies embargoed) encompassing demographics, lifestyle statements, and consumer behaviors. Supports the creation of custom cross tabulations or quick reports.

  eMarketer
Offers data and reports related to digital marketing. Topics include advertising spending, digital marketing, social media, media usage, e-commerce, email marketing, and device usage. Coverage is global.

Marketing Plan

Crafting a marketing plan is primarily a creative project.  Nonetheless, expect to be able to defend your marketing recommendations by referring to studies and cases evaluating similar techniques.  You can find "how to", practitioner advice and rigorous research on marketing topics in books and articles discoverable in the following databases.

  Advertising Insights (Kantar Media)
Creates custom reports on advertising expenditures across media channels including TV, magazines, newspapers, radio, outdoor and internet displays on the level of industries, categories, brands, products, and advertisers going back to 2017. Formerly known as Ad$pender.

  eMarketer
Offers data and reports related to digital marketing. Topics include advertising spending, digital marketing, social media, media usage, e-commerce, email marketing, and device usage. Coverage is global.

  Simmons Insights  Tutorial
Find out which media properties your target customer uses in order to reach them.

  WARC
Offers information on global advertising and marketing trends including case studies, articles, reports, opinion pieces, and expenditure data. Formerly known as World Advertising Research Center.

  Falvey Book Search