Market Research

At ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR magazine, we constantly analyze our market and our readers. In fact, our annual market research budget, including internal/external reader preference studies, is well into six figures. That investment is vital to understanding and providing our readers with the most complete, comprehensive and accurate editorial product available. It also is a valuable marketing tool for our advertisers.

In the recent past, we’ve conducted multiple large-scale research studies, which included our biannual “Profile of the Electrical Contractor;” a study on the market changes that have come from the increased use of the design/build project delivery system; and a study on maintenance.

Below are the latest independent market research reports and an archive of what we’ve done in the past. You’ll also find links to our independently conducted readership studies, which canvass the print readership of four issues a year. Finally, you’ll find research-based articles that appeared in ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR and usage data for ECmag.com. Enjoy.

Profile of the Electrical Contractor

The Profile study shapes the editorial product of this magazine, by determining the extent of involvement of electrical contractors in a number of areas, from traditional electrical power and power quality to emerging green markets to an increased foray into low-voltage areas such as security, life safety and fire systems.

The Profile offers insight to help you better understand just how pervasive the changes in the EC’s role in design/specification are to you, whether you’re an electrical contractor exploring new business avenues or an advertiser looking to learn more about our market. It’s good stuff.

Lighting Study

We have completed an all-inclusive 2010 study on the contractor's role on the design, specification and installation of lighting. The research covers every aspect lamps, ballasts, controls and fixtures. It's overall the most comprehensive lighting research in the industry.

Related Feature Articles

Our market research just doesn't sit around waiting for you to come figure out what it all means. Our staff of experienced writers often writes feature articles to tell you the bottom line, and we publish those articles in the magazine. Here are links to our features based on this market research.

  • The 2010 Profile of the Electrical Contractor
    These survey results aren’t a panacea with all the antidotes for company health, but they help provide an educated diagnosis of where ECs are and how they compare to their peers.
  • Construction Forecast 2009
    At a time when things could not look much worse economically, there is some good news to accompany the overwhelming bad.
  • Occupational Safety We Can Believe In
    Under normal circumstances, a typical look at safety for the upcoming year would begin with a review of the recent activity of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), its strategic plan and 2009 budget.

More

ECmag.com User Data



ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR conducts ongoing research of the ECmag.com user base to further refine the function of the website to better serve its users. Below is some of our most recent research into how our users use our website.

  • Yearly Webtrends Traffic Reports
    Renowned web traffic reporting service Webtrends provides ECmag.com with traffic statistics. This downloadable file presents a few key points from our most recent annual report.
  • ECmag.com 2009 User Survey
    From time to time, ECmag.com conducts interactive user surveys to gauge how our users feel about the functionality of the website. Our last survey was conducted in the summer of 2009.

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John Maisel, publisher, provides an introduction to some of the exciting research Electrical Contractor conducts.

Research Archive

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For further details on any research report, contact your marketing representative.

Baxter Readership
Studies Archive

Baxter Research Center ad studies are conducted via e-mail survey four issues a year using advertising and editorial reader research methods. This sample is selected from our qualified circulation of 85,370 (BPA, June 2010). This research measures the effectiveness of an ad or editorial's ability to attract the reader's attention in that issue.

Did You Know?

  • This year's survey resoundingly demonstrates that the industry is suffering from the ills of the economic crisis that has hindered the construction markets since 2007.
  • Some ECs have changed their business models altogether to adapt to the major disturbances in the market while others were forced to lay off employees to stay healthy.
  • Compared with the 2008 Profile, a significantly higher percentage of ECs said their annual revenues were less than $250,000, while fewer reported having annual revenues between $250,000 and $1 million.
  • Overall, ECs continue to get more of their total business from commercial, industrial and institutional (CII) work than from residential projects.

Weekly Poll Results: 12/1/2010

How's your residential business holding up?

9.09%
Doing Well
46.91%
OK
44.0%
Help
Doing Well OK Help!

View Poll archive