Suppose your product concept is a sensor that monitors the perishable items inside your refrigerator, providing alerts regarding what food will soon go bad, including different priority levels and recipe suggestions to use the items that will spoil first.
How well do you understand this industry? (Smart Appliances)
First do some industry research, which will help determine competition.
IBISWorld is a great place to start. Here you will find market reports on smart appliances, providing a snapshot view of the industry.
Now that you know a little about the industry, you can expand your search to company and market research.
Marketline contains company, industry and market sector reports.
Perhaps now you want to reach out to companies within your industry and/or region to gain more intelligence
Use ReferenceUSA to create a list of companies based on a number of parameters including business type, executive title, sales volume and location.
Mergent contains detailed company financial data, industry sector comparisons and analysis and supply chain data.
Mintel is good for consumer research, including trends, demographics and competitive landscape.
Use Business Source Premier to find articles from journals, trade publications, product reviews, etc