Product review of ReferenceUSA
Jinfo Report

15th August 2016

Abstract

ReferenceUSA, from parent company Infogroup, is an online research tool that provides business and consumer data on millions of US and Canadian businesses, households, consumers, and doctors and dentists. It is made available to end users through 85% of large public libraries in the US, as well as to professional researchers and corporate subscribers; and typical users are small business owners, job seekers and prospective homeowners.

This review:

• Introduces the product and where it sits within parent company Infogroup, formerly known as infoUSA
  
  
• Highlights the key audience and gives examples of use-cases
  
  
• Examines the content and coverage of the data drawn from public information and other sources
  
  
• Lists ReferenceUSA's databases including the three largest: US Businesses, US Consumers and the US Standard White Pages
  
  
• Explains the importance the company places on data quality, looks at how the content is subject to verification through direct contact, and also gives instances in which the financial data figures are estimated
  
  
• Puts to the test the search functionality and user interface of some of the main databases in the product including US New Business, US Consumer/Lifestyle and US Healthcare
  
  
• Considers outputs and features such as the heat map of density for demographics, pie and bar charts, and map-based searching
  
  
• Looks at administration features, for both public library users and corporate clients
  
  
• Provides our assessment of the value provided by the product for different user groups
  
  
• Describes the help and training available for customers
  
  
• Highlights ongoing product development
  
  
• Examines other potential providers in the competitor landscape, including Dun & Bradstreet, Acxiom Corporation, Experian Information Services and Equifax
  
  
• Discusses pricing.

Reviewed by Andrew Lucas

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