Downtown Market Analysis Toolbox

Help for small towns

How do you help your downtown businesses succeed? Local business leaders, economic development professionals, community leaders — anyone who wants to help downtown businesses thrive — will find helpful information in the Downtown Market Analysis (DMA) Toolbox.

Build local capacity — make more informed decisions

The toolbox was last updated in 2022. It helps communities build local capacity and make informed decisions whether they choose to partner with other organizations or work on their own. Extension in four states worked together to create the toolbox. We had cities with populations of less than 100,000 in mind. The toolbox provides — at no cost — resources and market research available to big retailers.

Toolbox content

• Introduction
• Understanding the Market
  • Trade Area Analysis
  • Demographics and Lifestyle Analysis
  • Local and Regional Economic Analysis
  • Business Owners Survey
  • Consumer Survey
  • Focus Groups
  • Peer City Comparison
• Analysis of Opportunities by Sector
  • Evaluating Retail and Service Business Opportunities
  • Evaluating Restaurant and Culinary Opportunities
  • Evaluating Housing Opportunities
  • Evaluating Lodging Opportunities
• Putting Your Research to Work
  • Building Usage
  • Marketing, Image and Branding
  • Business Retention/Expansion
  • Supporting Entrepreneurship
  • Business Recruitment

Background

Extension at the University of Wisconsin created the Downtown Market Analysis Toolbox over 20 years ago to help small cities revitalize their downtown areas. More than 100 university educators and graduate students from four Extensions at the University of Wisconsin, the University of Minnesota, the Ohio State University, and Michigan State University have helped develop and update content. Other economic and community development professionals have also contributed to it.