PC Data was an American

market research Market research is an organized effort to gather information about target markets and customers: know about them, starting with who they are. It is an important component of business strategy and a major factor in maintaining competitiveness. Ma ...

and

point of sale The point of sale (POS) or point of purchase (POP) is the time and place at which a retail transaction is completed. At the point of sale, the merchant calculates the amount owed by the customer, indicates that amount, may prepare an invoice f ...

tracking firm founded in 1991 and based in

Reston, Virginia Reston is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia and a principal city of the Washington metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, Reston's population was 63,226. Founded in 1964, Reston was influenced by the Garden City move ...

. Its founder, Ann Stephens, had worked previously as the head researcher for the Software Publishers Association. Initially, the firm tracked only the United States' computer software market, but later expanded to include hardware sales and, in 1999, Internet traffic. By 1996, ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

'' described PC Data as "the preeminent tabulator of facts and figures of the monthly sales of consumer software in the United States". Its coverage of the United States retail software sales market had grown to 80% by September 1998. In March 2001,

The NPD Group The NPD Group, Inc. (NPD; formerly National Purchase Diary Panel Inc. and NPD Research Inc.) is an American market research company founded on September 28, 1966, and based in Port Washington, New York. In 2017, NPD ranked as the 8th largest mar ...

purchased PC Data's point-of-sale research branch and merged it with its Intelect Market Tracking division. Following a legal settlement with the rival company Jupiter Media Matrix regarding

patent infringement Patent infringement is the commission of a prohibited act with respect to a patented invention without permission from the patent holder. Permission may typically be granted in the form of a license. The definition of patent infringement may v ...

, PC Data ceased Internet traffic research and closed later in March. Firms NetValue and ComScore purchased the remainder of PC Data's Internet research branch.

References

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External links

Official website
(archived) Market research companies of the United States Companies based in Reston, Virginia Marketing companies established in 1991 Companies disestablished in 2001