You will need to register the first time you log in.

After clicking on MINTEL REPORTS in the Digital Library under MARKETING RESEARCH SOURCES, enter your FIT User Name and Password. A screen appears asking you to agree to terms, then the Mintel MY INFO log-in screen will display (see below). Look for "If you are a new user, please click here to set up your profile." You should fill in your email address, your name, and your chosen password, then click "Create Profile."

Mintel Reports will be accessible immediately after you register. Next time you enter Mintel, you can sign in with your email address and password.

The first screen you see will be the WELCOME TO MINTEL REPORTS. This page lists the available report categories (you can return to this screen later by choosing REPORTS or MY INFO, then MY REPORTS on the Sub Menu). Click on a category to see the report titles. Click on a title to see a list of sections, then click to open a section of the report. Each section must be opened, read, printed, and/or saved, on it's own. The only way to print out or save the entire report is to "export to basket" each individual section (see Printing and Saving below).

The quickest way to search for a word in a report is to use QUICK SEARCH at the upper right of all screens.

Enter a word and Mintel will display a list of report titles which have sections containing that word or variant words (a search for SCENT will look for scent, scented, scenter, scenters, scenting, and scents). To search for a specific word and only that word, use quotes around the word ("scent"); use quotes too for phrases ("active sportswear"). The search results will be sorted by relevancy with the most relevant at the top. If you click a report title, all the sections of the report will display in a list; those sections displaying with bold text contain the search term(s). If you open one of these bolded sections, you will see the term(s) you searched highlighted every time they appear in the text.

You can enter more than one word in a Quick Search. Entering words in a list will look for all those words (and their variants) in a report section. If you want to search for either one word or another, enter OR between the words (trousers OR pants); if you want to search for one word without another word appearing in a section, enter NOT between the words (snacks NOT chocolate).

Note that the drop down menu on the far right above the Main Menu enables you to select the country to research. This defaults to "Everything in All Countries."

To the right of the search results, you will see an option to view news updates, a list of upcoming reports, or interesting data items without resubmitting the search:

>>Search upcoming reports
>>Search news
>>Search other databases

After selecting a report, to the right of the section listing you will usually see a list of "Latest news updates to this report" and often a list of "Related Reports."

Quick Search works fine for many searches, but you have an opportunity to refine your search when you click on SEARCH on the Main Menu. This brings up a screen where you can select several options in any combination:

• Full Text Search - enter term(s) using quotes to define phrases or to narrow search to just that word. Use OR and NOT to broaden or narrow the search. Can choose to search through Reports, News, or Databases.
• Search Options - select type of word proximity, whether word variants will be allowed, how results will be sorted.
• Refined Search - choose a report category or particular country.
• Refined Report Search - search through report titles only.

After you select your options, click the Submit button anywhere on the page to run the search.

• REPORTS allows you to sort reports by category or by country, lists new reports, and, in Full Index in the Sub Menu, provides an alphabetical list of all report titles (the a-z symbol at the top of the page will do this too).
• NEWS lists product/company stories by date. Synopses from a wide range of US, UK, and global trade and consumer publications.
• DATABASES shows Useful Lists and Demographic and economic fact files.

Only sections of reports can be printed. Click open the section, or news item or database, then choose "Print" from the list on the left. You can also download a section in either .rtf or .zip format. To save several or all sections from a report, use "Export to basket" for each section. You can use "Next" to move in order down the list of sections. When you're finished exporting, click on "Export Basket" at the top right, then choose "Download" in your chosen format. The sections you've saved will all be compiled in one document.

While you are browsing or searching the site, you can send report sections and/or news or database items to the Export Basket (a facility for grouping together selected documents), as you come across them, leaving you free to browse.

Please log out when you're done!

Other Digital Library databases covering consumer market information are Business & Company Resource Center and MRI+  .