1. quantitative research

Quantitative research is a data-based market research method that draws objective and quantifiable conclusions by collecting and analyzing large amounts of data. The data source of quantitative research can be primary or secondary data. First-hand data refers to data obtained directly from consumers, competitors, and channels in the target market through questionnaires, telephone calls, and the Internet; second-hand data refers to data obtained indirectly through public or paid databases, reports, and documents. The data analysis of quantitative research can use descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, regression analysis, cluster analysis, factor analysis and other techniques to draw different conclusions according to different research purposes.

The advantages of quantitative research are:

The results have objectivity and credibility, and can be displayed visually with figures and charts;

The results are comparable and replicable, and can be used for comparison and validation across time, regions and groups;

The results are operable and evaluable and can be used to develop specific market strategies and measure their effectiveness.

The disadvantages of quantitative research are:

Data collection and analysis requires high cost and time, especially the acquisition of first-hand data;

The quality and validity of the data depend on the reliability of the data source and the rationality of the data sampling;

The interpretation and application of data requires strong expertise and experience, and cannot simply rely on the data itself.

Quantitative research applies to the following scenarios:

Need to understand the market size, structure, trends, distribution and other basic information;

Need to understand the characteristics of consumers, needs, preferences, behavior, satisfaction and other aspects of information;

Need to understand the competitor's strategy, products, prices, channels, publicity and other aspects of the information;

Need to understand the impact of market environment policies, regulations, technology, society, culture and other aspects.

The implementation steps of quantitative research are as follows:

Clarify the purpose and questions of the study, and determine the scope, objects, indicators and assumptions of the study;

Design research plan, select data source, data collection method, data sampling method and data analysis method;

Implement the research plan, collect data, clean data, analyze data and test hypothesis;

Output research results, summarize conclusions, make recommendations, write reports, and show reports.

cases of quantitative research:

Shangpu Consulting has provided market research services for a world-renowned sports brand to help it understand the potential and opportunities of the Chinese market. Using a quantitative research approach, Champ Consulting collected and analyzed both primary and secondary data and came to the following conclusions:

The scale and growth rate of sports consumption in the Chinese market are higher than the global average, and it is expected to maintain stable growth in the next five years;

The sports consumption structure of the Chinese market shows a trend of diversification and segmentation, and different consumer groups have different sports needs and preferences;

The sports consumption behavior in the Chinese market is affected by many factors, the most important of which are brand image, product quality, price rationality and channel convenience;

The sports consumption satisfaction in the Chinese market is low, and consumers' loyalty to sports brands and willingness to recommend are not high, so there is much room for improvement.

Based on these conclusions, Champ Consulting has made the following recommendations for the sports brand:

Strengthen brand building, enhance brand awareness, reputation and differentiation;

Optimize the product mix to meet the sports needs and preferences of different consumer groups;

Adjust the price strategy, improve the price competitiveness and rationality;

Expand the channel network and increase online and offline sales and service points.

2. qualitative research

Qualitative research is an in-depth market research method that draws subjective and profound insights through a deep understanding of consumers, competitors, channels, etc. in the target market. The data source of qualitative research is mainly first-hand data, which is obtained directly from consumers, competitors, channels, etc. in the target market through interviews, observations, focus groups, case studies, etc. The data analysis of qualitative research mainly uses content analysis, discourse analysis, narrative analysis, scene analysis and other techniques, and draws different conclusions according to different research purposes.

The advantages of qualitative research are:

The results have depth and details, which can reveal the hidden factors such as market motivation, attitude, feeling and values;

The results are innovative and enlightening, and the potential factors such as opportunities, problems, needs and trends of the market can be found;

The results are flexible and adaptable, and the direction and methods of research can be adjusted in time according to market changes and feedback.

The disadvantages of qualitative research are:

The results are subjective and biased, and may be affected by the researcher, the researcher, and the research environment;

The results have limitations and shortcomings, can not represent the whole market situation, need to be combined with quantitative research to verify and supplement;

The presentation and application of results requires high communication and persuasion skills, and cannot simply rely on data and charts.

Qualitative research applies to the following scenarios:

new fields, new problems, new demands, new trends and other unknown factors of the market need to be explored;

Need to understand the market's deep-seated motives, attitudes, feelings, values and other hidden factors;

potential factors such as new opportunities, new problems, new demands, and new trends that need to be created in the market;

The results of quantitative research need to be supplemented and refined to improve their depth and detail.

The implementation steps of qualitative research are as follows:

Clarify the purpose and problem of the study, and determine the scope, object, theme and problem of the study;

Design the research plan, select the data collection method, data collection tools, data collection personnel and data analysis methods;

Implement research programs, collect data, organize data, analyze data, and generate insights;

Output research results, summarize conclusions, make recommendations, write reports, and show reports.

cases of qualitative research:

Shangpu Consulting has provided market research services for a leading domestic e-commerce platform to help it understand consumers' shopping behavior and experience. Champ Consulting used a qualitative research approach to gain insight into consumers' shopping motivations, preferences, barriers, and satisfaction through interviews, observations, and focus groups, and came to the following conclusions:

There are four main shopping motives of consumers: one is to realize functional needs, such as buying daily necessities, daily necessities, etc.; the second is to realize emotional needs, such as buying gifts, souvenirs, etc.; the third is to realize social needs, such as Buying fashion, trends, famous brands, etc.; the fourth is to realize exploratory needs, such as buying novel, interesting, and challenging products;

Consumers' shopping preferences are mainly affected by the following factors: first, the quality, price, evaluation, pictures and other information of the goods; second, the reputation, safety, convenience, service and other characteristics of the platform; third, personal interests, preferences, experiences, psychological and other states; fourth, external recommend, comments, sharing, activities and other stimuli;

The shopping obstacles of consumers are mainly as follows: first, the goods are out of stock, out of stock, wrong goods, quality problems, etc.; second, the system failure of the platform, payment failure, logistics delay, after-sales difficulties, etc.; third, personal lack of funds, insufficient time, impulsive consumption, regret to buy, etc.; fourth, external competition, resistance, temptation, interference, etc;

Consumers' shopping satisfaction mainly depends on the following aspects: first, the degree to which the goods meet expectations, exceed expectations, and exceed expectations; second, the degree to which the platform meets needs, solves problems, and adds value; third, the degree to which individuals achieve goals, gain happiness, and improve themselves; fourth, the degree of external recognition, attention, and influence.

Based on these conclusions, Champ Consulting made the following recommendations for the e-commerce platform:

Improve the quality and diversity of goods to meet the different shopping motivations and preferences of consumers;

Enhance the credibility and convenience of the platform and reduce shopping barriers and risks for consumers;

Increase the interaction and innovation of the platform, improve consumer satisfaction and loyalty;

Use the social and exploratory nature of the platform to create consumer shopping experience and value.

3. experimental investigation

Experimental research is an intervention-based approach to market research that draws evidence of causality by designing and executing different market interventions, observing and evaluating their effects. The data source of experimental research is mainly first-hand data, which is obtained directly from consumers, competitors and channels in the target market through experiments, tests and simulations. The data analysis of experimental research mainly uses experimental design, hypothesis testing, effect evaluation and other techniques, and draws different conclusions according to different research purposes.

The advantages of experimental research are:

The results are causal and interpretable, which can determine the cause and result of market intervention, as well as its internal mechanism and path;

The results are controllable and optimizable, and the optimal market intervention scheme can be obtained by controlling and adjusting the experimental variables and conditions;

The results are predictable and generalizable, and the effect of market intervention can be predicted and popularized by simulating and inferring the results of experiments.

The disadvantages of experimental research are:

Data collection and analysis require high skill and resources, especially for the design and execution of experiments;

The universality and applicability of the data depends on the representativeness and validity of the experiment, which needs to be consistent with the actual market environment;

The sensitivity and security of the data requires a high degree of confidentiality and protection, and the information and results of the experiment cannot be disclosed or misused.

The experimental investigation is applicable to the following scenarios:

Need to verify the market assumptions, theories, models, strategies, etc. are correct and effective;

It is necessary to compare the advantages and disadvantages of different schemes, methods, tools and effects of the market;

The combination and configuration of existing or potential products, prices, channels, publicity, etc. in the market need to be optimized;

It is necessary to predict the trends and effects of future or possible demands, behaviors, reactions, changes, etc. of the market.

The implementation steps of the experimental investigation are as follows:

Clarify the purpose and problem of the study, and determine the scope, objects, variables and assumptions of the study;

Design the research plan, select the experiment type, experiment design, experiment execution and experiment analysis method;

Execute research programs, conduct experiments, collect data, analyze data, and test hypotheses;

Output research results, summarize conclusions, make recommendations, write reports, and show reports.

experimental investigation of the case:

Champ Consulting has provided market research services to an emerging online education platform to help it validate and optimize pricing strategies for its courses. Champ Consulting used an experimental research approach to design and implement different pricing schemes to observe and evaluate their impact on consumers' willingness to buy and satisfaction, and came to the following conclusions:

The types of pricing schemes have a significant impact on consumers' willingness to buy and satisfaction, the most effective of which is bundled pricing, which is to package multiple courses into a package and provide a discounted total price, which can improve consumers' willingness to buy and satisfaction;

The specific values of the pricing scheme also have a significant impact on consumers' willingness to buy and satisfaction, the most reasonable of which is based on cost-plus pricing, I .e., determining a reasonable selling price based on the cost of the course and the expected profit margin, which can balance consumers' ability to pay and the profitability of the platform;

The presentation of pricing schemes also has a significant impact on consumers' willingness to buy and satisfaction, the most effective of which is pricing based on the anchoring effect, I .e., showing the original or market price at the same time as the selling price, highlighting the range of concessions, which can enhance consumers' motivation and satisfaction.

Based on these conclusions, Champ Consulting makes the following recommendations for the online education platform:

Using bundled pricing, combining different courses into different packages, providing different preferential efforts to meet different consumer needs;

Adopt a cost-plus-based pricing approach to determine a reasonable selling price based on the cost and profitability of different courses to ensure the profitability of the platform;

Using pricing based on the anchoring effect, the original price or market price is displayed at the same time as the selling price, highlighting the range of concessions and stimulating consumers' desire to buy.