1. determine the purpose and scope of research

The first step in consumer research is to determine the purpose and scope of the research. The purpose of the survey refers to the main objectives and expected results of the survey, which determines the direction and focus of the survey. The scope of research refers to the object, time, place and content of the research, which determines the scale and depth of the research. There are several ways to determine the purpose and scope of the research:

Problem-oriented approach: According to the market problems or challenges faced by the enterprise, the research questions are put forward, and the purpose and scope of the research are derived from them. For example, if a clothing brand wants to understand consumer feedback on its newly launched product, it can ask the following questions: What is the consumer's awareness, attitude and willingness to buy the new product? What do consumers say about the price, quality and design of new products? What are the consumer's suggestions for new product promotion methods and channels? From these questions, it can be determined that the purpose of the research is to assess the market performance and potential of the new product, the scope of the research is the target consumer of the new product, the period of time after the launch, the main sales area and all aspects of the new product.

Goal-oriented method: According to the market objectives and strategies of the enterprise, the objectives of the research are formulated, and the purpose and scope of the research are derived from them. For example, if a restaurant brand wants to increase its market share and competitiveness, it can set the following goals: understand the food needs and preferences of consumers, analyze the strengths and weaknesses of competitors, and find its own differentiation and optimization points. From these goals, it can be determined that the purpose of the research is to explore market opportunities and improvement directions. The scope of the research is consumers in the catering industry, competitors in the same period, and their own products and services.

Theory-oriented method: According to the relevant theories and models of marketing, the framework of research is constructed, and the purpose and scope of research are derived from it. For example, if a car brand wants to enhance its brand image and loyalty, it can refer to the AIDA model (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) to design a research framework, including: consumers' awareness, interest, desire and action of the brand, as well as various factors that affect these factors. From this framework, it can be determined that the purpose of the research is to measure the influence and attractiveness of the brand. The scope of the research is consumers in the automotive industry, various stages of the buying process, and various elements of the brand.

2. Design Research Programs and Tools

The second step in consumer research is to design research programs and tools. The research plan refers to the specific plan and arrangement of the research, including: the method of research, the selection of samples, the source of data, the arrangement of time, the control of budget, etc. Research tools refer to the specific means and techniques of research, including: questionnaires, interviews, observations, experiments, literature, data analysis software, etc. There are several ways to design research programs and tools:

Method selection method: According to the purpose and scope of the research, select the appropriate research methods, divided into quantitative research and qualitative research. Quantitative research refers to the research method of quantifying and measuring the behavior and attitude of consumers through numerical and statistical methods, which is applicable to the situation where the purpose of the research is to describe, compare and verify, and the commonly used tools are questionnaires, experiments, data analysis software, etc. Qualitative research refers to an in-depth and detailed research method for consumers' feelings and thoughts through language and images. It is suitable for situations where the purpose of research is to explore, explain and understand. Commonly used tools include interviews, observations, and literature. In general, quantitative and qualitative research can complement and combine each other to improve the comprehensiveness and effectiveness of the research.

Sample selection method: according to the object and content of the research, select the appropriate research sample, divided into the overall and sampling. The overall refers to all the objects of the survey, and sampling refers to a part of the objects selected from the overall according to certain rules and criteria, as the representative of the survey. The choice of overall or sampling depends on the scope and resources of the survey. If the scope of the survey is small and the resources are sufficient, the overall can be selected to ensure the accuracy and credibility of the survey. If the scope of the survey is large and the resources are limited, sampling can be selected to ensure the efficiency and representativeness of the survey. There are many methods of sampling, common are random sampling, stratified sampling, group sampling, convenient sampling, judgment sampling, etc., the specific choice should be based on the purpose and conditions of the research.

Tool design method: according to the research methods and samples, design appropriate research tools, mainly questionnaires and interviews. Questionnaire is a research tool that puts forward a series of questions to consumers in written form to obtain consumers' information and opinions. Interviews are a research tool for one-to-one or many-to-one communication with consumers through oral form to obtain consumers' feelings and thoughts. The principles of designing questionnaires and interviews are as follows:

The purpose is clear: the content of the questionnaire and interview should be consistent with the purpose and scope of the research, avoid irrelevant or repeated questions, and ensure the effectiveness and pertinence of the research.

Clear structure: The structure of questionnaires and interviews should be logical and sequential, grouped and sorted according to topics or categories, so that consumers can understand and answer, and also facilitate the sorting and analysis of data.

Language simplicity: the language of questionnaires and interviews should be simple and clear, avoid the use of professional terms or vague vocabulary, to ensure that consumers can accurately and consistently understand and express.

Complete options: the options for questionnaires and interviews should cover all possible situations, avoid missing or biased options, and ensure that consumers can choose and answer freely and truthfully.

Moderate length: The length of questionnaires and interviews should be suitable for consumers' time and patience, avoid too long or too short questionnaires and interviews, and ensure that consumers can participate and answer completely and seriously.

3. implementation research and data collection

The third step in consumer research is to conduct research and collect data. The implementation of research refers to the process of issuing questionnaires or conducting interviews to consumers in accordance with research programs and tools to obtain consumer feedback and information. Collecting data refers to the process of collating and summarizing consumer feedback and information for subsequent analysis and reporting. There are several ways to conduct research and collect data:

Questionnaire distribution method: according to the research sample and time, choose the appropriate questionnaire distribution method, divided into online distribution and offline distribution. Online distribution refers to the way of sending electronic questionnaires to consumers through Internet platforms and channels. It is suitable for situations with large research samples, tight time and low cost. Commonly used platforms and channels include e-mail, social media, websites, mobile phone applications, etc. Offline distribution refers to the way of distributing paper questionnaires to consumers on the spot, which is suitable for the situation of small research samples, abundant time and high cost. Common methods include mail, telephone, face-to-face, etc. The principles of the questionnaire are as follows:

Validity: The questionnaire should be able to achieve the purpose of research, reflect the real situation of consumers, and avoid invalid or false questionnaires.

Reliability: The questionnaire should be able to ensure the quality of the survey, reflect the consistency of consumers, and avoid errors or deviations in the questionnaire.

Comparability: The questionnaire should be able to support the analysis of the survey, reflect the differences of consumers, and avoid incomparable or confusing questionnaires.

Interview method: According to the research sample and time, choose the appropriate interview method, divided into structured interviews and unstructured interviews. Structured interviews refer to a fixed and standardized way of communicating with consumers according to pre-designed questions and sequences, which is suitable for situations where the purpose of research is to describe, compare and verify, and commonly used methods include telephone interviews, video interviews, and online interviews. Unstructured interviews refer to flexible and free communication with consumers based on their reactions and situations. They are suitable for situations where the purpose of research is to explore, explain and understand. Common methods include face-to-face interviews, focus group interviews, In-depth interviews, etc. The principles of the interview are as follows:

Interactivity: Interviews should be able to establish good communication and trust, promote consumer participation and response, and avoid indifferent or hostile interviews.

Flexibility: The interview should be able to adapt to the changes and needs of consumers, adjust the content and methods of the interview, and avoid rigid or stereotyped interviews.

Sensitivity: The interview should be able to respect the privacy and feelings of consumers, deal with the difficulties and conflicts of the interview, and avoid intrusive or offensive interviews.

Data collection method: according to the research methods and tools, choose the appropriate data collection method, divided into active collection and passive collection. Active collection refers to the way of actively asking for or obtaining data from consumers, which is suitable for active research such as questionnaires and interviews. Commonly used methods include recycling questionnaires, recording interviews, photo interviews, etc. Passive collection refers to the method of passively obtaining data from consumers or other sources, which is suitable for passive research such as observation and experiment. Common methods include monitoring consumers, tracking consumers, and collecting literature. The principles of data collection are as follows:

Completeness: The data should be able to cover all the contents of the survey, reflect the overall situation of consumers, and avoid missing or incomplete data.

Accuracy: The data should be able to meet the actual situation of the survey, reflect the real situation of consumers, and avoid errors or false data.

Consistency: The data should be able to maintain a unified standard of research, reflect the consistency of consumers, and avoid confusion or contradictory data.

4. analyze data and write reports

The fourth step in consumer research is to analyze the data and write a report. Analyzing data refers to the processing and interpretation of the collected data through the use of statistical and logical methods to obtain the results of the research andConclusionof the process. Report writing refers to the process of summarizing and displaying the analyzed data through the use of text and charts to present the process and significance of the research. There are several ways to analyze data and write reports:

Data processing method: According to the research methods and tools, select the appropriate data processing method, divided into quantitative processing and qualitative processing. Quantitative processing refers to the calculation and analysis of the collected numerical data by using mathematical and statistical methods, which is suitable for quantitative research, and the commonly used methods are descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, correlation analysis, regression analysis, factor analysis, etc. Qualitative processing refers to the method of summarizing and interpreting the collected text and image data through the use of language and logic, which is suitable for qualitative research, and the commonly used methods are content analysis, discourse analysis, narrative analysis, case analysis, etc. The principles of processing data are as follows:

Effectiveness: Data processing should be able to achieve the purpose of research, reflect the nature and laws of the data, and avoid meaningless or arbitrary data processing.

Objectivity: Data processing should be able to ensure the authenticity of the research, reflect the facts and evidence of the data, and avoid subjective or biased data processing.

Systematic: Data processing should be able to support the integrity of the survey, reflect the correlation and structure of the data, and avoid fragmented or chaotic data processing.

Data interpretation method: According to the purpose and scope of the research, choose the appropriate data interpretation method, divided into descriptive interpretation and inference interpretation. Description interpretation refers to the way of summarizing and displaying the processed data through the use of text and charts, which is applicable to the situation where the purpose of research is to describe, compare and verify, and the commonly used methods are frequency distribution, percentage distribution, average, standard deviation, pie chart, bar chart, line chart, etc. Inductive interpretation refers to the interpretation and evaluation of the processed data through the use of logic and theory, which is suitable for situations where the purpose of research is to explore, explain and understand, and commonly used methods include hypothesis testing, correlation coefficients, regression coefficients, factor loading, theme refinement, story construction, and case induction. There are several principles for interpreting data:

clarity: data interpretation must be able to express the results of the survey andConclusionReflect the meaning and value of the data and avoid vague or confusing interpretation of the data.

Simplicity: Data interpretation should be able to highlight the focus and highlights of the research, reflect the core and characteristics of the data, and avoid lengthy or trivial data interpretation.

Logicality: Data interpretation should be able to follow the framework and sequence of the research, reflect the cause and effect and connection of the data, and avoid random or contradictory data interpretation.

Report writing method: according to the process and significance of the research, choose the appropriate report writing method, divided into formal report and content report. The formal report refers to the way of designing and arranging the external form of the report according to the specification and format, including: the title of the reportabstracts, catalogues, text, appendices, references, etc. Content report refers to the way in which the internal content of the report is written and expressed according to logic and structure, including: the background, purpose, method, results, conclusions, recommendations, etc. of the report.. The principles of writing the report are as follows:

Consistency: The form and content of the report should be consistent with the purpose and scope of the research, and avoid reports that are not related or repeated with the research.

Clarity: The form and content of the report should be logical and sequential, grouped and sorted by topic or category for the reader's understanding and reference, as well as for the organization and analysis of the report.

Concise: The form and content of the report should be simple and clear, avoiding the use of technical terms or vague vocabulary, to ensure that the reader can accurately and consistently understand and express.

5. suggestions and improvement measures

The fifth step in consumer research is to make recommendations and improvements. Recommendations are based on the results of research andConclusion, reasonable and feasible opinions and plans for the enterprise's market strategy and actions. Improvement measures refer to the methods and techniques of optimizing and perfecting the methods and tools of research according to the process and significance of the research. There are several ways to put forward suggestions and improvement measures:

Suggestion method: according to the purpose and scope of the research, choose the appropriate way to put forward the proposal, divided into overall recommendations and specific recommendations. The overall recommendations refer to the overall and macro recommendations for the main objectives and expected results of the research, including: the main findings of the research, the main implications of the research, the main recommendations of the research, etc. Specific suggestions refer to the specific content and details of the research, sub-items and micro suggestions, including: the specific problems of the research, the specific reasons for the research, the specific plan of the research, etc. The proposed principles are the following:

Targeted: recommendations should be able to address research issues and challenges, reflect research needs and expectations, and avoid irrelevant or ineffective recommendations.

Feasibility: It is recommended to be able to achieve the objectives and results of the survey, reflect the conditions and resources of the survey, and avoid unrealistic or inoperable recommendations.

Innovativeness: Suggestions should be able to increase the value and significance of the research, reflect the characteristics and advantages of the research, and avoid old or mediocre suggestions.

Improvement measures method: according to the process and significance of the research, select the appropriate improvement measures proposed method, divided into method improvement and tool improvement. Method improvement refers to the optimization and improvement of methods and techniques proposed for research methods and techniques, including: research method selection, research sample selection, research tool design, etc. Tool improvement refers to the optimization and improvement methods and techniques proposed for research tools and equipment, including: research questionnaire design, research interview design, research data analysis software, etc. The principles of improvement measures are the following:

Feedback: the improvement measures should be able to put forward targeted and effective improvement measures according to the feedback and evaluation of the research, and avoid ignoring or ignoring the improvement measures.

Continuity: improvement measures should be able to propose flexible and adaptive improvement measures according to the changes and needs of the research, and avoid stagnant or backward improvement measures.

Learning: the improvement measures should be able to put forward innovative and forward-looking improvement measures based on the experience and lessons learned from the research, and avoid repeated or outdated improvement measures.

Conclusion

Consumer research is an important means of marketing, which can help companies understand consumer needs, preferences, behavior and satisfaction, so as to develop effective marketing strategies. However, consumer research is not simply to issue questionnaires, but to follow certain steps and methods to ensure the quality and effectiveness of the research. This paper introduces the five steps of professional research, namely: to determine the purpose and scope of research, design research programs and tools, the implementation of research and data collection, data analysis and report writing, suggestions and improvement measures. At the same time, this paper also combines some specific cases provided by Shangpu Consulting Company to show the practice and value of professional research. I hope this article can be helpful to the understanding and application of consumer research.