Purpose of 1. Consumer Research

The purpose of consumer research is to help enterprises solve some problems in marketing, such:

Who are our target consumers?

What needs does our product or service meet?

What is the positioning of our products or services in the market?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of our products or services?

Who are our competitors and what are the characteristics of their products or services?

How should we promote consumer awareness, interest, desire and action on our products or services?

How can we improve consumer satisfaction and loyalty?

How should we predict and respond to changes in the market and changes in consumer demand?

Therefore, the purpose of consumer research should be clear, specific, quantifiable, and operable to facilitate the design of appropriate research programs and the implementation of effective research activities.

2. the object of consumer research

The object of consumer research refers to those consumers related to the products or services of the enterprise, including potential consumers, existing consumers and past consumers. The object of consumer research should be representative, accessible, distinguishable, and connectable to facilitate effective sampling and surveys.

For example, Champ Consulting conducted a consumer survey for an automaker to understand consumers' attitudes and wishes for new electric vehicles. Through the Internet and telephone channels, Shangpu Consulting conducted a random sample of automobile consumers, and selected a certain number of potential consumers, existing consumers and past consumers as the objects of consumer research. Shangpu Consulting has stratified and grouped consumers according to their age, gender, income, education, occupation, place of residence and other characteristics to ensure the representativeness and distinguishability of consumers. Shangpu Consulting also ensures the accessibility and accessibility of consumers, inviting consumers to participate in research by sending e-mails, text messages, phone calls, etc., and providing certain incentives, such as coupons, gift cards, lottery, etc., to improve consumer participation and response rate.

Methods of 3. Consumer Research

Consumer research methods refer to the techniques and tools used to collect and analyze consumer information, including qualitative and quantitative methods. Qualitative methods are mainly used to explore consumers' motivations, attitudes, feelings, thoughts, etc., such as in-depth interviews, focus groups, observation methods, case studies, etc. Quantitative methods are mainly used to measure consumer behavior, characteristics, preferences, satisfaction, etc., such as questionnaires, experimental methods, mathematical statistics, etc.

The method of consumer research should be suitable, effective, reliable and effective in order to collect and analyze valuable consumer information. The choice of consumer research methods should be based on the purpose, object, content, time, cost and other factors of consumer research. At the same time, existing data and information resources should be fully utilized, such as internal data, industry reports, government statistics, online media, etc., to reduce unnecessary duplication and waste.

For example, Shangpu Consulting conducted a consumer survey for a restaurant chain to understand consumers' evaluation of the quality of catering services and suggestions for improvement. Shangpu Consulting Company adopted a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. First, through in-depth interviews and focus groups, it explored consumers' expectations and feelings about the quality of catering services, as well as the key factors that affect consumer satisfaction, such as food quality and service Attitude, environmental hygiene, reasonable prices, etc. Then, Champ Consulting designed a questionnaire to measure consumers' specific ratings and opinions on the quality of catering services, as well as consumers' loyalty and willingness to spend again. Shangpu Consulting also uses the internal data of catering chain enterprises, such as sales volume, passenger flow, number of members, complaint rate, etc., as well as consumer comments and evaluations on online media to enhance the richness and effectiveness of consumer research data.

The Process of 4. Consumer Research

The process of consumer research refers to a series of steps from determining the purpose of consumer research, to collecting and analyzing consumer information, to reporting and applying the results of consumer research. The process of consumer research should be systematic, standardized and scientific to ensure the quality and effect of consumer research. The process of consumer research generally includes the following stages:

Consumer research plan: at this stage, it is necessary to clarify the purpose, object, content, method, time, cost, personnel, resources, etc. of consumer research, as well as the expected results and evaluation standards of consumer research, formulate consumer research plans and plans, assign consumer research tasks and responsibilities, and determine the process and steps of consumer research.

The implementation of consumer research: at this stage, it is necessary to collect and analyze consumer information according to the scheme and plan of consumer research, including selecting and contacting the objects of consumer research, designing and making consumer research tools, such as interview guide, questionnaire, experimental materials, etc., executing consumer research activities, such as interview, questionnaire, experiment, etc., and collecting consumer information, such as consumer answers, feedback, behavior, data, etc., analysis of consumer information, such as induction, classification, statistics, comparison, interpretation, evaluation, etc., to obtain the preliminary results and findings of consumer research.

Consumer research report: at this stage, it is necessary to organize and summarize the process and results of consumer research according to the purpose and expected results of consumer research, and write a report of consumer research, including the background, purpose, object, method, process, result, analysis,Conclusion, suggestions, etc., as well as the limitations and deficiencies of consumer research, use charts, images, examples, etc., to clearly show and explain the results and significance of consumer research.

The application of consumer research: at this stage, according to the report of consumer research, the results and suggestions of consumer research should be applied to the marketing decision-making and practice of enterprises, such as product development, price strategy, promotion activities, service improvement, customer relationship management, etc., so as to improve the market competitiveness and consumer satisfaction of enterprises. At the same time, it is necessary to evaluate and feedback the effect of consumer research, such as checking whether the results of consumer research have achieved the expected purpose, whether it helps to solve the market problems of the enterprise, whether it is conducive to improving the market performance of the enterprise, whether there is a need for improvement or improvement, etc., in order to optimize and improve the quality and effect of consumer research.

5. Consumer Survey Results and Assessment

The results of consumer research refer to the information and knowledge about consumers, such as consumer needs, preferences, satisfaction, loyalty, etc., as well as information and knowledge about the market, such as the size, structure, trends, opportunities, threats, etc. of the market. The results of consumer research should be accurate, complete, useful and meaningful, so as to provide effective guidance and support for the marketing of enterprises.

The evaluation of consumer research refers to the inspection and judgment of the quality and effect of consumer research, such as whether the results of consumer research meet the purpose of consumer research, whether they can answer the questions of consumer research, whether they can solve the market problems of enterprises, whether they can improve the market performance of enterprises, whether there are areas that need to be improved or improved, and so on. The evaluation of consumer research should be objective, fair, comprehensive and continuous, so as to optimize and improve the quality and effect of consumer research.

For example, Shangpu Consulting conducted a consumer survey for a clothing brand to understand consumers' cognition, attitude and behavior towards clothing brands, as well as the factors that affect consumers' choice of clothing brands. Through questionnaire survey and experimental method, Shangpu consulting company collected and analyzed the information of consumers, and obtained the results of consumer research, such as consumers' awareness, awareness, preference, purchase rate and recommendation rate of clothing brand, as well as the weight and order of factors considered by consumers when choosing clothing brand, Such as brand image, brand reputation, brand value, brand loyalty, brand innovation, brand social responsibility, etc. According to the results of consumer research, Shangpu Consulting puts forward some market strategy suggestions for clothing brands, such as how to improve the awareness and recognition of clothing brands, how to shape and spread the image and value of clothing brands, how to enhance and maintain the loyalty and innovation of clothing brands, and how to fulfill and display the social responsibility of clothing brands. Shangpu Consulting Company also made some feedback and improvement on the evaluation of consumer research, such as whether the results of consumer research can meet the needs of clothing brands, whether it helps to enhance the market competitiveness of clothing brands, whether there is a need to expand or deepen the scope, whether there is a need to adjust or optimize the method.

Conclusion

Consumer research is an important means of marketing, it can help enterprises to understand the needs of consumers, preferences, satisfaction, loyalty, etc., so as to develop effective marketing strategies. Consumer research needs to follow certain norms and standards to ensure the quality, effectiveness and credibility of the research. This paper summarizes some basic principles and rules of consumer research from the aspects of the purpose, object, method, process, result and evaluation of consumer research, and makes a brief analysis and explanation in combination with some consumer research cases provided by Shangpu Consulting Company for customers. I hope this article can be helpful to the understanding and practice of consumer research.