The purpose of consumer research is to understand consumer needs, preferences, behavior and satisfaction, so as to provide effective market information and decision-making basis for product development, market positioning, marketing strategy and service quality. The methods of consumer research mainly include questionnaires, interviews, observations, experiments, focus groups, neuromarketing, etc. Different methods have different advantages and limitations, and need to be selected and combined according to the objectives, content, objects and environment of consumer research.

However, consumer research is not easy, and it also faces many difficulties and pain points, which often stem from the complexity and variability of consumer behavior, as well as the imperfection and inadaptability of consumer research methods and techniques. This paper will analyze the common problems and solutions of consumer research from the theoretical and empirical point of view of consumer behavior, in order to provide useful reference and enlightenment for the practice of consumer research.

1. inconsistencies between consumer motivation, attitudes, perceptions, and behavior

Consumer behavior is composed of four elements: consumer motivation, attitude, cognition and behavior. These four elements influence each other and jointly determine the purchase decision and consumption behavior of consumers. However, these four elements are not always consistent, and sometimes there are different degrees of deviation and conflict, which leads to the inconsistency of consumers' behavior with their motivation, attitude and cognition, or the motivation, attitude and cognition of consumers and their behavior. Mismatch. This inconsistency brings great difficulties and challenges to consumer research, because it makes it difficult to predict and explain consumer behavior, and it also makes it difficult to trust and use consumer feedback.

The inconsistency between consumer motivation, attitudes, perceptions, and behavior may have several causes:

(1) Consumer motivation refers to the internal driving force of consumers to buy and use products, which can be divided into functional motivation and emotional motivation. Functional motivation refers to consumers in order to meet their basic needs and practical purposes to buy and use products, such as food and clothing, safety, health and so on. Emotional motivation refers to the purchase and use of products by consumers in order to meet their own high-level needs and emotional purposes, such as belonging, respect, self-realization, etc. The motives of consumers are often diverse, and sometimes there are contradictory motives, such as economy and luxury, rationality and sensibility, personality and conformity. These contradictory motives will lead to fluctuations and changes in consumer purchase decisions and consumer behavior, and will also affect consumer attitudes and perceptions of products.

(2) Consumer attitude refers to the consumer's evaluation and tendency of the product, which is composed of three components: consumer's cognition, emotion and behavior intention. Consumer cognition refers to consumers' knowledge and beliefs about products, consumers' emotions refer to consumers' preferences and emotions about products, and consumers' behavioral intentions refer to consumers' tendencies and plans for purchasing and using products. The attitude of consumers is often stable, but it will also be affected by external factors, such as social environment, cultural background, reference groups, marketing communication and so on. These external factors will lead to the inconsistency of consumers' attitudes with their motivations and behaviors, and will also affect consumers' perception and evaluation of products.

(3) Consumer cognition refers to consumers' knowledge and beliefs about products, which is the basis for consumers to form attitudes and make decisions. Consumer awareness is often limited because consumers have limited access to and processing information, and consumers tend to use simplified and heuristic methods to process information, such as brand image, price signals, word-of-mouth communication, and so on. While these methods can save consumers time and effort, they can also lead to cognitive biases and errors, such as anchoring effects, framing effects, and confirmation bias. These biases and errors can lead to inconsistencies between consumers' perceptions and their motivations and attitudes, and can also affect consumers' behavioral choices and outcome evaluations.

(4) Consumer behavior refers to the purchase and use of products by consumers, which is the final expression of consumer behavior. Consumer behavior is often affected by many factors, such as personal characteristics, psychological state, situational factors, social factors and so on. These factors will lead to the inconsistency of consumers' behavior with their motivation, attitude and cognition, and will also affect the behavior process and consequences of consumers. For example, consumers may purchase products that are inconsistent with their motivations, attitudes, and perceptions due to budget constraints, inventory shortages, promotional activities, etc., or they may be dissatisfied with the use of products due to difficulty of use, quality of service, product performance, etc. Or regret.

In view of the inconsistency between consumers' motivation, attitude, cognition and behavior, there are mainly the following solutions for consumer research:

(1) Consumer research should fully consider consumer motivation, especially emotional motivation, because emotional motivation is often the deep driving force of consumer behavior, and it is also a difficult factor to capture and predict consumer behavior.

(2) Consumer research should fully consider consumer attitudes, especially emotional and behavioral intentions, because emotional and behavioral intentions are often the direct impact of consumer behavior, but also easy to capture and predict consumer behavior factors. Consumer research should measure and evaluate consumers' emotions and behavioral intentions through effective methods and techniques, such as emotional scales, emotional recognition, behavioral intention models, etc. At the same time, it should be noted that consumers' attitudes may change due to external factors, so consumers' attitudes should be updated and tracked regularly.

(3) Consumer research should fully consider consumer cognition, especially cognitive bias and error, because cognitive bias and error are often potential interference factors of consumer behavior, but also difficult to eliminate and correct factors of consumer behavior. Consumer research should detect and reduce consumers' cognitive biases and errors through effective methods and technologies, such as information presentation, problem design, data analysis, etc. At the same time, it should be noted that consumers' cognition may be affected by themselves and others. Therefore, it is necessary to continuously pay attention to and feedback consumers' cognition.

(4) Consumer research should fully consider the behavior of consumers, especially the process and consequences of behavior, because the process and consequences of behavior are often the final evaluation criteria of consumer behavior, but also the most direct and reliable evidence of consumer behavior. Consumer research should observe and record the behavior process and consequences of consumers through effective methods and technologies, such as purchase records, use records, satisfaction surveys, loyalty surveys, etc. At the same time, it should be noted that consumer behavior may change due to the influence of many factors, so it is necessary to comprehensively analyze and explain consumer behavior.

differences between choice preferences and behavioral preferences of 2. consumers

Consumer choice preference refers to the degree to which a consumer prefers one or several of them when faced with multiple product or brand choices, and it reflects the consumer's expectations and tendencies. Consumer behavioral preferences are the degree to which consumers prefer one or more of them when they actually buy and use a product or brand, and it reflects the consumer's reality and results. Consumers' choice preferences and behavioral preferences tend to be consistent, I .e., consumers will buy and use their favorite products or brands, but there are also sometimes differences, I .e., consumers will buy and use products or brands that do not match their choice preferences. This difference brings great confusion and challenge to consumer research, because it makes it difficult to translate consumer choice preferences into behavioral preferences, and also makes it difficult for consumer behavior preferences to reflect choice preferences.

There may be several reasons for the difference between consumer choice preferences and behavioral preferences:

(1) Consumer choice preferences are based on consumer expectations and tendencies, and consumer expectations and tendencies are often uncertain, because consumer needs, preferences, emotions, etc. will vary with time, place, situation and other factors. As a result, consumer choice preferences change, and these changes may occur between consumer choice and behavior, resulting in inconsistencies between consumer choice preferences and their behavioral preferences.

(2) Consumer behavior preferences are based on consumer reality and results, and consumer reality and results are often imperfect, because consumers will encounter various restrictions, obstacles, interference and other factors in the process of purchase and use. As a result, consumers' behavioral preferences are also affected, and these effects may make consumers' behavioral preferences inconsistent with their choice preferences.

(3) There are still some mediating variables between consumers' choice preference and behavior preference, such as consumers' knowledge, belief, attitude, intention, plan, habit, loyalty, etc. These mediating variables will play a role of connection and adjustment between consumers' choice and behavior, and sometimes will enhance the consistency between consumers' choice preference and behavior preference, sometimes it weakens the consistency between consumer choice preferences and behavioral preferences.

To address the differences between consumer choice preferences and behavioral preferences, there are several main solutions for consumer research:

(1) Consumer research should fully consider the consumer's choice preferences, especially the dynamics of choice preferences, because the dynamics of choice preferences is often a predictor of consumer behavior, but also a change factor in consumer behavior. Consumer research should measure and track consumers' choice preferences through effective methods and techniques, such as preference scales, preference models, preference experiments, etc. At the same time, it should be noted that consumers' choice preferences may change due to internal and external factors, so consumers' choice preferences should be updated and fed back in time.

(2) Consumer research should fully consider consumer behavior preferences, especially the stability of behavior preferences, because the stability of behavior preferences is often the evaluation factor of consumer behavior, but also the maintenance factor of consumer behavior. Consumer research should observe and record consumers' behavior preferences through effective methods and technologies, such as purchase records, use records, satisfaction surveys, loyalty surveys, etc. At the same time, it should be noted that consumers' behavior preferences may be affected by many factors. Therefore, it is necessary to comprehensively analyze and explain consumers' behavior preferences.

(3) Consumer research should fully consider the intermediary variables between consumer choice preferences and behavior preferences, especially the mechanism of the intermediary variables, because the mechanism of the intermediary variables is often the explanatory factor of consumer behavior, but also the influence factor of consumer behavior. Consumer research should measure and evaluate the intermediary variables of consumers through effective methods and techniques, such as knowledge scale, belief scale, attitude scale, intention scale, plan scale, habit scale, loyalty scale, etc. At the same time, it should be noted that the intermediary variables of consumers may change under the influence of themselves and others, so it is necessary to continue to pay attention to and feedback the intermediary variables of consumers.

3. the gap between consumer needs and expectations

Consumer demand refers to the purpose and motivation of consumers to buy and use products, which reflects the problems and pain points of consumers. Consumer expectations refer to the expectations and requirements of consumers for the performance and effect of products, which reflect the solutions and satisfaction points of consumers. Consumer needs and expectations are often consistent, I .e. consumers will choose and use products that meet their needs and expectations, but sometimes there is a gap, I .e. there is a gap between consumer needs and expectations, or between consumer needs and expectations and the performance and effectiveness of the product. This gap has brought great confusion and challenges to consumer research, because it makes it difficult to identify and meet consumer needs and expectations, and it also makes it difficult to improve and maintain consumer satisfaction and loyalty.

There may be several reasons for the gap between consumer needs and expectations:

(1) Consumer demand is based on consumer problems and pain points, and consumer problems and pain points are often hidden, because consumers may not realize or express their own problems and pain points, or consumer problems and pain points are caused by multiple factors, which are difficult to decompose and attribute. As a result, consumer needs can also be difficult to identify and express, and these difficult to identify and express needs may be inconsistent with consumer expectations or mismatched with product performance and effectiveness.

(2) Consumer expectations are based on consumer solutions and satisfaction points, and consumer solutions and satisfaction points are often too high, because consumers may have unrealistic expectations and requirements for product performance and effects, Or consumer solutions and satisfaction points are composed of multiple factors, which are difficult to meet and balance. As a result, consumer expectations can also be difficult to achieve and meet, and these difficult to achieve and meet expectations can be inconsistent with the consumer's needs or with the performance and effectiveness of the product.

(3) There are also some intermediary variables between consumers' needs and expectations, such as consumers' knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, intentions, plans, habits, loyalty, etc. These intermediary variables will connect and regulate consumers' needs and expectations. Sometimes it will enhance the consistency between consumers' needs and expectations, and sometimes it will weaken the consistency between consumers' needs and expectations.

In response to the gap between consumer needs and expectations, consumer research solutions mainly include the following:

(1) Consumer research should fully consider the needs of consumers, especially the recessive nature of demand, because the recessive nature of demand is often the driving factor of consumer behavior, but also the innovation factor of consumer behavior. Consumer research should identify and express consumer needs through effective methods and techniques, such as interviews, observations, experiments, focus groups, neuromarketing, etc. At the same time, it should be noted that consumer needs may be affected by internal and external factors. Changes occur, so it is necessary to update and feedback consumer needs in a timely manner.

(2) Consumer research should fully consider the expectations of consumers, especially the high expectations, because the high expectations are often an obstacle to consumer behavior, but also the improvement of consumer behavior factors. Consumer research should realize and meet consumers' expectations through effective methods and technologies, such as information presentation, problem design, data analysis, service quality, product performance, etc. At the same time, it should be noted that consumers' expectations may change under the influence of themselves and others, so they should continue to pay attention to and feedback consumers' expectations.

(3) Consumer research should fully consider the intermediary variables between consumer demand and expectation, especially the mechanism of intermediary variables, because the mechanism of intermediary variables is often the explanatory factor of consumer behavior, but also the influence factor of consumer behavior. Consumer research should measure and evaluate the intermediary variables of consumers through effective methods and techniques, such as knowledge scale, belief scale, attitude scale, intention scale, plan scale, habit scale, loyalty scale, etc. At the same time, it should be noted that the intermediary variables of consumers may change under the influence of themselves and others, so it is necessary to continue to pay attention to and feedback the intermediary variables of consumers.

4. the mismatch between consumer feedback and behavior

Consumer feedback refers to the consumer's evaluation and opinion of the product, which reflects consumer satisfaction and loyalty. Consumer behavior refers to the purchase and use of products by consumers, which reflects consumers' preferences and choices. Consumer feedback and behavior are often consistent, that is, consumers will decide whether to buy and use products according to their own evaluation and opinions, but sometimes there is a mismatch, that is, there is a difference between consumer feedback and behavior, or there is a difference between consumer feedback and behavior and the performance and effect of the product. This mismatch brings great confusion and challenges to consumer research, because it makes it difficult to trust and use consumer feedback, and it also makes consumer behavior difficult to predict and influence.

There may be several reasons for the mismatch between consumer feedback and behavior:

(1) Consumer feedback is based on consumer evaluations and opinions, and consumer evaluations and opinions are often subjective, because consumers may be affected by their own emotions, attitudes, cognition and other factors, or affected by others The influence of the influence, pressure, motivation and other factors, and the performance and effect of the product are biased or misleading evaluation and opinions. Therefore, consumer feedback will also be affected, and these effects may make consumer feedback do not match their behavior, or do not match the performance and effectiveness of the product.

(2) Consumer behavior is based on consumer preferences and choices, and consumer preferences and choices are often variable, because consumer needs, motivations, situations and other factors will change with time, place, situation and other factors. Therefore, consumer behavior will also be affected, and these effects may make consumer behavior do not match their feedback, or do not match the performance and effectiveness of the product.

(3) There are also some intermediary variables between consumer feedback and behavior, such as consumer knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, intentions, plans, habits, loyalty, etc. These intermediary variables will be between consumer feedback and behavior. Play the role of connection and regulation, sometimes enhance the consistency between consumer feedback and behavior, and sometimes weaken the consistency between consumer feedback and behavior.

In response to the mismatch between consumer feedback and behavior, consumer research solutions mainly include the following:

(1) Consumer research should fully consider consumer feedback, especially the subjectivity of feedback, because the subjectivity of feedback is often the evaluation factor of consumer behavior, but also the improvement factor of consumer behavior. Consumer research should measure and evaluate consumer feedback through effective methods and technologies, such as satisfaction scale, loyalty scale, word-of-mouth scale, online rating scale, etc. At the same time, it should be noted that consumer feedback may change under the influence of themselves and others, so it is necessary to update and feedback consumer feedback in time.

(2) Consumer research should fully consider consumer behavior, especially the variability of behavior, because the variability of behavior is often a predictor of consumer behavior, but also a change factor in consumer behavior. Consumer research should observe and record consumer behavior through effective methods and techniques, such as purchase records, use records, repeat purchase rates, conversion rates, etc. At the same time, it should be noted that consumer behavior may change due to a variety of factors, so it is necessary to comprehensively analyze and explain consumer behavior.

(3) Consumer research should fully consider the intermediary variables between consumer feedback and behavior, especially the mechanism of intermediary variables, because the mechanism of intermediary variables is often the explanatory factor of consumer behavior, but also the influence factor of consumer behavior. Consumer research should measure and evaluate the intermediary variables of consumers through effective methods and techniques, such as knowledge scale, belief scale, attitude scale, intention scale, plan scale, habit scale, loyalty scale, etc. At the same time, it should be noted that the intermediary variables of consumers may change under the influence of themselves and others, so it is necessary to continue to pay attention to and feedback the intermediary variables of consumers.