Purpose of 1. Consumer Research

The purpose of consumer research is to help enterprises better understand and meet the needs of consumers, so as to improve the competitiveness and profitability of enterprises. Consumer research can help companies achieve the following goals:

Identifying and dividing market segments: Consumer research can help companies identify different consumer groups and divide the market into different market segments according to their characteristics, needs, preferences and behaviors, so as to achieve precision marketing and differentiated competition.

评估和预测市场需求：消费者调研可以帮助企业评估当前的市场需求，预测未来的市场需求，以及分析需求的影响因素，从而制定合理的产品开发和供应计划。

优化和测试产品设计：消费者调研可以帮助企业优化产品的功能、性能、外观、包装和价格等方面，以满足消费者的期望和需求。消费者调研还可以帮助企业测试产品的可行性、可接受性和可购买性，以及评估产品的优势和劣势，从而提高产品的市场适应性和竞争力。

Develop and evaluate marketing strategies: Consumer research can help companies develop effective marketing strategies, including products, prices, channels, promotions and services, in order to achieve the company's marketing goals. Consumer research can also help companies evaluate the effectiveness of the implementation of marketing strategies, monitor and adjust the efficiency and effectiveness of marketing activities, thereby improving the input-output ratio of marketing.

Enhance and maintain consumer relationships: Consumer research can help companies strengthen and maintain relationships with consumers, through the collection and analysis of consumer feedback, opinions, suggestions and complaints, as well as consumer satisfaction, loyalty and recommend and other indicators, so as to enhance consumer satisfaction and loyalty, increase consumer repeat purchases and recommend, and reduce consumer loss and complaints.

Methods of 2. Consumer Research

Consumer research methods can be divided into two categories: quantitative research and qualitative research. Quantitative research refers to the collection and analysis of large amounts of data to obtain objective, statistical and numerical results to describe, measure and infer consumer characteristics, behaviors and attitudes. The common methods of quantitative research are:

Questionnaire: Questionnaire refers to the design of a series of questions to collect consumer information, opinions and feedback, so as to understand consumer needs, preferences and satisfaction. The questionnaire can be conducted by mail, telephone, online, face-to-face, etc., and can be structured or semi-structured, and can use single-choice, multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, scoring, sorting and other types of questions.

Experimental research: Experimental research refers to the observation and measurement of consumer reactions and behaviors by controlling and changing some variables, so as to analyze the influencing factors and mechanisms of consumer psychology and behavior. Experimental research can be carried out in the laboratory or in the field, and different experimental designs and experimental methods can be used, such as factor experiments, randomized experiments, controlled experiments, etc.

Observational research: Observational research refers to the direct or indirect observation and recording of consumer behavior and phenomena, to understand the actual behavior and situation of consumers. Observational research can be carried out in natural or man-made environments, and different observation methods and tools can be used, such as covert observation, public observation, video observation, eye tracking, etc.

Qualitative research refers to the collection and analysis of a small amount of data to obtain subjective, in-depth and detailed results, so as to explore, explain and understand consumers' motivations, feelings and understanding. The common methods of qualitative research are:

In-depth interviews: In-depth interviews refer to collecting consumer information, opinions and feedback through one-on-one conversations with consumers, so as to understand consumer needs, preferences and satisfaction. In-depth interviews can be conducted over the phone, online, face-to-face, etc., can be unstructured or semi-structured, and can use open or semi-open questions.

Focus group: Focus group refers to collecting consumer information, opinions and feedback through many-to-many discussions with a group of consumers to understand consumer needs, preferences and satisfaction. Focus groups can be conducted online, face-to-face, etc., in unstructured or semi-structured forms, and open-ended or semi-open-ended questions.

Case study: Case study refers to the detailed description, analysis and explanation of one or several consumers or consumption situations to understand the motivation, feelings and understanding of consumers. Case studies can build and present a complete and authentic consumer story by collecting and integrating multiple data sources, such as interviews, observations, documents, archives, etc.

3. consumer research techniques

The technology of consumer research refers to some tools, platforms and systems used in the process of consumer research to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of consumer research. Consumer research techniques include the following:

Online research: Online research refers to a technology that conducts consumer research through the Internet. It can use websites, social media, mobile applications, email and other platforms to collect and analyze consumer data and feedback. The advantage of online research is that it can cover a wider and more diverse consumer, reduce the cost and time of research, improve the convenience and flexibility of research, and increase consumer participation and honesty.

Big data analysis: Big data analysis refers to a technology that collects and analyzes massive amounts of data to conduct consumer research. It can use cloud computing, artificial intelligence, machine learning and other technologies to process and mine consumer data and information. The advantage of big data analysis is that it can provide more comprehensive and in-depth consumer insights, discover consumer potential needs and trends, and predict consumer behavior and effects.

Neuromarketing: Neuromarketing refers to a technology that conducts consumer research by measuring and analyzing consumers' neurophysiological responses. It can use EEG, functional magnetic resonance imaging, eye tracking and other equipment to capture and Interpret consumers' brain activity and eye movements. The advantage of neuromarketing is that it can reveal consumers' subconscious and emotions, evaluate consumers' attention and memory, and optimize consumers' experience and decision-making.

Trends in 4. Consumer Research

The trend of consumer research refers to the development direction and change content of consumer research under the changes of market and consumers. Trends in consumer research include the following:

Real-time research: Real-time research refers to a trend of consumer research through real-time collection and analysis of consumer data and feedback. It can use mobile devices, Internet of Things, sensors and other technologies to monitor and track consumers in real time. Behavior and status. The advantage of real-time research is that it can respond to and adapt to changes in the market and consumers in a timely manner, provide more accurate and effective consumer insights, and achieve faster and more flexible decisions and actions.

Social research: Social research refers to a trend of consumer research through social media. It can use platforms such as Weibo, WeChat, Douyin, Little Red Riding Book to collect and analyze consumer content and interaction. The advantage of social research is that it can take advantage of consumers' spontaneity and voluntariness to provide richer and more authentic consumer content, as well as increase consumers' influence and reputation.

Personalized research: Personalized research refers to a trend of conducting consumer research through personalized design and execution of consumer research. It can use artificial intelligence, machine learning, recommend systems and other technologies to personalize and match Consumer research content and methods. The advantage of personalized research is that it can better meet the personalized needs and preferences of consumers, improve consumer participation and satisfaction, and enhance consumer loyalty and stickiness.

Conclusion

Consumer research is an important part of marketing, it can help enterprises to understand and meet the needs of consumers, so as to improve the competitiveness and profitability of enterprises. With the continuous changes in the market and consumers, consumer research is also facing new challenges and opportunities. Enterprises should constantly innovate and improve the concept and practice of consumer research according to the purpose, method, technology and trend of consumer research, so as to meet the changing market and consumers.

Shangpu Consulting Company is a professional market consulting company. It has rich experience and ability in consumer research. It provides customers with a variety of consumer research services and solutions, and helps customers achieve a number of successful marketing cases. The following are some consumer research cases provided by Champ Consulting for clients:

We conducted an online survey for a fast-food company, collected more than 100000 consumer questionnaires, analyzed consumers' satisfaction and loyalty to the company's products, prices, channels, promotions and services, as well as consumers' purchase behavior and intention, and put forward marketing strategies and suggestions for different market segments, which helped the company increase its market share and profit margin.

I conducted a neuromarketing research for a car company, using EEG and eye tracking equipment to measure the brain activity and eye movement of consumers for different models of the company's cars, analyzing the attention, memory, emotion and preference of consumers for cars, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of cars, and proposing product design and optimization schemes for different consumer groups, helped the company improve the market adaptability and competitiveness of its products.

We conducted a social survey for an e-commerce platform, collected the content and interaction of consumers on Weibo, Wechat, Douyin, Little Red Riding Book and other platforms, analyzed consumers' reputation, influence, trust and loyalty to the platform, as well as consumers' shopping behavior and trends, and put forward marketing strategies and suggestions for different social media to help the platform improve the growth and activity of users.