Definition and Purpose of 1. Consumer Research

Consumer research refers to the collection and analysis of target market and user information through various methods (such as interviews, questionnaires, observations, experiments, etc.) to understand their basic characteristics, purchasing behavior, usage habits, needs and preferences, etc., so as to provide basis and guidance for enterprise product development, marketing, brand management, etc. The purpose of consumer research mainly has the following aspects:

Understand the size, structure, trends and competitive conditions of the market, assess market opportunities and risks, and formulate reasonable market strategies and objectives.

Understand the basic information, buying habits, needs and preferences of target users, so as to design products and services that are more in line with user needs.

Understand the user's evaluation and suggestions on product functions, performance, appearance, price, etc., so as to optimize product design and function development.

Understand the user's brand awareness, attitude, loyalty and reputation, so as to enhance the brand image and influence.

Understand the user's consumer psychology, motivation, satisfaction and loyalty, so as to improve the user's purchase intention and re-purchase rate.

Methods and steps of 2. consumer research

The methods of consumer research can be divided into qualitative and quantitative methods. Qualitative methods are mainly to obtain in-depth information such as users' feelings, thoughts, and motivations through in-depth interviews, observations, and experiments. Quantitative methods are mainly through questionnaires., Testing, statistics and other ways to obtain quantifiable information such as user behavior, attitude, and satisfaction. The steps of consumer research generally include the following stages:

Clarify the purpose and problem of the research, that is, what to understand, why to understand, and what to do after understanding.

Determine the research object and scope, that is, who to know, where to find them, and how to draw samples.

Select research methods and tools, I .e., how to collect information and how to design an interview outline or questionnaire.

Implementation of research activities, I .e. how to organize and perform interviews, questionnaires, observations, experiments, etc., how to record and store data.

Analysis of research results, that is, how to organize and summarize data, how to use statistics, charts, models and other tools, how to discover and explain laws and phenomena.

Writing a research report, that is, how to summarize and present the purpose, methods, results and suggestions of the research, and how to write a clear, accurate and persuasive report.

Case Analysis of 3. Consumer Research

Shangpu Consulting is a company specializing in providing consumer research and product design consulting services. It has many years of industry experience and professional team, and has provided customers with high-quality solutions in many industries and fields. Here are a few success stories from Champ Consulting that show how consumer research can provide valuable insights and ideas for product design.

Case 1: Consumer Research and Product Design for Automakers

Customer background: A well-known domestic automobile manufacturer, mainly producing mid-to-high-end cars and SUVs, is facing the challenge of fierce market competition and diversified user needs. It hopes to understand users' car purchase motivations, preferences and expectations through consumer research, so as to optimize product design And market strategy.

Research purpose: to understand the scale, structure, trend and competition of the target market, to understand the basic characteristics, car purchase behavior, usage habits, needs and preferences of the target users, to understand the user's cognition, evaluation and suggestions on the customer's brand and product, and to provide basis and guidance for product design and market strategy.

Research methods: Using a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, in-depth interviews and questionnaires were conducted. In-depth interviews are aimed at the customer's existing and potential users, through a semi-structured approach, to explore the user's motivation, preferences and expectations, as well as the customer's brand and product feelings and opinions. The questionnaire survey is mainly aimed at the customer's target market, through the Internet and telephone, to collect the user's basic information, car purchase behavior, usage habits, needs and preferences, as well as the customer's brand and product awareness, evaluation and satisfaction data.

Research results: Through the analysis of the data of in-depth interviews and questionnaires, Champ Consulting has obtained the following results:

Market analysis: the scale of the target market is large, but the growth rate is slowing down, the competition is fierce, and the demand and preference of users tend to be diversified and personalized. Users have higher requirements on the quality, performance, appearance, comfort, safety, intelligence and other aspects of the car, but also pay attention to the price, fuel consumption, maintenance, value preservation and other factors of the car.

User analysis: the age of target users is between 25 and 45 years old, mainly male, mainly white-collar workers, middle and senior managers, freelancers, etc., with high income level and strong consumption ability and taste. The main purpose of car purchase is to meet the needs of travel, work, family, leisure and other aspects, as well as to show personal identity and taste, users have a strong subjective and personalized tendency to the choice of cars, like distinctive and innovative cars, and have higher expectations and requirements for the brand, design, function, and experience of the car.

Brand analysis: the customer's brand has a certain popularity and reputation in the target market, but there is still a certain gap compared with international well-known brands. Users have certain recognition of the customer's brand image and value proposition, but there are also some doubts and dissatisfaction, mainly because the expectations and requirements of the customer's product design, function, performance, intelligence and other aspects have not been fully met, users' satisfaction and loyalty to customers' products need to be improved.

Product analysis: The customer's products have a certain market share and competitiveness in the target market, but they are also facing strong competition from home and abroad. Users have certain recognition and love for the customer's products, but there are also some dissatisfaction and suggestions. It is mainly to hope that the customer's products can have more innovations and breakthroughs in design, function, performance, intelligence, etc, provide better product experience and value.

Research Suggestions: According to the research results, Champ Consulting provides the following suggestions for customers:

Brand strategy: customers should further clarify and strengthen their brand positioning and value proposition, highlight their core advantages and characteristics, enhance their brand influence and reputation, enhance users' brand awareness and loyalty, at the same time, they should also pay attention to users' brand feelings and feedback, and timely adjust and improve their brand image and communication mode.

Product strategy: customers should carry out more product innovation and optimization according to the needs and preferences of users, improve the level and quality of their product design and functions, provide more product selection and customized services, improve their product performance and the degree and effect of intelligence, provide better product experience and value, and also pay attention to the product evaluation and suggestions of users, timely adjust and improve their product quality and service level.

Market strategy: customers should formulate reasonable market objectives and strategies according to the market scale, structure, trend and competition situation, choose appropriate market segmentation and positioning, adopt effective marketing and promotion methods, improve their market share and competitiveness, and pay attention to market changes and opportunities, and timely adjust and improve their market strategies and actions.

Case 2: Consumer Research and Product Design of Cosmetic Brands

Customer background: an internationally renowned cosmetics brand, mainly producing high-end skin care, makeup, perfume and other products, facing fierce competition in the domestic market and rapid changes in user demand, hoping to understand the user's consumer psychology, preferences and expectations through consumer research, so as to optimize product design and brand strategy.

Research purpose: to understand the scale, structure, trends and competition of the target market, to understand the basic characteristics, consumption behavior, usage habits, needs and preferences of the target users, to understand the user's cognition, evaluation and suggestions on the customer's brand and product, and to provide basis and guidance for product design and brand strategy.

Research methods: Using a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, focus group discussions and online questionnaires were conducted. Focus group discussions are mainly aimed at the customer's existing users and potential users. By inviting 6-10 people to form a group, a moderator will guide the discussion to explore the user's consumption psychology, preferences and expectations, as well as the customer's brand and product feelings and opinions. The online questionnaire survey is mainly aimed at the target market of customers. Through the way of network platform and social media, it collects users' basic information, consumption behavior, usage habits, needs and preferences, as well as the cognition, evaluation and satisfaction of customers' brands and products.

Findings: By analyzing the data from focus group discussions and online questionnaires, Champ Consulting has obtained the following results:

Market analysis: the scale of the target market is large, the growth rate is fast, the competition situation is complex, the consumer demand and preference of users tend to be diversified and personalized, the user has higher requirements for the quality, effect, safety, naturalness and other aspects of cosmetics, but also pay attention to the price, packaging, reputation and other factors of cosmetics.

User analysis: the age of the target users is between 18 and 45 years old, mainly women, mainly students, white-collar workers, freelancers, etc., with high income level and strong consumption ability and taste. The consumption of cosmetics is mainly to meet the needs of beauty, skin care, makeup, fragrance and other aspects, as well as to improve their image and self-confidence, users have a strong subjective and personalized tendency to the choice of cosmetics, like distinctive and innovative cosmetics, and have higher expectations and requirements for the brand, design, function, and experience of cosmetics.

Brand analysis: the customer's brand has high popularity and reputation in the target market, but there is still a certain gap compared with domestic well-known brands. Users have certain recognition of the customer's brand image and value proposition, but there are also some doubts and dissatisfaction, mainly because the expectations and requirements of the customer's product design, function, effect, safety and other aspects have not been fully met, users' satisfaction and loyalty to customers' products need to be improved.

Product analysis: The customer's products have a certain market share and competitiveness in the target market, but they are also facing strong competition from home and abroad. Users have certain recognition and love for the customer's products, but there are also some dissatisfaction and suggestions, mainly It is hoped that the customer's products can have more innovations and breakthroughs in design, function, effect, safety and other aspects, provide better product experience and value.

Research Suggestions: According to the research results, Champ Consulting provides the following suggestions for customers:

Brand strategy: customers should further clarify and strengthen their brand positioning and value proposition, highlight their core advantages and characteristics, enhance their brand influence and reputation, enhance users' brand awareness and loyalty, at the same time, they should also pay attention to users' brand feelings and feedback, and timely adjust and improve their brand image and communication mode.

Product strategy: customers should carry out more product innovation and optimization according to the needs and preferences of users, improve the level and quality of their product design and functions, provide more product selection and customized services, improve the degree and effect of their product effect and safety, provide better product experience and value, and also pay attention to the product evaluation and suggestions of users, timely adjust and improve their product quality and service level.

Market strategy: customers should formulate reasonable market objectives and strategies according to the market scale, structure, trend and competition situation, choose appropriate market segmentation and positioning, adopt effective marketing and promotion methods, improve their market share and competitiveness, and pay attention to market changes and opportunities, and timely adjust and improve their market strategies and actions.