1. clear research objectives

Before conducting consumer research, companies should clearly define what issues they want to understand and why they want to understand them. This can help companies determine the scope, content and depth of research and avoid doing useless or repetitive work.

For example, Champ Consulting once conducted a consumer survey for an automaker to understand consumers' attitudes and wishes for new electric vehicles. Before starting the research, Shangpu Consulting and its customers made it clear that the research objectives are:(1) to evaluate the market demand and potential for new electric vehicles;(2) to identify the characteristics and preferences of the target consumer groups;(3) to explore the key factors and obstacles affecting consumers' purchase decisions;(4) to put forward targeted marketing suggestions and strategies. In this way, Champ Consulting can design appropriate research methods and questionnaires based on these objectives.

2. selection of appropriate research methods

There are many methods of consumer research, which can be divided into quantitative methods and qualitative methods. Quantitative methods mainly describe and analyze consumer characteristics, behavior, attitudes and satisfaction through numerical data, and commonly used methods include questionnaires, experiments, and observations. Qualitative methods mainly use non-numerical data to explore and understand consumers' motivations, feelings, thoughts and experiences, and commonly used methods include interviews, focus groups, and case studies.

When choosing a research method, companies should consider factors such as research objectives, budget, time and resources to choose the method that best suits them. In general, quantitative methods can provide broader and objective data suitable for assessing market size, analyzing consumer behavior and satisfaction, while qualitative methods can provide more in-depth and subjective data suitable for discovering consumer needs and exploring consumer motivations and barriers. Sometimes, companies can also use a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods to obtain more comprehensive and accurate research results.

For example, when Shangpu Consulting Company conducted consumer research for automobile manufacturers, it adopted two methods:(1) online questionnaire survey, which collected the basic information, car purchase intention, car purchase conditions and car purchase preference of more than 1000 potential consumers;(2) in-depth interview, invited 20 consumers who are interested in buying new electric vehicles, learn more about their views, feelings, expectations and concerns about new electric vehicles. Through these two methods, Champ Consulting is not only able to quantitatively assess market needs and potential, but also to gain a deep understanding of consumer psychology and emotions.

3. design of effective research questionnaires and samples

The survey questionnaire is the main tool for collecting consumer data. It should accurately reflect the research objectives and be easy for consumers to understand and answer. When designing the survey questionnaire, companies should pay attention to the following points:(1) Avoid using vague, complex, guiding or biased questions, such as "Do you like new electric vehicles?" "Do you think the new electric cars are more environmentally friendly than traditional cars?" (2) Use appropriate question types, such as single-choice questions, multiple-choice questions, scale questions, open questions, etc., and choose different question types according to different question purposes;(3) Control the length of the questionnaire, generally not more than 15 minutes or 30 questions, so as not to cause consumers to get bored or lose interest;(4) Test the effect of the questionnaire. Before the questionnaire is officially released, some pre-tests or experiments are carried out, check the questionnaire for logical errors, language errors or technical errors, etc., and make changes based on feedback.

For example, Shangpu Consulting followed these principles when designing the online questionnaire survey, and designed some specific questions based on the product characteristics and market analysis provided by the customer, such as "What are your most concerned about new electric vehicles? How much are you willing to pay for a new electric car? (Single choice)" "What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of the new electric vehicles? (Open)" and so on.

A research sample is a group of consumers that should be representative of the characteristics and distribution of the entire market or target market. When determining the research sample, enterprises should pay attention to the following points:(1) choose appropriate sampling methods, such as random sampling, stratified sampling, cluster sampling, convenient sampling, etc., and choose different sampling methods according to different market conditions and data requirements;(2) determine a reasonable sample size, which is generally calculated according to factors such as sampling error, confidence level, degree of variation, etc, to ensure that the sample effectively reflects the characteristics and differences of the population;(3) Consider the representativeness and diversity of the sample and try to avoid sample bias or distortion, such as over-reliance on a particular channel or source, neglect of a particular type or group, and exposure to certain external factors.

4. analysis and interpretation of survey data

After collecting consumer data, companies should analyze and interpret the data to derive valuable research.Conclusionand recommendations. When analyzing and interpreting research data, enterprises should pay attention to the following points:(1) Use appropriate data analysis methods, such as descriptive analysis, inferential analysis, correlation analysis, causal analysis, etc., according to different data types and problem purposes Choose different data analysis methods;(2) Use appropriate data display methods, such as tables, charts, texts, etc, choose different data display methods according to different data characteristics and information requirements;(3) Use appropriate data interpretation methods, such as induction, deduction, comparison, evaluation, etc., and choose different data interpretation methods according to different data meanings and logical relationships;(4) Pay attention to the validity and credibility of the data, and check whether the data is missing, abnormal, wrong or biased, and take corresponding measures, such as deletion, replacement, correction or adjustment.

For example, when analyzing and interpreting the data of online questionnaires and in-depth interviews, Shangpu Consulting Company uses a variety of methods and methods, such as:(1) using descriptive analysis and charts to show the overall demand and potential of consumers for new electric vehicles, such as market size, market share, market growth rate, etc;(2) Use inferential analysis and tables to show consumers' preferences and satisfaction with different aspects of new electric vehicles, such as price, performance, safety, environmental protection, design, etc.;(3) Use relevance analysis and text to show the relationship between consumers' different characteristics and car purchase intentions, such as age, gender, income, region, etc;(4) Using causal analysis and text to show the key factors and obstacles that affect consumers' purchasing decisions, such as cognition, attitude, trust, motivation, resistance, etc.

Conclusionand recommendations

Through the analysis and interpretation of the data from the consumer survey, the following points have been made by Champ Consulting.ConclusionAnd suggestions:(1) New electric vehicles have high demand and potential in the market, but they also face fierce competition and challenges;(2) The target consumer groups are mainly young, high-income, high-education, and environmentally conscious Urban residents have high expectations and requirements for the price, performance, safety, environmental protection and design of new electric vehicles;(3) The main motivation of consumers to buy new electric vehicles is energy saving and emission reduction, improving social status and meeting individual needs, while the main obstacles are insufficient cognition, insufficient trust, inconvenient charging and difficult maintenance of new electric vehicles;(4) It is suggested that automobile manufacturers should pay attention to improving the brand awareness and credibility of new electric vehicles in marketing strategies, Highlight the core advantages and differentiation characteristics of new electric vehicles, strengthen communication and interaction with consumers, establish and maintain consumer loyalty and satisfaction.