1. Determination of Research Purpose

The first step in consumer research is to determine the purpose of the research, that is, to clarify the problems and objectives of the research. The purpose of the survey should have the following characteristics:

Clarity: The purpose of the research should clearly express the problems and objectives of the research, and avoid vague and vague expressions. For example, "understanding consumers' views on a brand" is not clear enough. It should be specific to understand consumers' perceptions of a brand. Attitude, behavior or loyalty.

Feasibility: The purpose of the survey should consider the feasibility of the survey, including factors such as time, cost, resources, technology and ethics, and avoid setting overly ambitious and idealized goals. For example, "investigating the satisfaction of all consumers across the country with a certain brand" is not feasible, and the appropriate sample size and scope should be determined according to the actual situation.

Useful: The purpose of the research should be in line with the needs of the research and the expectations and interests of stakeholders, can provide effective information and suggestions for decision-making, avoid irrelevant and meaningless research, such as "investigating consumers' color preference for a brand" is not very useful, unless the color is the core competitiveness of the brand or there are plans for major changes.

There are many ways to determine the purpose of the research, such as communicating with demand parties and stakeholders, analyzing existing data and literature, and using tools such as problem trees or logical frameworks. Once the purpose of the research is determined, it should be written and confirmed and agreed with the demand side and stakeholders for subsequent research design and implementation.

Case 1: Shangpu Consulting Provides Consumer Research Services for a FMCG Brand

A FMCG brand is an internationally renowned shampoo brand. In recent years, it has faced fierce competition and weak growth in the Chinese market. It hopes to understand consumer needs and preferences, as well as its own brand image and competitiveness through consumer research. In order to formulate effective marketing strategies. Shangpu Consulting provides consumer research services for the brand, first communicating with the brand to understand its background, problems and objectives, then analyzing the current situation and trends of the market, as well as the historical data and literature of the brand, and finally determining the purpose of the research as follows:

Understand consumers' usage habits and purchasing behaviors of shampoo, including usage frequency, usage amount, purchasing channel, purchasing frequency, purchasing amount, purchasing motivation, purchasing decision, etc;

Understand the needs and preferences of consumers for shampoo, including the function, composition, fragrance, packaging, price, etc;

Understand consumers' cognition, attitude, behavior and loyalty to the brand and its competitors, including brand awareness, brand image, brand preference, brand use, brand recommend, brand switching, etc;

Evaluate the position and competitiveness of the brand in the minds of consumers, as well as its advantages and disadvantages, including brand status, brand differences, brand value, brand satisfaction, etc;

Put forward the brand marketing strategy, including brand positioning, brand communication, brand innovation, brand loyalty and so on.

Shangpu Consulting has written the purpose of the research, confirmed and agreed with the brand, and laid the foundation for the subsequent research design and implementation.

2. Design Research Scheme

The second step of consumer research is to design a research plan, that is, to develop a research plan and method. The research plan should include the following:

Type of research: Depending on the purpose of the research and the nature of the data, determine whether the research is of a descriptive, exploratory, or causal type, and whether quantitative or qualitative data is used, or mixed data. Descriptive research is used to describe the characteristics, behaviors and attitudes of consumers, usually using quantitative data, such as questionnaires, observations, etc. Exploratory research is used to explore consumer needs, motivations and questions, usually using qualitative data, such as interviews, focus groups, laboratory tests, etc. Causal research is used to analyze the causes and consequences of consumer behavior and attitudes, usually using quantitative data, such as experimental methods, causal models, etc. Hybrid research is used to combine quantitative and qualitative data to improve the effectiveness and credibility of research, such as trigonometry, multi-method research, etc.

Research object: According to the purpose of the research and the characteristics of the market, determine whether the research object is an existing consumer, a potential consumer or a competitor's consumer, and whether it is an individual consumer or an organization consumer. Existing consumers refer to consumers who have used or purchased products or services of the brand or category, potential consumers refer to consumers who are likely to use or purchase products or services of the brand or category, and consumers of competitors refer to Consumers who have used or purchased products or services of competitors. Individual consumers refer to consumers who take individuals or families as units, and organizational consumers refer to consumers who take enterprises or institutions as units.

Research sample: according to the purpose and object of the research, determine the size and scope of the sample, as well as the sample extraction method and standard. The size and scope of the sample should be representative of the overall characteristics and distribution of the respondents, taking into account the cost and efficiency of the survey. The sample extraction method and standard should be able to ensure the randomness and validity of the sample and avoid the deviation and error of the sample. There are many methods of sampling, such as simple random sampling, stratified sampling, group sampling, systematic sampling, convenient sampling, judgment sampling, snowball sampling, etc. There are a variety of sample extraction criteria, such as demographic variables, geographic region, consumer behavior, consumer attitudes, consumer demand, etc.

Research tools: According to the type and method of research, determine the tools and techniques of research, as well as the design and testing of tools. There are a variety of research tools and techniques, such as questionnaires, interview guides, focus group guides, observation tables, experimental protocols, data analysis software, etc. The design and testing of tools should follow some principles and standards to ensure the validity and reliability of tools. There are many design principles for tools, such as simplicity, clarity, relevance, balance, objectivity, flexibility, etc. There are many test criteria for the tool, such as content validity, construct validity, reliability, sensitivity, operability, etc.

Research process: according to the research plan and resources, determine the research process and arrangement, as well as the process monitoring and evaluation. The process and arrangement of the research should specify the time, place, personnel, tasks, budget and other elements of the research, as well as the early preparation, mid-term implementation and late summary of the research. The monitoring and evaluation of the process should set some indicators and standards, as well as some feedback and improvement mechanisms to ensure the smooth progress of the research and quality control.

There are many ways to design research programs, such as using tools such as logical frameworks, Gantt charts, and budget tables. After designing the research plan, it should be written and confirmed and agreed with the demand side and stakeholders for subsequent research implementation and analysis.

Case 2: Shangpu Consulting Provides Consumer Research Service for a FMCG Brand

According to the research purpose and market characteristics of the FMCG brand, Shangpu Consulting has designed the following research plan:

Type of research: Mixed research, using quantitative and qualitative data, descriptive and exploratory research, respectively, to improve the effectiveness and credibility of the research.

Survey subjects: existing consumers and potential consumers, individual consumers, mainly women, aged between 18-45 years old, have certain needs and preferences for shampoo.

Research sample: stratified sampling, according to geographical region and consumer behavior, the survey object is divided into four levels, namely, the first-tier cities of existing consumers, first-tier cities of potential consumers, second-tier cities of existing consumers and second-tier cities of potential consumers. 100 samples were taken at each level, with a total of 400 samples, of which 20 participated in qualitative research and 80 participated in quantitative research at each level.

Research tools: questionnaire, interview guide and focus group guide. The questionnaire includes some single-choice questions, multiple-choice questions, scale questions and open questions, covering all aspects of the research purpose, a total of 30 questions, each questionnaire is expected to take about 15 minutes to complete. The interview guide and focus group guide includes a number of leading questions and discussion questions, mainly to gain insight into consumer needs and preferences, as well as brand image and competitiveness. It is expected that each interview or focus group will take about 45 minutes. The design of the research tool follows the principles of simplicity, clarity, relevance, balance, objectivity and flexibility. At the same time, the content validity, construct validity, reliability, sensitivity and operability are tested to ensure the validity and reliability of the tool.

Investigation process: The investigation process and arrangement are as follows:

Preliminary preparation: including determining the members and division of labor of the research team, training researchers, making and printing research tools, contacting and recruiting research samples, making an appointment for the time and place of the research, etc., which is expected to take two weeks.

Medium-term implementation: including conducting questionnaires, interviews and focus groups, collecting and organizing data, cleaning and coding data, analyzing and interpreting data, and writing the first draft of the research report, which is expected to take four weeks.

Later summary: including communication and exchange with the brand, revision and improvement of the research report, presentation and submission of the research report, evaluation and feedback of the research results and harvest, is expected to take two weeks.

The monitoring and evaluation of the investigation process are as follows:

Set some indicators and standards, such as the progress, quality, cost, effect, etc. of the research, as well as some quantitative and qualitative measures, such as completion rate, accuracy, satisfaction, profitability, etc.

Set up some feedback and improvement mechanisms, such as regular reporting and communication, timely problem and resolution, continuous supervision and guidance, effective summary and learning, etc.

Shangpu Consulting has written the research plan and confirmed and agreed with the brand to prepare for the subsequent research implementation and analysis.

3. execution research and analysis data

The third step of consumer research is to perform research and analyze data, that is, collect and process data according to research programs and tools, and analyze and interpret data according to research purposes and questions. The following should be noted when performing research and analyzing data:

Data collection: According to research tools and samples, use appropriate methods and channels to collect data, such as telephone, email, network, face-to-face, self-collection, entrusted collection, purchase collection and other channels to collect data. In the process of collecting data, attention should be paid to the completeness, accuracy, consistency and timeliness of the data, to avoid missing, errors, contradictions and obsolescence of the data, and to protect the security and privacy of the data, and to comply with relevant laws and ethical norms.

Processing data: according to the type and characteristics of the data, the use of appropriate software and technology, processing data, such as the use of Excel, SPSS, R and other software, the use of data cleaning, coding, conversion, integration and other technologies, processing data. In the process of processing data, attention should be paid to the validity, comparability, analyzability and presentability of the data, to avoid anomalies, deviations, redundancy and confusion of the data, while the originality and integrity of the data should be preserved, and the data should not be modified or deleted at will.

Analysis of data: According to the purpose and problem of the research, the data is analyzed using appropriate methods and techniques, such as descriptive analysis, inferential analysis, correlation analysis, causal analysis, etc., using averages, standard deviations, correlation coefficients, regression coefficients and other techniques to analyze the data. In the process of analyzing the data, attention should be paid to the interpretation, logic, objectivity and usefulness of the data, to avoid misunderstanding, confusion, bias and meaninglessness of the data, and to consider the credibility and significance of the data, and not to over-interpret and infer the data.

Interpreting data: According to the analysis results of the data, use appropriate languages and charts to interpret the data, such as using words, numbers, graphs, tables and other languages and charts to interpret the data. In the process of interpreting the data, attention should be paid to the clarity, simplicity, relevance and balance of the data, to avoid the complexity, verbosity, irrelevance and bias of the data, while the background and meaning of the data should be considered, and the data should not be interpreted out of context and context.

There are many ways to perform research and analyze data, such as using tools such as data analysis steps, processes, models, etc. After performing research and analyzing data, it should be written, confirmed and agreed with the demand side and stakeholders for subsequent writing and presentation of the report.

Case 3: Shangpu Consulting Provides Consumer Research Service for a FMCG Brand

According to the research plan and tools of the FMCG brand, Shangpu Consulting has carried out the following research and data analysis:

Data collection: the research team of Shangpu Consulting collected 400 questionnaires, conducted 40 interviews and 20 focus groups in eight cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Chongqing, Xi'an and Wuhan, using the Internet and face-to-face. A total of about 2000 pages of data were collected. In the process of collecting data, the research team of Shangpu Consulting paid attention to the integrity, accuracy, consistency and timeliness of the data, while protecting the security and privacy of the data, and complying with relevant laws and ethical norms.

Processing data: Champ Consulting's data analysts processed the data using software such as Excel and SPSS, using techniques such as data cleaning, encoding, conversion, and integration. In the process of processing the data, the data analysts of Shangpu Consulting pay attention to the validity, comparability, analysiability and presentability of the data, while retaining the originality and integrity of the data, and do not modify or delete the data at will.

Analysis of data: The data analysts of Shangpu Consulting analyzed the data according to the purpose and problem of the research, using descriptive analysis, inferential analysis, correlation analysis, causal analysis and other methods, using the average, standard deviation, correlation coefficient, regression coefficient and other techniques. In the process of analyzing the data, the data analysts of Shangpu Consulting pay attention to the interpretation, logic, objectivity and usefulness of the data, while considering the credibility and significance of the data, without over-interpreting and inferring the data.

Interpreting the data: The data analysts at Champ Consulting interpreted the data based on the results of the analysis of the data, using words, numbers, graphs, tables and other languages and charts. In the process of interpreting the data, the data analysts of Shangpu Consulting pay attention to the clarity, simplicity, relevance and balance of the data, while considering the background and meaning of the data, and interpreting the data without departing from reality and scenario.

The data analysts at Champ Consulting will document the results of the research and data analysis, and confirm and agree with the brand to prepare for the subsequent writing and presentation of the report.