Purpose of 1. Consumer Research

The purpose of consumer research is to obtain consumer insights, that is, in-depth information such as consumer needs, preferences, behaviors and values, so that companies can provide products that are more in line with consumer needs and expectations. And services, improve consumer satisfaction and loyalty, and enhance the competitive advantage and market share of enterprises. Consumer research can help enterprises solve the following problems:

Market positioning: Consumer research can help companies identify target markets and target consumers, understand the size, structure, trends and competitive conditions of the market, as well as consumer characteristics, needs, preferences and buying behavior, so as to develop appropriate market positioning and differentiation strategies.

Product innovation: consumer research can help enterprises find the potential needs and pain points of consumers, explore the emerging needs and future needs of consumers, as well as consumers' expectations and evaluation of products, so as to guide enterprises to innovate and improve products and improve the quality and value of products.

Marketing strategy: Consumer research can help companies understand the purchase decision-making process and influencing factors of consumers, as well as the response and effect of consumers to various marketing activities, so as to formulate effective marketing strategies, including products, prices, channels and promotions, in order to attract and retain consumers and increase sales and profits.

Consumer relations: consumer research can help enterprises to establish and maintain good relations with consumers, understand consumer satisfaction and loyalty, as well as consumer opinions and suggestions, so as to improve consumer trust and loyalty, enhance consumer reputation and recommend, and form a stable consumer group.

Methods of 2. Consumer Research

The methods of consumer research can be divided into qualitative and quantitative. Qualitative methods mainly obtain consumers' subjective feelings, attitudes, motivations and values through in-depth interviews, observations, and focus groups to reveal consumers' deep-seated psychological and behavioral characteristics. The quantitative method mainly obtains the objective data, behavior pattern, statistical law and other information of consumers through questionnaire, experiment and data mining, so as to quantify and verify the general and universal characteristics of consumers. Qualitative and quantitative methods have their own advantages and disadvantages, and usually need to be used in combination to complement and verify each other, so as to obtain more comprehensive and accurate consumer insights.

Data sources for 3. consumer research

The data sources of consumer research can be divided into active data and passive data. Active data refers to the data provided by consumers on their own initiative, such as through questionnaires, interviews, evaluations, etc., consumers actively express their needs, preferences, opinions and feedback. Passive data refers to the data generated by consumers passively. For example, through observation, tracking, monitoring, etc., consumers passively display their behaviors, habits, paths, and results. Active data and passive data also have their own advantages and disadvantages. Active data can better reflect consumers' subjective feelings and attitudes, but there may be deviations and untruths. Passive data can better reflect consumers' objective behaviors and patterns, but there may be privacy. And ethical issues. Active and passive data also need to be used in combination to confirm and interpret each other for deeper and comprehensive consumer insights.

Analysis of 4. Consumer Research

The analysis of consumer research can be divided into descriptive analysis, predictive analysis and causal analysis. Descriptive analysis refers to the generalization and summary of consumer data to show the basic characteristics and distribution of consumers, such as the use of frequency analysis, cross analysis, cluster analysis and other methods to classify and depict consumers. Predictive analysis refers to the inference and prediction of consumer data to show the potential needs and future trends of consumers, such as the use of correlation analysis, regression analysis, time series analysis and other methods to evaluate and predict consumers. Causality analysis refers to the exploration and interpretation of consumer data to show the consumer's influencing factors and internal mechanisms, such as the use of experimental design, variance analysis, structural equation models and other methods to test and explain consumers.

The Impact and Trend of 5. Big Data and Artificial Intelligence Technology on Consumer Research

5.1 big data and artificial intelligence technology to provide more data volume, data quality, data dimension and data value for consumer research

With the development of big data and artificial intelligence technology, consumer research can obtain and process more data, and improve the quality and value of data. Specific performance in the following aspects:

Data volume: Big data and artificial intelligence technology enable consumer research to collect and analyze massive amounts of data, including not only traditional structured data, such as questionnaires, sales, inventory, etc., but also unstructured data, such as text, images, and videos., Audio, social media, etc., these data can reflect the characteristics and behaviors of consumers more comprehensively and meticulously, and improve the coverage and depth of consumer research.

Data quality: Big data and artificial intelligence technology enable consumer research to improve the quality of data. It can not only eliminate data errors, missing, duplication, inconsistency and other problems through data cleaning, data fusion, data verification and other methods, but also discover data rules, associations, anomalies and other information through data mining, data visualization, data stories and other methods to improve the accuracy and effectiveness of consumer research.

Data dimension: Big data and artificial intelligence technology enable consumer research to increase the dimension of data. It can not only integrate and optimize the structure and form of data through data integration, data slicing, data dimension reduction, etc., but also generate and extract the characteristics and value of data through data analysis, data modeling, data recommend, etc., so as to improve the diversity and innovation of consumer research.

Data value: Big data and artificial intelligence technology enable consumer research to enhance the value of data. It can not only explain and predict the current situation and future of consumers through data description, data prediction, data cause and effect, but also guide and improve consumers' behavior and results through data optimization, data decision-making, data intervention, etc., and improve the practicability and influence of consumer research.

5.2 big data and artificial intelligence technology to achieve precision, real-time, dynamic and intelligent consumer research

The application of big data and artificial intelligence technology enables consumer research to achieve a higher level and efficiency, and improve the ability and level of consumer research. Specific performance in the following aspects:

Precision: Big data and artificial intelligence technology enable consumer research to achieve more accurate goals and methods. It can not only provide more personalized and differentiated products and services for different consumer groups and scenarios through data layering, data segmentation, data customization, etc., but also evaluate and optimize the effects and benefits of consumer research through data testing, data verification, data evaluation, etc, improve the pertinence and adaptability of consumer research.

Real-time: Big data and artificial intelligence technology enable consumer research to achieve more real-time data and feedback. It can not only obtain and update consumer data in real time through data collection, data transmission, data storage, etc., and timely reflect The changes and needs of consumers can also provide and obtain information to consumers in real time through data response, data interaction, data communication, etc, timely adjust and improve consumer research strategies and actions to improve the timeliness and flexibility of consumer research.

Dynamic: Big data and artificial intelligence technology enable consumer research to achieve more dynamic processes and results, not only through data tracking, data monitoring, data reporting, etc., to dynamically observe and record consumer behavior and results, dynamically analyze and evaluate consumer performance and influence, but also through data simulation, data early warning, data intervention, etc, dynamically simulate and predict consumer trends and risks, dynamically guide and intervene in consumer decisions and behaviors, and improve the continuity and stability of consumer research.

Intelligence: Big data and artificial intelligence technology enable consumer research to realize more intelligent systems and methods. It can not only improve the intelligence degree and ability of data and provide more intelligent data analysis and data solutions through data intelligence, data learning, data reasoning, etc., but also improve the intelligent experience and value of data through data perception, data understanding, data creation, etc, provide smarter data services and data products to improve the intelligence and value of consumer research.

Future Development Direction of 6. Consumer Research

The future direction of consumer research will be influenced and driven by big data and artificial intelligence technology, as well as the adaptation and innovation of consumer researchers and enterprises. This paper argues that the future direction of consumer research can be explored and practiced in the following areas:

Data-driven: The future of consumer research will be more dependent on the drive and support of data. Data will become the core resource and competitiveness of consumer research. Consumer researchers and companies need to continuously obtain, analyze, use and create data. In order to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of consumer research, it is also necessary to continuously update, optimize, innovate and change data to adapt to the changes and needs of consumer research.

Technology empowerment: The future of consumer research will rely more on the empowerment and support of technology. Technology will become the core tool and ability of consumer research. Consumer researchers and enterprises need to constantly learn, master, apply and develop technology to improve the level and standard of consumer research. At the same time, they also need to constantly explore, try, integrate and break through technology to adapt to the challenges and opportunities of consumer research.

Humanistic care: the future of consumer research will be more dependent on human care and support, and people will become the core subject and value of consumer research. Consumer researchers and enterprises need to constantly understand, meet, respect and protect consumers in order to improve the trust and loyalty of consumer research, but also need to constantly communicate, cooperate, share and win-win, In order to improve the cooperation and sharing of consumer research.

Innovative leadership: the future of consumer research will be more dependent on the leadership and support of innovation, and innovation will become the core driving force and goal of consumer research. Consumer researchers and enterprises need to constantly explore, create, lead and promote innovation in order to improve the leadership and competitiveness of consumer research, but also need to constantly learn, learn from, participate in and follow innovation. In order to improve the learning and adaptability of consumer research.

7. Conclusion

Consumer research is an important tool in the consumer goods and retail industry. It can help companies understand consumer needs, preferences, behaviors and values, so as to formulate effective market strategies and product innovation. With the development of big data and artificial intelligence technology, consumer research is facing unprecedented opportunities and challenges. This paper discusses the impact and trend of big data and artificial intelligence technology on consumer research and the future development direction of consumer research from four aspects: the purpose, method, data source and analysis method of consumer research. This paper holds that big data and artificial intelligence technology can provide more data volume, data quality, data dimension and data value for consumer research, and realize the precision, real-time, dynamic and intelligent of consumer research. but at the same time, it also requires consumer researchers and enterprises to adapt to the new technological environment, improve data analysis ability and data ethics awareness, and protect consumers' privacy and rights and interests. Build consumer trust and loyalty. The future development direction of consumer research will be influenced and driven by big data and artificial intelligence technology. at the same time, it also needs the adaptation and innovation of consumer researchers and enterprises. explore and practice from four aspects: data-driven, technology empowerment, people-oriented care and innovative leadership.