Consumers are the main body of the market, the core stakeholders of the enterprise, and the end users of products and services. Understanding consumers is the foundation and core of marketing for enterprises, and is the premise and guarantee for enterprises to achieve market goals. Consumer research is a market research activity that provides decision support for enterprises by collecting, analyzing and interpreting consumer-related information to understand consumer needs, preferences, behavior, satisfaction, etc. Consumer research is an important part of market research and a basic tool for marketing.

Classification of consumer research

According to different purposes and content, consumer research can be divided into the following types:

Demand research (Need Research): by understanding the consumer's demand level, demand structure, demand drivers, etc., to identify potential market opportunities and target markets, to provide a basis for product development and innovation.

Preference research (Preference Research): By understanding consumers' preference for products or services, preference factors, preference patterns, etc., to determine the differentiation advantages and positioning strategies of products or services, and to provide a basis for product design and marketing strategies.

Behavioral research (Behavior Research): by understanding consumers' purchase behavior, use behavior, repeat purchase behavior, etc., to determine the market share, loyalty, life cycle, etc. of products or services, to provide a basis for product management and customer relationship management.

Satisfaction survey (Satisfaction Research): By understanding consumers' satisfaction with products or services, satisfaction factors, satisfaction impact, etc., to determine the quality level and improvement direction of products or services, to provide a basis for product improvement and service improvement.

Methods of consumer research

Depending on the data source and data type, consumer research can use the following methods:

Questionnaire (Questionnaire Survey): Through the design and distribution of questionnaires, collect and analyze the subjective opinions and feedback of consumers, and obtain quantitative data and results. The questionnaire can be conducted offline or online and is suitable for large samples and wide coverage.

Interview (Interview Survey): Through face-to-face or telephone communication with consumers, collect and analyze consumers' deep-seated views and feelings, and obtain qualitative data and results. Interviews can be conducted in the form of individual interviews or group interviews, which are suitable for small samples and in-depth exploration.

Observational research (Observation Research): By observing and recording the actual behavior and reaction of consumers, collecting and analyzing the objective facts and phenomena of consumers, and obtaining intuitive data and results. Observational research can be conducted by natural observation or experimental observation, which is suitable for situations where questionnaires or interviews are difficult.

The process of consumer research

In general, consumer research needs to follow the following steps:

Determine the research objectives (Define Research Objectives): clarify the theme, scope, content and expected results of the research, and provide guidance for subsequent research design.

Design Research Plan (Design Research Plan): Select the appropriate research types, methods, samples, tools and indicators to provide a plan for subsequent data collection.

Collect survey data (Collect Research Data): implement questionnaire distribution, interview arrangement, observation records and other operations according to the plan to provide data for subsequent data analysis.

Analysis of research results (Analyze Research Results): use statistical analysis, content analysis, structural equations and other methods to process, organize and interpret the collected data to provide results for subsequent report writing.

Write a research report (Write Research Report): Based on the analysis results, write a report containing background, objectives, methods, results,Conclusionand recommendations to provide reports for subsequent decision support.

The Case of Consumer Research

In order to better illustrate the value and significance of consumer research, the following are some specific cases of Shangpu Consulting serving customers:

Case 1: A well-known home appliance brand commissioned Shangpu Consulting Company to conduct air purifier market demand and preference research. Shangpu Consulting Company used a combination of questionnaires and interviews to conduct in-depth research on potential consumers in the target market, and learned about consumers' demand levels, preference factors, purchase motives, and usage habits for air purifiers. aspect. Through data analysis, Champ Consulting provided the following results and recommendations to its clients:

The market demand for air purifiers is large, but consumers have higher requirements for product performance, function, and price.

The main factors of consumers' preference for air purifiers are purification effect, noise, appearance, brand and so on, among which purification effect is the most important.

The main motivation for consumers to buy air purifiers is to improve the air quality of their homes and improve their health. At the same time, they are also affected by factors such as environmental pollution and epidemic prevention and control.

Consumers' habits of using air purifiers are different, some are used frequently, some are used occasionally, and some are only used in specific occasions, such as bedrooms, living rooms, etc.

Based on the above results, Shangpu Consulting recommends that customers pay attention to improving the purification effect of products and reducing noise in product development and innovation, and also consider the appearance design and brand image of products; in terms of marketing strategies, highlight the differentiated advantages and positioning of products, and also use hot topics such as environmental pollution and epidemic prevention and control to enhance consumers' willingness to buy and trust.

Case 2: A well-known catering brand commissioned Shangpu Consulting Company to conduct consumer behavior and satisfaction research. Using a combination of observational research and questionnaire surveys, Shangpu Consulting conducted a comprehensive survey of existing and potential consumers in the target market to understand consumer buying behavior, use behavior, repeat purchase behavior, satisfaction, satisfaction factors, satisfaction impact and so on. Through data analysis, Champ Consulting provided the following results and recommendations to its clients:

The main behavior of consumers buying catering brands is online booking or takeaway, and the proportion of offline consumption in stores is relatively low, which is mainly affected by factors such as time, location, and price.

The main behavior of consumers using catering brands is to share with family or friends and enjoy food and atmosphere, which is mainly affected by taste, service, environment and other factors.

The main behavior of consumers to repeatedly buy catering brands is to choose according to their mood or occasion, and they have a certain degree of loyalty, which is mainly affected by factors such as brands, activities, and recommend.

Consumers have a high degree of satisfaction with catering brands, but there is still room for improvement, which is mainly affected by factors such as product quality, service attitude, and distribution speed.

Based on the above results, Shangpu Consulting recommends that customers maintain the quality and taste of products in product management, and at the same time adapt to the diverse needs of consumers and launch new products or customized services; in terms of customer relationship management, improve the level of service And efficiency, but also strengthen the interaction and communication with consumers, enhance consumer loyalty and reputation.