Consumer research is an important means of marketing, which can help enterprises understand the needs, preferences, behavior and satisfaction of consumers, so as to formulate effective marketing strategies. However, there are also some common misunderstandings in consumer research. If you do not pay attention to it, it may lead to distortion, bias or invalidity of the research results. From a professional point of view, this paper analyzes the four major misunderstandings of consumer research, namely:

Myth 1: Over-reliance on quantitative data and neglect of qualitative data

Quantitative data refers to data that can be described by numerical or statistical methods, such as consumer age, gender, income, purchase frequency, satisfaction score, etc. Quantitative data are objective, comparable and quantifiable, and can reflect the basic characteristics and overall trends of consumers. However, quantitative data also has its limitations. It cannot fully reflect consumers' motives, attitudes, feelings and thoughts, nor can it explain the reasons and logic behind consumers' behaviors. Therefore, relying solely on quantitative data may ignore the deep needs and potential problems of consumers, and may also miss the emerging needs and innovation opportunities of consumers.

Qualitative data refers to data that can be described in non-digital forms such as language or images, such as consumer comments, suggestions, stories, pictures, videos, etc. Qualitative data is rich, diverse and flexible, which can reflect the personalized and multi-dimensional experience of consumers, and can also reveal the psychological process and behavioral motivation of consumers. However, qualitative data also has its challenges. It requires more time and energy to collect and analyze, and also requires a higher level of expertise and judgment to understand and interpret. Therefore, the rational use of qualitative data requires a certain amount of experience and skills, as well as a certain amount of courage and creativity.

When Champ Consulting conducted consumer research for an automaker, it avoided the misconception of over-reliance on quantitative data and ignoring qualitative data. Shangpu Consulting not only collects a large amount of quantitative data through questionnaires, telephone calls, and the Internet, such as consumers' evaluations and intentions on the brand, price, performance, safety, and environmental protection of the car, but also through interviews, observations and experiments. Ways to collect a large amount of qualitative data, such as consumers' feelings and thoughts about the car's emotion, recognition, trust, expectation and loyalty. Through comprehensive analysis of these data, Shangpu Consulting not only helps automakers understand the actual needs and potential problems of consumers, but also helps automakers discover emerging needs and innovation opportunities of consumers, thereby formulating more effective marketing strategies and product design.

Myth 2: Choosing inappropriate research methods leads to inaccurate or incomplete data collection.

Research methods refer to the specific methods used to collect data, such as questionnaires, interviews, observations, experiments, literature, cases, etc. The choice of research method needs to be determined according to the purpose, object, content, time, cost and other factors of the research. No research method is applicable to all situations. If you choose an inappropriate research method, it may lead to inaccurate or incomplete data collection, affecting the validity and reliability of the research results. Therefore, the choice of appropriate research methods requires a certain degree of professional knowledge and practical experience, as well as a certain degree of flexibility and innovation.

When conducting consumer research for a restaurant chain, Shangpu Consulting avoided choosing inappropriate research methods, which led to inaccurate or incomplete data collection. According to the purpose of the research, Shangpu Consulting adopts different research methods, such as: in order to understand consumers' cognition and attitude towards catering brands, Shangpu Consulting uses questionnaire and interview methods to collect consumers' basic information and subjective evaluation; in order to understand consumers' behavior and experience in restaurants, Shangpu Consulting uses observation and experiment methods to collect consumers' actual performance and feedback; in order to understand the trends and expectations of consumers in the catering industry, Champ Consulting used the method of literature and cases to collect relevant theories and practices. Through the comprehensive use of these methods, Shangpu Consulting not only helps catering chain enterprises to collect accurate and comprehensive data, but also helps catering chain enterprises to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of research, so as to formulate more reasonable marketing strategies and service standards.

Misunderstanding 3: did not consider the psychological bias of consumers, affecting the authenticity and credibility of the data

Consumer psychological bias refers to the phenomenon that consumers are influenced by their own or external factors when making judgments and decisions, which leads to deviation from rationality or objectivity, such as anchoring effect, conformity effect, confirmation bias, self-service bias, etc. The psychological bias of consumers will affect the expression and behavior of consumers in the survey, resulting in the authenticity and credibility of the data. Therefore, considering the psychological deviation of consumers requires certain psychological knowledge and skills, as well as certain strategies and methods.

When Shangpu Consulting conducted consumer research for a clothing brand, it avoided the misunderstanding of not considering the psychological deviation of consumers and affecting the authenticity and credibility of the data. According to the psychological characteristics of consumers, Shangpu Consulting has designed some measures, such as: in order to reduce the anchoring effect, Shangpu Consulting uses different sequences and ranges in the questionnaire to avoid consumers being affected by certain questions or options; In order to reduce the herd effect, Shangpu Consulting uses a one-to-one approach in interviews to avoid consumers being influenced by others; in order to reduce confirmation bias, champ Consulting uses random sampling and double-blind methods in its observations to avoid allowing consumers or investigators to be influenced by their own expectations; in order to reduce self-service bias, Champ Consulting uses both positive and negative situations in its experiments to avoid allowing consumers to see only the good side of themselves. By adopting these measures, Shangpu Consulting not only helps clothing brands collect true and credible data, but also helps clothing brands increase consumer participation and trust, thereby enhancing consumer loyalty and reputation.

Myth 4: No effective analysis and application of research results, waste of research resources and opportunities

Research results refer to the information obtained after collation, analysis and interpretation of data collected through research methods, such as consumer demand, satisfaction, loyalty, behavior patterns, market share, etc. The analysis and application of the research results is the ultimate goal of the research and the value of the research. If there is no effective analysis and application of the research results, it may waste research resources and opportunities, and may also lead to the failure or counter-effect of the research. Therefore, the effective analysis and application of the research results requires a certain degree of analytical ability and application ability, as well as a certain degree of communication ability and execution ability.

When Shangpu Consulting conducted consumer research for an electronic product company, it avoided the misunderstanding of wasting research resources and opportunities without effective analysis and application of research results. According to the research objectives, Shangpu Consulting adopts different analysis and application methods, such as: in order to evaluate the needs of consumers, Shangpu Consulting uses KANO model, which divides the needs of consumers into basic needs, expected needs and exciting needs, thus helping electronic product enterprises to determine the priority and differentiation of products; In order to evaluate the satisfaction of consumers, Shangpu Consulting uses SERVQUAL model, which divides the satisfaction of consumers into expectation and perception, so as to help electronic product enterprises identify service gaps and improvement points; in order to evaluate consumer loyalty, Champ Consulting uses NPS model, which divides consumer loyalty into recommenders, neutrals and derogators, thus helping electronic product enterprises to measure market potential and risks; in order to evaluate consumer behavior patterns, Champ Consulting uses RFM model, which divides consumer behavior patterns into recent purchases, purchase frequency and purchase amount, so as to help electronic products enterprises to develop personalized marketing strategies and promotional activities. By using these methods, Shangpu Consulting not only helps electronic product companies analyze the characteristics and needs of consumers, but also helps electronic product companies apply consumer feedback and suggestions, thereby improving product quality and competitiveness, and increasing market Share and profit.

Conclusion

Consumer research is an important means of marketing, which can help enterprises understand the needs, preferences, behavior and satisfaction of consumers, so as to formulate effective marketing strategies. However, there are also some common misunderstandings in consumer research. If you do not pay attention to it, it may lead to distortion, bias or invalidity of the research results. From a professional point of view, this paper analyzes the four major misunderstandings of consumer research, namely: over-reliance on quantitative data and neglect of qualitative data; choosing inappropriate research methods, resulting in inaccurate or incomplete data collection; not considering consumers' psychological deviation, affecting the authenticity and credibility of data; not effectively analyzing and applying the research results, wasting research resources and opportunities. This paper also combines the specific cases of Shangpu consulting service customers to explain how to avoid these misunderstandings and improve the quality and effectiveness of consumer research. I hope this paper can help and inspire the practice and theory of consumer research.