1. composite flooring industry overview

Composite floor is a kind of floor material composed of multiple layers, usually composed of surface layer, base layer and bottom layer. The surface layer is the appearance part of the floor, which is generally composed of a wear-resistant layer, a decorative layer and a balance layer, which mainly plays a role of beauty and protection. The base layer is the main part of the floor, which is generally composed of wood-based panels or solid boards, which mainly play the role of support and sound insulation. The bottom layer is the bottom part of the floor, which is generally composed of a moisture-proof layer and a balance layer, which mainly plays a role of moisture-proof and stability. Composite flooring according to the different base, can be divided into reinforced composite flooring, solid wood composite flooring, bamboo wood composite flooring and so on.

Laminate flooring has many advantages, such as good wear resistance, easy installation, easy cleaning and maintenance, moderate price, good environmental performance, etc., so it has received widespread attention in the market. In 2019, the global laminate flooring market will be about $24 billion and is expected to reach $30 billion by the end of 2024, with a compound annual growth rate of 4.6 per cent.

China is the world's largest producer and consumer of composite flooring. In 2019, China's composite flooring production will be about 0.25 billion square meters, accounting for 40% of the global total; China's composite flooring demand will be about 0.22 billion square meters, accounting for 36% of the global total demand.

2. composite flooring industry trends

The development of the composite flooring industry is affected by many factors, such as macro-economy, real estate market, consumer demand, technological innovation, policies and regulations, etc. According to the analysis of the composite flooring industry, this paper believes that the future development trend of the composite flooring industry mainly has the following aspects:

High-end and personalized: with the improvement of consumer income level and consumer taste, consumers have higher and higher requirements for the quality, function, design and service of composite flooring, and have stronger demand for high-end and personalized composite flooring products. Therefore, composite flooring companies should increase the development and promotion of high-end and personalized products to enhance the added value and differentiated competitiveness of products.

Environmental protection and health: with the enhancement of consumer awareness of environmental protection and the increase of health demand, consumers have higher attention to the environmental performance and health performance of composite flooring, and have stronger resistance to composite flooring products containing formaldehyde, benzene and other harmful substances. Therefore, composite flooring companies should increase the development and promotion of environmentally friendly and healthy products to improve product safety and comfort.

Intelligent and digital: with the progress of science and technology and the development of digitalization, consumers have more expectations for the intelligent and digital composite flooring, and have a stronger interest in composite flooring products that can realize the functions of temperature adjustment, humidity adjustment, light adjustment, sound adjustment, etc. Therefore, composite flooring companies should increase the development and promotion of intelligent and digital products to enhance the convenience and interest of products.

Diversification and integration: With the diversification and integration of consumer demand for home decoration, consumers have more requirements for the diversification and integration of composite flooring, and have a stronger love for composite flooring products that can be coordinated with walls, ceilings, furniture and other home elements. Therefore, composite flooring companies should increase the development and promotion of diversified and integrated products to enhance the aesthetics and coordination of products.

3. composite flooring industry competition pattern

The competitive landscape of the composite flooring industry is determined by many factors, such as market size, market concentration, market barriers, market competitiveness, and market competition strategies. Based on the analysis of the composite flooring industry, this paper argues that the competitive landscape of the composite flooring industry has the following characteristics:

The market scale is large and the growth space is large: the market scale of the composite flooring industry is large, and there is still a large room for growth. On the one hand, with the recovery of the global economy and the recovery of the real estate market, the demand for composite flooring is expected to continue to grow. On the other hand, with the improvement of consumers' awareness and acceptance of composite flooring, the penetration rate and replacement rate of composite flooring are expected to continue to improve.

Low market concentration and fierce competition: The market concentration in the composite flooring industry is low and competition is fierce. On the one hand, the low barriers to entry in the composite flooring industry have led to a large number of participants in the market, including large, medium and small enterprises at home and abroad. On the other hand, the composite flooring industry has a high degree of product homogeneity, resulting in the market.

The market competitiveness is uneven, and the gap is obvious: there is a large imbalance and gap in the market competitiveness of the composite flooring industry. On the one hand, there is a large gap in competitiveness between international brands and domestic brands. International brands have greater advantages in brand influence, technical level, channel construction, and service quality. Domestic brands have greater advantages in price competitiveness and market coverage., Product innovation and other aspects have greater disadvantages. On the other hand, the competitiveness gap between domestic brands is also large, and the competitiveness gap between head brands and small and medium-sized brands is large. Head brands have great advantages in terms of scale effect, brand awareness, product quality and marketing ability, while small and medium-sized brands have great disadvantages in resource integration, market expansion and risk resistance.

Diverse market competition strategies and rapid changes: The market competition strategies of the composite flooring industry are characterized by diversification and rapid changes. On the one hand, composite flooring companies have adopted a variety of competitive strategies, such as product differentiation, brand building, channel expansion, service improvement, cooperative alliances, social responsibility, etc., to adapt to different market environments and consumer needs. On the other hand, the competitive strategies of composite flooring companies are constantly adjusting and innovating, such as using the Internet, big data, artificial intelligence and other technical means to improve the intelligence and digital level of products, enhance interaction and communication with consumers, and improve the market Sensitivity and response speed.

Importance and methods of 4. consumer research

Consumer research is an important tool in the composite flooring industry, which can help companies understand consumer preferences, needs, purchase behavior, satisfaction, etc., so as to formulate effective market strategies. The importance of consumer research is mainly reflected in the following aspects:

Understand market demand and discover market opportunities: Consumer research can help companies understand the overall size, structure, distribution, trends, etc. of the market, as well as the characteristics, needs, and potential of different market segments, so as to discover market opportunities and threats, and formulate reasonable Market goals and positioning.

Understand consumer characteristics and enhance product competitiveness: Consumer research can help companies understand consumers' basic information, psychological characteristics, behavioral characteristics, etc., as well as consumers' cognition, attitude, intention, and satisfaction with composite flooring, so as to improve The level of product differentiation and personalization increases the attractiveness and loyalty of products.

Understand the situation of competitors and optimize market strategies: Consumer research can help companies understand the basic situation, advantages and disadvantages, strategic intentions, etc. of competitors, as well as consumers' evaluation, preferences, and choices of competitors, so as to optimize product prices and channels, Promotion, service and other strategies to enhance product competitiveness and market share.

Consumer research methods are mainly the following:

Questionnaire method: Questionnaire method is a method of collecting and analyzing consumers' opinions and suggestions by designing and distributing questionnaires. The advantage of the questionnaire method is that it can obtain a large amount of data, which is suitable for investigating the basic information, general opinions and satisfaction of consumers. The disadvantage of the questionnaire method is that it is unable to understand the psychology and motivation of consumers in depth, and is influenced by factors such as questionnaire design, distribution and recovery, which may lead to distortion and deviation of data.

In-depth interview method: In-depth interview method is a method of collecting and analyzing consumers' feelings and thoughts through face-to-face or telephone conversations with consumers. The advantage of in-depth interview method is that it can deeply understand the psychology and motivation of consumers, and is suitable for investigating consumers' cognition, attitude and intention. The disadvantage of the in-depth interview method is that it cannot obtain a large amount of data, which is affected by the subjectivity, emotion, communication ability and other factors of the interviewer and the interviewee, which may lead to inconsistent and incomparable data.

Observation: Observation is a method of collecting and analyzing the actual performance of consumers by observing and recording their behaviors and reactions. The advantage of the observation method is that it can directly understand the behavior and reaction of consumers, and is suitable for investigating consumers' purchase behavior, use behavior, satisfaction, etc. The disadvantage of the observation method is that it is unable to understand the psychology and motivation of consumers, and is affected by the interference, prejudice, misunderstanding and other factors of the observer and the observed, which may lead to incomplete and inaccurate data.

Experimental method: Experimental method is a method of collecting and analyzing consumer reactions and results by designing and performing experiments to control and change consumer conditions and stimuli. The advantage of the experimental method is that it can explore the causal relationship of consumers and is suitable for investigating consumers' needs, preferences, choices, etc. The disadvantage of the experimental method is that it cannot simulate the real environment of the consumer, and is influenced by the experimental design, implementation, evaluation and other factors, which may lead to the inapplicability and non-generalization of the data.

Considerations for 5. Consumer Research

Consumer research is a complex and important task that requires attention to the following aspects:

Clear research purpose: the purpose of consumer research is to solve the problems faced by enterprises or achieve the goals of enterprises. Therefore, the purpose of consumer research should be clear, specific, quantifiable and operable, so as to guide the contents, methods, processes and results of the research.

Design a reasonable research plan: the plan of consumer research is to achieve the purpose of research, therefore, the plan of consumer research should be reasonable, scientific, perfect and flexible, so as to ensure the quality, efficiency, effect and cost of the research.

Select the appropriate sample: The sample of consumer research is a part of the consumers selected to represent the entire consumer group. Therefore, the sample of consumer research should be sufficient, representative, random, and reliable to ensure the validity and accuracy of the data., Consistency and credibility.

To ensure the quality of data: consumer research data is to reflect the consumption

Ensure the quality of data: consumer research data is to reflect the actual situation of consumers and collected information, therefore, consumer research data should be complete, true, clear, timely, in order to ensure the availability of data, analysis, interpretability and update.

Analyze the validity of data: consumer research data analysis is to extract valuable information from the data and.ConclusionTherefore, the data analysis of consumer research should be reasonable, scientific, systematic and innovative, so as to ensure the comprehensibility, comparability, inferability and applicability of the data.

6. Shangpu Consulting's consumer research services and cases

Shangpu Consulting Company is a consulting company specializing in consumer research. It has many years of industry experience and professional team to provide a full range of consumer research services for composite flooring companies, including:

Market demand analysis: Through the analysis of the overall market size, structure, distribution, trends, etc., it helps composite flooring companies understand market opportunities and threats, and formulate reasonable market goals and positioning.

Consumer characteristic analysis: through the analysis of consumers' basic information, psychological characteristics, behavioral characteristics, etc., to help composite flooring enterprises understand consumers' preferences, needs, purchase behavior, satisfaction, etc., and enhance the competitiveness of products.

Competitor analysis: Through the analysis of the basic situation, advantages and disadvantages, strategic intentions of competitors, etc., to help composite flooring enterprises understand the advantages and disadvantages of competitors, strategic intentions, etc., optimize market strategy.

Market strategy recommendations: According to the results of consumer research, provide targeted market strategy recommendations for composite flooring companies, including product strategy, price strategy, channel strategy, promotion strategy, service strategy, etc., to help composite flooring companies increase market share and profit margins.

The cases of consumer research services provided by Shangpu Consulting Company for composite flooring enterprises are as follows:

Case 1: Providing consumer research service for a well-known laminate flooring enterprise in China. Through questionnaire survey and in-depth interview, 1000 valid consumer data were collected, and consumers' cognition, attitude, intention and satisfaction degree of laminate flooring were analyzed. It was found that consumers' main demands for laminate flooring were wear resistance, environmental protection and price, the main concerns about laminate flooring are formaldehyde release, color difference and expansion. According to these findings, Shangpu Consulting Company put forward the following suggestions for the enterprise: first, to strengthen the publicity and certification of the wear resistance and environmental protection of the products, so as to improve the trust and recognition of consumers; second, to optimize the design and matching of the color and texture of the products to improve the aesthetic and satisfaction of consumers; third, to adjust the price strategy of the products, adopt the way of hierarchical pricing and bundled pricing, Improve consumers' willingness to buy and loyalty.

Case 2: Providing consumer research service for an internationally renowned solid wood flooring company. Through observation and experimental methods, 500 valid consumer data were collected, and consumers' purchase behavior, use behavior, and satisfaction of solid wood flooring were analyzed. It was found that consumers' main needs for solid wood flooring are texture, comfort and health, the main concern for the wood composite floor is the difficulty of maintenance, deformation and fading. According to these findings, Shangpu Consulting Company put forward the following suggestions for the enterprise: first, to strengthen the display and experience of product texture, comfort and health, so as to improve consumers' perception and love; second, to optimize the prevention and solution of product maintenance difficulty, deformation and fading, so as to improve consumers' peace of mind and trust; third, to adjust the channel strategy of products and adopt the way of specialty stores and e-commerce platforms, improve consumer coverage and convenience.

Case 3: Provide consumer research service for a domestic emerging bamboo-wood composite flooring enterprise. Through in-depth interviews and experiments, 300 valid consumer data are collected, and consumers' cognition, attitude, intention and choice of bamboo-wood composite flooring are analyzed. It is found that consumers' main demands for bamboo-wood composite flooring are nature, environmental protection and innovation, the main concerns about bamboo wood composite flooring are stability, durability and brand. According to these findings, Shangpu Consulting Company put forward the following suggestions for the enterprise: first, to strengthen the dissemination and education of the characteristics and advantages of natural, environmental protection and innovation of products, so as to improve consumers' cognition and interest; second, to optimize the stability, durability and brand guarantee and construction of products, so as to improve consumers' confidence and loyalty; third, to adjust the promotion strategy of products by means of trial, gift and recommend, improve consumer experience and communication.