1. Heat Pump Water Heater Market Overview

Heat pump water heater is an energy-saving and environmentally friendly product that uses low-grade energy such as air, water or geothermal heat to heat water. Its principle is to use refrigerant to circulate between the compressor and the expansion valve to absorb heat from the low-temperature heat source and then release it to the high-temperature hot water. In. Heat pump water heater has the advantages of high efficiency, safety, energy saving and low carbon, which is one of the mainstream ways of hot water supply in the future.

Global heat pump water heater market size to reach 10.962 billion yuan (RMB) in 2022. It is estimated that the global heat pump water heater market will reach 15.379 billion billion yuan by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate of about 5.8 percent.

In China, the development of the heat pump water heater market has been driven by government policy support and consumer awareness of environmental protection. Although the penetration rate of heat pump water heaters in the Chinese market is not high, its development potential is huge. With the country's emphasis on energy conservation and emission reduction, consumers' pursuit of green life, and continuous innovation of heat pump water heater technology, the market for heat pump water heaters has broad prospects.

The role and methods of 2. consumer research.

Consumer research refers to the process of collecting, analyzing and interpreting consumer information to understand consumer demand, cognition, attitude, motivation, mental model, etc., so as to provide basis and guidance for product development, channel construction, terminal sales, brand management, etc.

Consumer research plays an important role in enhancing the competitiveness of heat pump water heater enterprises, which is mainly reflected in the following aspects:

Consumer research can help companies understand the needs of consumers, so as to develop products that meet consumer expectations and satisfaction. Consumer demand can be divided into surface demand, potential demand and deep demand, in which the surface demand is the demand that consumers can express clearly, the potential demand is the implicit demand of consumers, and the deep demand is the subconscious demand of consumers. Consumer research can explore different levels of consumer demand through different methods, such as questionnaires, interviews, observations, experiments, etc., so as to provide reference for product function, performance, design, price, etc.

Consumer research can help companies understand consumer perceptions and develop effective marketing strategies. Consumer cognition refers to consumers' knowledge, beliefs and impressions about products, brands and enterprises, which affect consumers' purchasing decisions and behaviors. Consumer research can evaluate consumers' cognitive level and characteristics of heat pump water heaters through different methods, such as brand association test, brand image test, brand awareness test, brand loyalty test, etc., so as to provide basis for enterprise positioning, differentiation, communication and promotion.

Consumer research can help companies understand consumer attitudes, thereby improving consumer satisfaction and loyalty. Consumer attitude refers to consumers' evaluation, feelings and tendencies towards products, brands, enterprises, etc., which determines consumers' willingness to buy and repeat purchase behavior. Consumer research can measure the structure and intensity of consumers' attitudes towards heat pump water heaters through different methods, such as attitude scale, semantic difference method, multi-dimensional scale method, etc., so as to provide reference for enterprises to improve, maintain and enhance consumers' attitudes.

Consumer research can help enterprises to understand the mental model of consumers, so as to establish and optimize the brand image of enterprises. The consumer's mental model refers to the consumer's psychological representation of products, brands, enterprises, etc., which includes the consumer's cognition, emotion, behavior and other aspects, which constitute the consumer's brand impression and brand relationship. Consumer research can reveal the structure and content of consumers' mental model of heat pump water heaters through different methods, such as mental maps, mental networks, mental frameworks, etc., so as to provide guidance for enterprises to shape, adjust and strengthen brand image.

The method of consumer research can be divided into quantitative research and qualitative research, the former focuses on the collection and analysis of consumer quantitative data, the latter focuses on the collection and analysis of consumer non-quantitative data. Quantitative research and qualitative research have their own advantages and limitations, and should be flexibly selected and used in combination according to different purposes and situations. In general, quantitative research is suitable for validating and evaluating consumer needs, perceptions, attitudes, etc., and qualitative research is suitable for exploring and discovering consumer needs, motivations, mental models, etc.

3. Shangpu Consulting's consumer research services.

Shangpu Consulting Company is a consulting agency specializing in consumer research, with many years of industry experience and professional team, providing comprehensive, in-depth and efficient consumer research services for heat pump water heater enterprises. The consumer research services of Shangpu Consulting include the following aspects:

Quantitative research: Shangpu Consulting Company conducts a large-scale survey of target consumers by designing a reasonable questionnaire, using the Internet, telephone, email and other methods, collecting consumers' basic information, purchasing behavior, usage, satisfaction and other data, and then cleans, collates and analyzes the data by using statistical analysis, factor analysis, cluster analysis, regression analysis and other methods, the consumer demand, cognition, attitude and other indicators, as well as the factors and extent that affect these indicators, and finally form a detailed quantitative research report to provide data support and suggestions for enterprises.

Qualitative research: Shangpu Consulting Company conducts small-scale interviews with target consumers by organizing expert interviews, focus groups, in-depth interviews, mysterious customers, etc., to collect consumers' feelings, thoughts, opinions, suggestions and other information, and then uses content analysis, discourse analysis, narrative analysis and other methods to encode, classify and explain the information, and obtain the consumer's motivation, mental model and other characteristics, as well as the reasons and ways to form these characteristics, and finally form a refined qualitative research report to provide insight and enlightenment for enterprises.

The consumer research service of Shangpu Consulting Company can not only provide objective, accurate and comprehensive consumer information for heat pump water heater enterprises, but also provide targeted strategies and programs according to the specific needs and objectives of enterprises. to help enterprises enhance the competitiveness of heat pump water heaters. The following are some specific cases of consumer research services provided by Shangpu Consulting Company for heat pump water heater enterprises:

Case 1: A heat pump water heater company wants to develop a new air source heat pump water heater product, and needs to understand the needs and preferences of consumers. Shangpu Consulting conducted quantitative and qualitative research for the enterprise, using questionnaires and in-depth interviews, respectively, to investigate and interview the target consumers, and collected consumer demand, preferences, expectations and other information on the gas source heat pump water heater. Through data analysis and content analysis, Shangpu Consulting Company concluded that consumers' main needs for air source heat pump water heaters are energy saving, safety, stability, intelligence, comfort, etc., and their main preferences for air source heat pump water heaters are simple appearance and convenient operation., Low noise, less maintenance, etc. The main expectations for air source heat pump water heaters are reasonable price, well-known brand, and high-quality service. Based on this information, Shangpu Consulting provides the company with suggestions on the function, performance, design, price, etc. of the new product, as well as the corresponding marketing strategy,

Case 2: A heat pump water heater company wants to enhance its brand image and influence, and needs to understand the consumer's mental model and brand relationship. Shangpu Consulting conducted qualitative research for the enterprise, using the method of mind map and mind network, interviewed the target consumers, and collected the psychological representation and brand impression of the heat pump water heater. Through narrative analysis and discourse analysis, the structure and content of the consumer's mental model of heat pump water heaters, as well as the type and strength of the consumer's relationship with the company's brand, are derived. Shangpu Consulting found that consumers' mental model of heat pump water heaters mainly includes the following aspects: energy saving, environmental protection, safety, efficiency, comfort, intelligence, innovation, etc., of which energy saving and environmental protection are the core attributes, safety and efficiency are The most basic requirements, comfort and intelligence are the most important added value, and innovation is the most attractive feature. The relationship between consumers and the company's brand mainly has the following types: identification, trust, love, dependence, loyalty, etc. Among them, identification and trust are the most basic relationship, love and dependence are the deepest relationship, and loyalty is the most stable. Relationship. According to this information, Shangpu Consulting Company provides suggestions for the enterprise to optimize the brand image and enhance the brand relationship, including highlighting the energy-saving and environmental protection characteristics of the brand, strengthening the safety and efficiency of the brand, improving the comfort and intelligent experience of the brand, displaying the innovation and leading advantages of the brand, and cultivating consumers' recognition, trust, love, dependence, loyalty and other emotions.

Case 3: A heat pump water heater company wants to expand its market share and profit margins, and needs to understand consumer buying behavior and influencing factors. Shangpu Consulting conducted quantitative and qualitative research for the enterprise, using regression analysis and focus group methods, respectively, to conduct surveys and interviews with target consumers, and collected data and information on consumer buying behavior and influencing factors. Through regression analysis and content analysis, Champ Consulting has obtained the patterns and characteristics of consumer buying behavior, as well as the factors and degrees that affect consumer buying behavior. Shangpu Consulting found that consumers' purchasing behavior is mainly affected by the following factors: product price, performance, quality, design, etc., channel convenience, service, reputation, etc., brand awareness, image, reputation, etc., and Consumers' needs, motivations, attitudes, mental models, etc. Among them, the performance and quality of products are the most important factors, the service and reputation of the channel are the most critical factors, the popularity and image of the brand are the most effective factors, the demand and motivation of consumers are the most basic factors, and the attitude and mental model of consumers are the most profound factors. Based on this information, Shangpu Consulting Company provides suggestions for the company to expand market share and profit margin, including improving product performance and quality, optimizing channel service and reputation, enhancing brand awareness and image, and meeting consumer needs and Motivation, improve consumer attitudes and mental models, etc.