Characteristics and behavior patterns of consumers in the 1. health service industry

The health service industry refers to the industry whose main content is to provide health-related services, including medical services, health management services, health insurance services, health education services, health consulting services, etc. Consumers in the health service industry refer to individuals or groups who purchase or use health services in the health service industry, including patients, health managers, health insurance buyers, health education audiences, health consultation seekers, etc.

The characteristics and behavior patterns of consumers in the health service industry are as follows:

The needs of consumers in the health service industry are multi-level. According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory, human needs can be divided into five levels, from low to high are physiological needs, security needs, social needs, respect needs and self-realization needs. The needs of consumers in the health service industry include not only the treatment and prevention of diseases at the physiological level and the maintenance of good health, but also the reduction of health risks at the safety level, the protection of health rights and interests, the social support and recognition at the social level, the promotion of self-image and value at the respect level, and the realization of health goals and potential at the self-realization level.

Consumer behavior in the health service industry is complex. The behavior of consumers in the health service industry is affected by many factors, including personal factors (such as age, gender, education, income, health status, health knowledge, health attitude, health belief, health motivation, etc.), social factors (such as family, friends, colleagues, community, social culture, social norms, social pressure, etc.), situational factors (e. g., time, place, occasion, atmosphere, available resources, etc.), and market factors (e. g., supply, price, quality, availability, credibility, innovation, etc. of health services).

Consumer behavior in the health service industry is dynamic. The behavior of consumers in the health service industry is not static, but changes with the changes in the internal and external environment. Changes in the internal environment include changes in consumers' health status, health needs, health knowledge, health attitudes, health beliefs, and health motivations; changes in the external environment include changes in the health service market, changes in health policies, changes in health technology, Changes in health culture, changes in health events, etc. These changes will affect consumers' health behavior intention and health behavior implementation.

Selection of methods for consumer research in 2. health service industry

Consumer research refers to the process of collecting, analyzing and interpreting consumer information through scientific methods to understand consumer needs, preferences, satisfaction, loyalty, etc., and provide a basis for marketing decisions.

The methods of consumer research can be divided into qualitative and quantitative methods.

2.1 qualitative methods

Qualitative method refers to the method of exploring consumers' psychology, motivation, attitude, feeling, experience, etc. in an unstructured or semi-structured way to obtain the deep-seated information of consumers.

The advantage of qualitative methods is that they can reveal the internal logic and potential needs of consumers, provide a wealth of details and insights, and provide assumptions and guidance for quantitative methods; the disadvantage of qualitative methods is that they are difficult to quantify and generalize, and are influenced by factors such as sample selection, researcher subjectivity, and data quality.

Commonly used qualitative methods are the following:

Focus group discussion (FocusGroupDiscussion,FGD): refers to the method of inviting 6-12 consumers with a certain common characteristic to have a free discussion on a certain topic under the guidance of a researcher.

The advantage of focus group discussion is that it can stimulate the interaction and communication between consumers, generate new ideas and ideas, and explore the motivation and attitude of consumers; the disadvantage of focus group discussion is that it is affected by consumer personality, researcher skills, discussion atmosphere and other factors. It is difficult to control the direction and depth of the discussion, and it is difficult to ensure the objectivity and consistency of the data.

In-depth interview (In-depthInterview,IDI): refers to the method of conducting unstructured or semi-structured face-to-face or telephone interviews with individual consumers. The advantage of in-depth interview is that it can fully tap the personalized information of consumers, obtain the real feelings and experiences of consumers, and avoid the interference and influence of others; the disadvantage of in-depth interview is that it is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and it is difficult to obtain a large amount of data. It is difficult to ensure the validity of the data due to the influence of subjectivity of researchers and the degree of cooperation of consumers.

Participation in observation (ParticipantObservation,PO): refers to the researcher in the identity or role of consumers, participate in the daily life or activities of consumers, through observation, recording and analysis of consumer behavior and situation. The advantage of participating in observation is that it can directly observe the natural behavior of consumers, obtain the real reaction and experience of consumers, and discover the potential needs and problems of consumers; the disadvantage of participating in observation is that it is difficult to control the scope and depth of observation, and it is difficult to ensure the reliability and consistency of data due to the subjectivity of researchers and the degree of cooperation of consumers.

Project method (ProjectiveTechnique,PT): refers to the method of indirectly revealing consumers' psychology, motivation, attitude, feelings, etc. by allowing consumers to complete some specific tasks, such as describing pictures, completing stories, role playing, associative words, etc. The advantage of the project method is that it can break through the consumer's defense and resistance, obtain the hidden information of the consumer, and discover the deep-seated needs and problems of the consumer; the disadvantage of the project method is that it is difficult to design and implement, and it is difficult to ensure the objectivity and validity of the data due to the interpretation of the researcher and the understanding of the consumer.

2.2 quantitative methods

Quantitative method refers to the method of collecting and analyzing the number, proportion, frequency, difference, etc. of consumers in a structured way to obtain the surface information of consumers. The advantage of quantitative methods is the ability to quantify and generalize consumer information, provide statistical evidence andConclusionThe disadvantages of quantitative methods are that it is difficult to penetrate into the psychology and motivation of consumers, ignore the details and insights of consumers, and are influenced by data sources, data quality, data analysis and other factors, which make it difficult to reflect the real situation of consumers.

There are several commonly used quantitative methods:

Questionnaire (QuestionnaireSurvey,QS): refers to the method of collecting consumers' answers and opinions by designing and distributing a questionnaire containing multiple questions. The advantage of the questionnaire is that it can obtain a large amount of data, facilitate statistics and analysis, and is suitable for describing and comparing the characteristics and behaviors of consumers; the disadvantage of the questionnaire is that it is affected by factors such as questionnaire design, distribution methods, recovery rates, and authenticity of answers. It is difficult to ensure the accuracy and representativeness of the data.

Experimental method (ExperimentalMethod,EM): refers to the method of observing and measuring the behavior and reaction of consumers by controlling and changing the environment or conditions in which consumers are located. The advantage of the experimental method is that it can determine the causal relationship of consumer behavior, test the consumer's response to different stimuli or variables, and is suitable for predicting and explaining consumer behavior; the disadvantage of the experimental method is that it is affected by experimental design, experimental operation, experimental effects and other factors, and it is difficult to ensure the validity and universality of the experiment.

Network analysis (NetworkAnalysis,NA): refers to the collection and analysis of consumers' data on the network platform, such as clicks, views, comments, forwards, likes, followers, etc., to understand consumers' network behavior and network influence. The advantage of network analysis is that it can use existing data, save cost and time, and is suitable for evaluating and optimizing the effectiveness of consumers' online marketing; the disadvantage of network analysis is that it is affected by data sources, data quality, data analysis and other factors, and it is difficult to guarantee the authenticity and integrity of data.

3. Shangpu Consulting's Consumer Research Case

Shangpu Consulting Company is a company specializing in industry research and consulting, providing a full range of consulting services for health service providers, health service buyers, health service regulators, etc., including market analysis, strategic planning, business optimization, risk management, Innovation and development, etc. Shangpu consulting company has rich experience and good reputation in the health service industry, and has provided successful consulting services for many well-known health service institutions at home and abroad.

In the process of providing consulting services to customers, Shangpu Consulting attaches great importance to consumer research. It believes that consumer research is the key to understand and meet consumer needs, improve and optimize consumer experience, and enhance and maintain consumer loyalty. According to different clients and projects, Shangpu Consulting flexibly selects and combines suitable consumer research methods to obtain the most valuable consumer information. Here are some consumer research cases from Champu Consulting:

Case 1: Consulting on market analysis and strategic planning for a private hospital. Shangpu Consulting Company conducted a consumer survey for the hospital, using questionnaire survey and focus group discussion methods, respectively, from a quantitative and qualitative point of view, collected consumer awareness of the hospital, evaluation, satisfaction, loyalty and other information, as well as consumer demand for medical services, preferences, expectations and other information. Through the analysis of consumer research data, the company made the following recommendations for the hospital:

Enhance the brand image and popularity of the hospital, highlight the characteristics and advantages of the hospital, and improve the awareness and trust of consumers;

Improve the service quality and efficiency of the hospital, optimize the process and environment of the hospital, and improve consumer satisfaction and loyalty;

Expand the scope and content of hospital services, meet the diversified and personalized needs of consumers, and improve consumers' preferences and expectations;

Establish a hospital membership system and points system to increase consumer participation and interaction, and improve consumer repeat purchase and recommendation rates.

Case 2: Consulting on business optimization and innovative development for a health management company. Shangpu Consulting Company conducted consumer research for the company, using in-depth interviews and experimental methods to collect consumers' feelings, experiences, feedback and other information on the company's health management services from a qualitative and quantitative perspective, as well as consumers' reactions and choices to different health management programs. Based on the analysis of consumer research data, Champ Consulting made the following recommendations for the company:

Optimize the company's health management service process and content, improve the pertinence and effectiveness of the service, and improve the service satisfaction and loyalty of consumers;

Innovate the company's health management service model and channels, increase the diversity and convenience of services, and improve consumers' service preferences and expectations;

Establish the company's health management service evaluation and feedback mechanism, increase the transparency and credibility of the service, and improve the service awareness and trust of consumers;

Establish the company's health management service community and platform, increase the interaction and continuity of services, and improve consumers' service participation and influence.

Case 3: Advising a health insurance company on risk management and innovative development. Shangpu Consulting Company conducted consumer research for the company, and adopted the methods of network analysis and project method. From the perspective of quantitative and qualitative, it collected consumers' evaluation, comment, forwarding, praise and other information on the company's health insurance products on the network platform, as well as consumers' completion of stories, role-playing, associative words and other tasks, indirectly express the company's health insurance products, psychological motivation, attitude, feelings and other information. Based on the analysis of consumer research data, Champ Consulting made the following recommendations for the company:

Analyze the online reputation and online influence of the company's health insurance products, find out the advantages and disadvantages of the products, improve the design and promotion of the products, and increase the market share and competitiveness of the products;

Explore the hidden needs and potential problems of consumers for health insurance products, innovate the functions and characteristics of products, meet the diversified and personalized needs of consumers, and improve product differentiation and added value;

Establish the measurement and promotion mechanism of the loyalty and satisfaction of the company's health insurance products, increase the repeat purchase rate and recommendation rate of consumers, and improve the brand loyalty and brand image of the products;

Establish the communication and practice mechanism of social responsibility and social value of the company's health insurance products, increase consumers' sense of identity and belonging, and improve the social responsibility and social influence of the products.