Review of research design and execution
Research object: Platform major users of Red, Douyin, Zhihu and Bilibili in the past 6 months; CMO/ Brand Manager, general manager of advertising agency, senior media practitioner.
Data source
Methods: consumer forum + expert in-depth interview;
Sample size: 4 groups of consumer forum, 4 expert interviews
Research area: Beijing, Shanghai
Methods: online survey
Sample size: 1500
Sample traits: 18-40 years old, have used Zhihu, Douyin, Red, Bilibili, and have been affected by these platform to make shopping decisions.
Research area: 1st tier, emerging new 1st tier and 2nd tier cities
Journey from germination to harvest
Based on habits, users divide the entire customer journey into five stages. Demand initiation, option lock-in, risk management are commonly known as the "need planting" stage, while placing orders and experience sharing are often identified as "need harvest" stage.
Zhihu and Red have outstanding performances in “need planting”, which is closely related to the creation of rich pan-life scenes, educational content of product information, and the application of comparison and evaluation on the two platforms.
Demand initiation
Q: On which of the following platforms have you ever had the experience of "noticing and becoming interested in a product you didn't know or hadn't noticed before" while browsing content? How many times have you had this experience in the past 6 months?
93% of the users have been induced by scenes or products while browsing through content platforms, to generate need of a product.
Q: What type of content do you think stimulate your need of a product?
Zhihu users are usually affected by the interpretation and analysis of a product. There need are stimulated when questions and concerns are answered. On the other hand, Douyin users respond to product usage in real life, celebrity recommendations, and promotions.
Option Lock-in
Q: On which of the following content platforms have you had the experience of "actively searching for products you are interested in to acquire more information"? How many times have you had this experience in the past 6 months?
91% of users have researched and paid active attention to the products they are interested in, for the purpose of learning about the brands and locking in the target product range, especially for users on Red and Zhihu.
Zhihu users narrow down their product options through product evaluation, analysis, interpretation contents, while Red users are more influenced by recommendations contents.
Risk Management
Q: On which of the following community content platforms have you ever had the experience of "doing the final pre-purchase confirmation on the products you decide to buy to reduce risks"?
86% of users have had the experience of making the final pre-purchase confirmation for the desired product. Zhihu (95%) has more influence on pre-purchase decisions than other platforms.
Zhihu users make their minds based on real scientific/research results or actual/proven effects of a product. Red users make decisions after they review user experience and recommendations.
Purchase
All interviewees have been influenced by the one of the platform to make a purchase. Since Zhihu allow users to insert link to other platforms, it provides more options for people to view contents.
Experience Sharing
Q: On which of the following content platforms have you experienced "comments and sharing” after purchase and use?
69% of users have had the experience of “commenting and sharing after purchasing and using” the products. Zhihu and Red are top platforms that users share their views.