Market segmentation refers to defining segmented markets through clustering and other methods to minimize the difference of individuals within a segmented market and maximize the difference of individuals between segmented markets. Segmentation is due to different user preferences. As more users join in, the communications market has developed a heterogeneous feature. Since the study of segmentation of the communications market is the foundation for enterprises to achieve fine-tuned management. The communications enterprises desperately need such segmentation in a scientific way.

　　 Market Forecast

　　Market forecast is often a prerequisite condition for investment decision-making, product development and strategy making. Three common quantitative forecast methods are used: purchase intention forecast method, section data forecast method and time serial data forecast method.
　　◆ Purchase intention forecast method can be used to forecast the purchase of communications products. The biggest advantage of this method is that quantitative tables can be easily produced and only required respondents to judge their intention to buy cellphones. However, it required researchers to convert the answers of respondents on the table into the forecast of purchase potentials to increase the accuracy of this method.
　　◆ Section data forecast method is the most explanatory method, which forecasts communications product market sizes and reveals the key factors that affect prospective cellphone markets and their influences over the development of communications product market. However, communications companies can change communications product market sizes by changing the values of these factors. But, when this method is used, it is very important to choose input variables.
　　◆ Time serial data forecast method is based on time sequence. Where time sequence is different from section data is that time sequence is in order of time and each measurement depends on each other. Therefore, time sequence cannot be used as a common statistics method and requires special forecast modules.

　　 Market Competition

　　Currently, Chinese communications market is in the stage of rapid growth and there is great potential for market development. However, increasingly fierce competition makes us less optimistic about the market. It is a huge challenge for communications companies to decide on a marketing strategy that is in line with market needs and effective market competition strategies to arrange future marketing work.

　　 Users and Studies

　　The studies of the behaviors and attitudes of users are targeted at individuals" and groups" recognition, selection, procurement, use of new services or services and experience to satisfy their own desires and needs. The study will help enterprises under the behaviors and needs of consumers and provide scientific decision-making support for sales and marketing.

　　 Studies of users leaving the network

　　In addition to attract new users, one of the most important other aspects is to keep the existing users. Existing users provide an income source. Therefore, keeping current users is a key issue. To improve the loyalty of users and boost market shares, stabilize incomes and reduce costs, research into why users leave is required.

　　 Brand studies

　　Brand asset refers to the attitude and desire of users who want to buy a brand. If a brand has a high asset value, it will be less vulnerable to market competition with higher prices but more users.

　　 New service research

　　In recent years, value-added communications services keep on growing and account for increasingly large shares in the total income of communications companies. New services are crucial to the development of enterprises and bring a series of benefits to the enterprises, leading to stronger core competitiveness of enterprises.

　　 Fee research

　　The most routine work of communications companies is to formulate fee policies and predict their effects. It requires a set of scientific methods to make reasonable fee policies, estimate and assess the effects of policies. The pricing of the services offered by communications companies are influenced by and a result of many factors. In summary, the main factors include enterprises themselves, users" demands, market competition and policies/laws.

　　 Channel studies

　　Communications companies have many major challenges in the management of channels and in the new market environment: overall channel building, strategic adjustments to the channels; coverage of business halls; their layouts; the number of service points of different nature; operation modes; function and service highlights of different kinds of business halls; closures, mergers and transitions; new direct sales channels?; and brand shops.

　　 Advertisement monitoring

　　Advertisement effects refer to the influence media advertisements bring to target users. From the angle of the formation of advertisement effects, we can divide them into three levels: awareness, advertisement psychology and advertisement sales. Advertisement effects include pre-ad test, in-ad tests, post-ad test and follow-on tests.

　　 Service satisfaction

　　Customer satisfaction is a felt satisfaction with the products (network, services…) of an enterprise. For communications companies, the focus in on customers and the core is their satisfaction. The main method is to promote a product or service by measuring customer satisfaction, meeting or exceeding their expectations. The goal is to win customers, market shares and profits.

　　 Service expectations

　　Common findings in satisfaction research include: in economically advanced areas, consumers are less satisfied than their counterparts in less developed areas; at the same time, increases in satisfaction is obviously associated with inputs in services. This is because these customers have different service expectations. Also, theoretically, understanding the service expectations of consumers is the basis on which an enterprise builds its service standards and rules. Therefore, any service provider must routinely understand and research the services expectations of consumers and reduce service costs by controlling and managing such expectations to relatively or indirectly increase customer satisfaction.

　　 Checks by mysterious customers

　　Mysterious customers are pretended customers who feel the entire services and thus try to find problems from such action and assess the performance of service providers in accordance with a set of rules. Mysterious customers can be trained inspectors or ordinary customers. Depending on the objects of inspection, checks by mysterious customers can be secret visits, hotline number tests. Checks by mysterious customers are used by many enterprises to maintain their good service conditions and promote service levels.

　　 Business catchment studies

　　A business catchment refers to an area where customers live or businesses can attract customers. Depending on customer visits, business catchment can be further divided into major catchment, minor catchment or marginal catchment. Reasons for changes to business catchments are many. Though business catchments are associated with operation modes and effects, the most important influence is the city or region where the businesses are located. For example, a business in a provincial city attracts more customer than a business in a medium or small city. Businesses located in a major catchment have a larger customer base than those in non-catchment areas. After many years of studies in business catchments, we have developed a set of complete and effect business catchment study methods. BUMR"s studies of business catchments mainly involve the following areas: market assessment, business catchment research/location selection, consumer research, people traffic monitoring and competition studies.