Southeast Dairy Foods Research Center investigators at North Carolina State University used two online market research tools to predict the amount consumers were willing to pay for certain features of sour cream. The data revealed that the most important criteria driving consumer purchasing decisions was the fat content, followed by price, then brand name.
The study was designed to compare two market research tools used in many businesses to understand consumer buying habits — the choice-based conjoint (CBC) analysis and adaptive choice-based conjoint (ACBC) analysis. Overall, the results from both surveys were similar. Both surveys revealed that consumers chose fat content before all other features.
Each survey had its own strengths and weaknesses. For example, the CBC survey indicated that brand is important to consumers, but the ACBC survey indicated that even though brand and label claims (i.e., natural versus organic) are attractive features, consumers will select the cheaper product in grocery stores. This report helps marketers understand consumer purchasing behavior while providing a useful evaluation of the two survey techniques.
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