Acta Universitatis Danubius. Œconomica, Vol 9, No 6 (2013)

Abstract

Conjoint analysis is a technique for establishing the relative importance of different attributes in the provision of a good or a service. In this study, conjoint analysis was applied to characterize beverage product preferences for customers’ information during buyer-seller purchasing decision interactions. It identify the influence certain consumers preferences have on beverage purchasing behaviour. Using focus group discussion, major attributes were specified. The attributes were then used to generate a plan card using the orthogonal array method. A conjoint based survey using 29 ranked beverages attributes formed the basis of the questionnaires that were randomly administered to 200 purchasers’ of beverages drinks between January and March 2013 to specify their preferences. Conjoint analysis was used and the result indicates that the preference range that would deliver the most utility for beverage consumers include products attributes such as reduced price (-0.478), cylindrical package (-5.822), moderately dissolving beverage granule (-1.833) and taste (-0.333). The findings conclude that producer need to take the issue of packaging serious in production by ensuring that their product is packaged in cylindrical container which will attract optimum attention of consumers thereby leading to profitability in the long run.