First Jointly, Then Separately: A New Approach to Address Complexity in Product Evaluations

Meißner M, Scholz S, Decker R. First Jointly, Then Separately: A New Approach to Address Complexity in Product Evaluations. In: Bradshaw A, Hackley C, Maclaran P, eds. European Advances in Consumer Research, Vol. 9. Duluth, Minn.; 2013.Product complexity has been described as a major challenge in preference measurement. This paper discusses various ways to deal with large numbers of attributes and levels. Usually, attribute importance is initially appraised by self-explicated questions which has little similarity to a real purchase decision. Therefore, we suggest the use of information display boards to identify the attributes being relevant in product evaluations on the individual level. This information is then used to adapt the pairwise comparison-based preference measurement (PCPM) approach to elicit consumer preferences subsequently. The promising results of an empirical study on mobile phones are outlined.Product complexity has been described as a major challenge in preference measurement. This paper discusses various ways to deal with large numbers of attributes and levels. Usually, attribute importance is initially appraised by self-explicated questions which has little similarity to a real purchase decision. Therefore, we suggest the use of information display boards to identify the attributes being relevant in product evaluations on the individual level. This information is then used to adapt the pairwise comparison-based preference measurement (PCPM) approach to elicit consumer preferences subsequently. The promising results of an empirical study on mobile phones are outlined