Using Conjoint Analysis to Estimate Customers' Preferences in the Apparel Industry

Abstract

Today, in the mass customization production environment, clothing companies face even more difficulties, such as the rapid and uncertain changes in customer requirements and their impacts on production time, cost, and quality of product. In order to survive and develop in such a competitive environment, apparel companies should clearly identify customers' demands in the development of new clothing products. Understanding customer demands and their purchasing process is the base knowledge required to ensure successful marketing activities. However, customers' demands and behavior are affected by many factors, some of which conflict with each other in the production process. Therefore, an understanding of consumers' critical evaluative criteria when purchasing clothing products is one of the most important issues in the new product development process. The purpose of this paper is to determine the clothing product attributes that are of greatest value to customers and predict consumer preferences for attributes by applying the conjoint analysis method. The final results showed that five criteria have the most influence on shopping customers' behavior, including design, fabric/fiber style, color, form, and price. These findings can support apparel managers in the new product development process.