Since the early 1990s, there has been hope that the uptake of certified forest products would ensure more sustainable forest management and also deliver business benefits along the value chain. Our study applies a Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE) to model an e-commerce purchase in the case of multiple products with various attribute and certification combinations in the Finnish retail outdoor decking material market. We received 2772 responses from 231 participants in an online survey. Applying conditional logit and latent class models, we were able to assess the relative importance of attributes, identify various consumer segments, and simulate various scenarios for communicating the certification and origin of forest products and competing materials. Our results show that the most important attribute for consumer decision-making was the outdoor decking material followed by price, origin, and certification. Some consumer segments showed a habit of only choosing certain materials or domestic products, while paying less attention to other product attributes. Simulations for an e-commerce purchase situation also implied that communications concerning intangible product attributes, such as domestic origin and environmental certifications, could be used in the brand building of the forest sector to gain competitive advantage and increased market shares over other sectors. The results suggest that the conventional and constantly developing e-commerce marketing tools should be harnessed also in forest product and more general environmental marketing.

https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/8/11/431/pdf

Forest Certification and Country of Origin: Choice Experiment Analysis of Outdoor Decking Material Selection in E-Commerce Market in Finland

Smartphone users' requirements for data plans from mobile network access services have become individualized. To cope with users' requirements, global mobile network operators have been replacing flat-rate data plans with tiered data plans in the mobile market. In addition, mobile virtual network operators who provide data plans to their own customers at retail prices have emerged in the mobile market. In today's mobile market, customers can therefore choose their preferred data plan from a number of alternatives. There is, however, limited knowledge about how sensitively customers react to changed pricing for a data plan. In this paper, we focus on tiered data plans, i.e., specific pairing of price and data capacity, and empirically analyze the utility for customers of the tiered data plans by applying choice-based conjoint analysis. We also evaluate customer behavior through trace-driven simulations to quantify the market share of the given data plans.

Empirical analysis of customer behavior for tiered data plans in mobile market

Business-to-consumer sales of electronic commerce are commonly used worldwide as an important element of the consumer market. In relation to e-business, management of customer knowledge is an important asset for online shops. However, it is difficult for online shops to deal with customer management, collect data, and translate them into basic customer knowledge. This study examines university students’ behavior and perceptions toward online shopping to provide basic customer knowledge. We used a questionnaire-based research method to elucidate students’ perceptions of the advantages and disadvantages of online shopping. It was found that lesser is the availability and variety of goods in nearby actual shops, higher is the motivation to shop online, and that the availability of goods is a stronger incentive than cheapness in relation to the use of online shops. Conjoint analysis revealed students’ priorities with respect to several attributes of online shopping. They gave higher priority to the perception of online shops’ websites than other attributes. Surprisingly, this analysis also indicated that for students postage is a more important criterion than the price of goods. These analyses examined differences with respect to students’ living environment or experiences of online shopping. The study will contribute to the development of understanding customer knowledge and suggest effective marketing strategies regarding online shopping.

Japanese Students’ Perception of B2C

The objective of this study was to understand the crossmodal interaction between salt taste and shape, specifically, the relationship between consumer affective reactions to a salt solution and a tomato soup. Panelists rated samples for acceptance of basic tastes and overall liking, and molded modeling clay into a shape that best reflected their sensory experience. Data were analyzed using a multinomial logit model and a two proportion z test. Shapes molded were categorized into six groups: round, flat, long, pointy, abstract, and recognizable. For solutions, liking of saltiness significantly increased the tendency of molding a recognizable shape over an abstract shape. For tomato soups, higher overall liking increased the tendency of a recognizable shape being molded. Panelists differed in their affective reactions to a salt solution and tomato soup, and the subsequent translation of these reactions into physical shapes, supporting the existence of a crossmodal interaction between taste and shape formation. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Information from this research will be useful in understanding the affective responses to salt. The application of modeling clay in food product development can give another avenue by which panelists can express the integration of perceptions, especially in food products that have been reduced in salt. This information may also aid in packaging development as packages could be shaped into forms that are related to higher acceptance or into forms commonly associated with the prevailing taste present in a food product so as to convey sensory information to the consumer prior to purchase.

From abstract to recognizable: Modeling tendencies of a basic salt solution and a tomato soup based on affective reactions

Background: Discrete choice experiments (DCEs) may facilitate persons with dementia and informal caregivers to state care preferences. DCEs can be cognitively challenging for persons with dementia. Objective: This study aims to design a dementia friendly dyadic DCE that enables persons with dementia and informal caregivers to provide input individually and jointly, by testing the number of attributes and choice tasks persons with dementia can complete and providing insight in their DCE decision-making process. Methods: This study included three DCE rounds: 1) persons with dementia, 2) informal caregivers, and 3) persons with dementia and informal caregivers together. A flexible DCE design was employed, with increasing choice task complexity to explore cognitive limitations in decision-making. Summary statistics and bivariate comparisons were calculated. A qualitative think-aloud approach was used to gain insight in the DCE decision-making processes. Transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Fifteen person with dementia, 15 informal caregiver, and 14 dyadic DCEs were conducted. In the individual DCE, persons with dementia completed six choice tasks (median), and 80% could complete a choice task with least three attributes. In the dyadic DCE persons with dementia completed eight choice tasks (median) and could handle slightly more attributes. Qualitative results included themes of core components in DCE decision-making such as: understanding the choice task, attribute and level perception, option attractiveness evaluation, decision rule selection, and preference adaptation. Conclusion: Persons with dementia can use simple DCE designs. The dyadic DCE was promising for dyads to identify overlapping and discrepant care preferences while reaching consensus.

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Dyadic Discrete Choice Experiments Enable Persons with Dementia and Informal Caregivers to Participate in Health Care Decision Making: A Mixed Methods Study

This study aims to verify the mere exposure effect. The mere exposure effect is a phenomenon in which the likability of an object rises through repeated contact with that object. The mere exposure effect is also widely applied in marketing and social psychology. In this study, water is chosen as the stimulus target, and the mere exposure effect is verified by adding information, such as the water brand and price. As a result, by adding commodities with high awareness factors, the mere exposure effect is confirmed, and a preference order is created among brands. Finally, these factors are discussed in terms of their relationship with the anchoring effect.

The relationship between the anchoring effect and the mere exposure effect in commodity selection

Business-to-consumer (B2C) E-commerce has become one of the most important models for stores and enterprises. Many of them, however, face a difficult business environment because they lack an adequate understanding of the market. To develop the B2C market, this study seeks to identify the behavior of young people's behavior and perception of online shops. This paper finds that most youth use online shops for purchasing books, CDs, and clothes. They think online shops offer the advantage of ready availability of goods. However, most youth want to confirm the goods' quality, which is not possible in online shopping. Youth may regard online shops as a complementary channel to physical shops. Through conjoint analysis, differences in the value of product availability could be attributed to sex. We also demonstrate that consumer behavior changes with the online shops' manner of pricing display. These contributions will suggest effective marketing strategies for online shops.

Using Choice Experiments to Value an Electronic Commerce

Business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce has become one of the most important models for stores and enterprises. Many of them, however, face a difficult business environment because they lack an adequate understanding of the market. To develop the B2C market, this study seeks to identify young people’s behavior and perceptions regarding online shops. This study finds that most youth use online shops for purchasing books, CDs, and clothes. They think that online shops offer the advantage of the ready availability of goods, but most want to confirm the goods’ quality, which is not possible in online shopping. Youth may regard online shops as a complementary channel to physical shops. Through conjoint analysis, differences in the value of product availability could be attributed to gender. We also demonstrate that consumer behavior changes with online shops’ manner of pricing display. These contributions will suggest effective marketing strategies for online shops.

Japanese Students’ Behavior Toward E-Commerce

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between exercise group characteristics and participation intention in elderly individuals via conjoint analysis. A total of 977 individuals (591 males and 386 females) aged ≥60 years were enrolled in the study. The included exercise groups comprised five factors: 1) instructor (professionals, university students, or volunteers); 2) place (1, 5, or 10 km); 3) expected effect (maintaining or increasing physical fitness, preventing dementia, or relieving stress); 4) characteristics (interaction, gaming, or self-pace); and 5) fee (free, 500 yen, or 1,000 yen). A total of 18 exercise groups were created by the orthogonal table. The choice-based conjoint comprised nine choice tasks. Among these, participants were required to choose between two exercise groups or no-choice option. The utility was higher for each factor as follows: 1) professional instructor, 2) closer place, 3) expected maintenance or increased physical fitness, 4) self-pace, and 5) free. The degree of each factor’s utility differed according to sex or exercise habits. Specifically, females had higher utility for university students than males, and those who had regular exercise habits had higher utility for professional instructors than those who did not. The results of the present study may help develop strategies to stimulate elder individuals in exercise-group participation. Jpn J Phys Fitness Sports Med, 69(1): 143-155 (2020)

/pdf/relationship-between-exercise-group-characteristics-and-lcad5qv0ke.pdf

Relationship between exercise group characteristics and participation intention in elderly individuals via conjoint analysis

This study examines the gap between the competencies that companies expect of university students and those that university students believe companies are seeking. We find that a gap exists between companies’ and students’ evaluations of the competencies required in the workplace. Surprisingly, companies’ and students’ priorities related to competencies are different. Our results show that both companies and students highly value versatile personal competencies as essential skills for employees. Teamwork skills are not a top priority for companies although students value them highest of the various attributes. Gaps also exist between the two groups regarding their evaluation of personality traits. These findings contribute to the development of appropriate curricula for universities and career education.

Nobuyuki Soga

Papers

The relationship between the anchoring effect and the mere exposure effect in commodity selection

Using Choice Experiments to Value an Electronic Commerce

Japanese Students’ Behavior Toward E-Commerce

Relationship between exercise group characteristics and participation intention in elderly individuals via conjoint analysis

The Perceptual Gaps Between Companies’ and University Students’ Views on Fundamental Competencies