Explores Consumer Preferences Research Articles

A consumer‐driven model for mass customization in the apparel market

The overall purpose of this research was to explore the potential for applying mass customization in the apparel manufacturing and retail sectors by investigating consumers’ interests in it as a concept. A series of seven focus groups were used to explore consumer preferences related to mass customization and to identify potential barriers to adoption of the concept. Potential scenarios illustrated with video were used to describe how mass customization might be implemented. A deductive approach to data reduction allowed researchers to distill and describe data according to predetermined categories and to identify additional categories that emerged in the analysis. Converging positive consumer comments moved researchers forward in understanding the concept while negative comments were viewed as barriers. The result was the construction of a consumer‐based model which provides an initial framework for researchers and the business community to use in exploring how the paradigm of mass customization could be applied as a business strategy in the apparel industry.

The market for genetically modified foods: consumer characteristics and policy implications

Conjoint analysis was used to explore consumer preferences for food products that are the product of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The results of a cluster analysis indicated that consumers fell into three homogeneous groups based on their preference for a branded, low-priced, or GMO-free product. There were some differences between the segments based on the sociodemographic characteristics of age, education, and income. However, consumers in the segment that wished to avoid GMOs were most easily distinguished from consumers in the other two segments based on their high level of risk averseness and belief that GMOs do not positively affect the quality or safety of food products. Implications for food marketers and policymakers are discussed.

The Health Insurance Plan Of California: The First Five Years

Health Tracking Health AffairsVol. 19, No. 5 The Health Insurance Plan Of California: The First Five YearsJill Mathews Yegian, Thomas C. Buchmueller, Mark D. Smith, and Ann F. Monroe AffiliationsJill Yegian is a senior program officer at the California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF) in Oakland. Thomas Buchmueller is an associate professor in the Graduate School of Management, University of California, Irvine. Mark Smith is president and chief executive officer of the CHCF, and Ann Monroe directs the foundation's Quality Initiative.PUBLISHED:September/October 2000No Accesshttps://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.19.5.158AboutSectionsView articleView Full TextView PDFPermissions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions View articleTOPICSPremiumsMarketsPreferred provider organizationsHealth maintenance organizationsRisk adjustmentCost reductionPrivate health insuranceAdverse selectionPaymentLegislation Loading Comments... Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. DetailsExhibitsReferencesRelated Article MetricsCitations: Crossref 17 History Published online 1 September 2000 InformationCopyright © by Project HOPE: The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.ACKNOWLEDGMENTSThis research was supported by a grant from the California HealthCare Foundation. The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not represent the views of the foundation. The authors gratefully acknowledge the valuable contribution of Jamie Robinson.PDF downloadCited byThe Role of Agents and Brokers in the Market for Health Insurance6 December 2016 | Journal of Risk and Insurance, Vol. 85, No. 1BibliographieHow Much Favorable Selection Is Left in Medicare Advantage?American Journal of Health Economics, Vol. 1, No. 1How Much Favorable Selection Is Left in Medicare Advantage?American Journal of Health Economics, Vol. 1, No. 1The Role of Agents and Brokers in the Market for Health InsuranceSSRN Electronic JournalCompetition Among Health Plans: A Two-Sided Market ApproachJournal of Economics & Management Strategy, Vol. 19, No. 2Consumer-Oriented Health Care Reform Strategies: A Review of the Evidence on Managed Competition and Consumer-Directed Health InsuranceMilbank Quarterly, Vol. 87, No. 4Competition Between HMO and PPO: A Two-Sided Market ApproachSSRN Electronic JournalHealth Insurance Reform and HMO Penetration in the Small Group Market3 November 2016 | INQUIRY: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing, Vol. 42, No. 4Demand for a Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit: Exploring Consumer Preferences under a Managed Competition Framework3 November 2016 | INQUIRY: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing, Vol. 40, No. 2Switching costs, price sensitivity and health plan choiceJournal of Health Economics, Vol. 21, No. 1The welfare impact of HMO mergersJournal of Health Economics, Vol. 20, No. 6The Prevalence of Formal Risk Adjustment in Health Plan Purchasing3 November 2016 | INQUIRY: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing, Vol. 38, No. 3Canaries In A Coal Mine: California Physician Groups And CompetitionHealth Affairs, Vol. 20, No. 4Have Small-Group Health Insurance Purchasing Alliances Increased Coverage?Health Affairs, Vol. 20, No. 1Consumer-Choice Purchasing Pools: Past Tense, Future Perfect?Health Affairs, Vol. 20, No. 1Window Shopping: State Health Reform Politics In The 1990sHealth Affairs, Vol. 20, No. 1

Consumer preferences for forthcoming innovations: the case of high definition television

Examines consumer preferences for forthcoming technological innovations. Studies consumer response to different levels of technology over time. Looks at preferences for existing and intermediate technologies when future ones are expected. Focuses on technological consumer durables that are expected to evolve over time. The primary contributions of this research are: an understanding of how consumer preferences for a technology are affected by the time of adoption; an understanding of the value to consumers of obtaining different levels of a technology, at different points in time; and the utilization of parsimonious indices to assess consumer response to different levels of technology over time. An empirical examination is conducted for high definition television (HDTV). Using survey data, the study explores consumer preferences for HDTV, and for interim television technologies. Managerial implications to aid product design, and the timing of introduction of evolving technological innovations, are also discussed.

Changing Trends in Seafood Markets

The rapid growth of aquaculture has significantly impacted the development of global seafood markets by providing year-round supplies of consistent quality seafood products. Production of cultured salmon, however, has resulted in both a rapid increase in supplies and substantial decreases in prices for both farmed and wild product. Producers are now searching for new marketing and production strategies and debating the relative merits of wild and cultured product. To date, however, there are few studies which explore consumer preferences for wild and cultured salmon. This paper addresses this issue by reviewing general trends in global seafood markets and focusing on market development and consumer preferences for farmed and wild salmon. A consumer survey was developed to elicit preferences for the characteristics of salmon. Results showed that quality was the most important salmon attribute followed by state (fresh/frozen), flesh color, and price. Source of production (wild or farmed) was the least impor...

Consumer Willingness to Pay for Seafood Safety Assurances

Despite its many health benefits, seafood consumption has declined partially due to consumers' safety concerns. Efforts to provide safety assurance to consumers have focused on provision of government inspection programs; programs that both consumer groups and the seafood industry have called inadequate. This study explores consumer preferences for a wide array of alternative safety assurances. Consumers' selection of and willingness to pay for seafood safety assurances were elicited using an in‐person market‐like experiment. Results indicate that consumers are able to demonstrate clear preferences and values for alternative assurances. This indicates further consumer research is warranted to provide a basis for public policy recommendations regarding seafood safety assurances.