Consumer preferences for wooden and laminate flooring

Abstract

This paper describes a study on consumer preferences for wooden and non-wooden flooring. The conjoint analysis approach was applied on two populations: customers in a do-it-yourself (DIY) outlet and university students; and for two flooring applications: living room and kitchen. The results showed that floor type was the most important factor for preference formation, followed by environmental certification and warranty. Price and a DVD with installation instructions were of minor importance to the customers. Wooden floorings were preferred to laminate alternatives. University students placed a higher emphasis on ecolabelling, whereas DIY customers focused mainly on the type of flooring. Floor type was a more important attribute for living room applications than for the kitchen, and price was a more important factor when kitchen flooring was considered in comparison with living room flooring.

Keywords:

• Consumer choice
• marketing
• segmentation
• wood products