Marketing research of consumers' abstract preferences

Kravtsov, Alexandr and Кравцов, Олександр Олексійович (2019) Marketing research of consumers' abstract preferences. Проблеми системного підходу в економіці (5 (73)). pp. 151-156. ISSN 2520-2200

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Abstract

The article deals with some issues of researching consumers' abstract preferences, formalizing them and using in the process of the decisions making. Abstract preferences refer to the qualitative characteristics of goods and services, in determining which the consumer is guided by intuitive linguistic constructions. They are very important for a huge mass of consumers who do not want to think about buying, but rely on «first impressions». In terms of decisions making theory, abstract preferences are a source of uncertainty. They cannot be counted and measured because they are subjective. The evaluation of abstract preferences is carried out by expert methods in accordance with the chosen mathematical formalization theory. The methods of formalization of abstract preferences with the help of linguistic variables and fuzzy set theory are analyzed in the article. Linguistic constructions that characterize abstract preferences do not have a clear semantic meaning and are not always understood equally by the experts involved in their evaluation. The essence of abstract preferences is best revealed by the category of abstract relation, which is explored in the mathematical theory of choice and decisions making. The consumer uses his abstract preferences in the situation of choice as a certain qualitative characteristic, which is used to compare the objects of analysis. In order to compare any objects of analysis, they must be in an abstract relation to each other. The disclosure of the essence and content of this relation in a particular situation of choice is made by binary (paired) comparisons of the objects of analysis. Consumers' decision to purchase a good is regarded as a probabilistic event, which is influenced by the results of subjective evaluation of the choice factors and abstract preferences. The results of subjective evaluation of choice factors do not usually have a precise numerical form but represent intuitive linguistic constructions that the consumer imposes on his own abstract preferences. The method of the abstract preferences evaluation on the basis of expert comparisons of the product choice factors is proposed in the work, the features of its use in practical situation are considered.

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