Functional measurement in consumer evaluation of market products.

Understanding which product attributes influence the most consumer evaluation is central in marketing research. In particular, comprehension of niche market has become of fundamental importance to survive in modern open markets. Functional measurement techniques have been shown to be useful in identifying the cognitive rules underlying the integration of different product attributes. Based on this rationale, an analysis on footwear and shoe market was carried out. Potential buyers of a target product were presented with different profiles created by manipulating design, brand and price, and their preferences were recorded. Functional measurement and cluster analysis techniques were employed to identify patterns in cognitive behavior.