Studying population segmentation using a consumer ideal point model

 Consumers vary in what they like and dislike. They may cluster into groups or segments of similar-minded individuals, but it is often difficult to determine what causes segments to exist.  An analysis of variance on liking ratings is often used to determine if a group × product interaction exists.  However, the mere identification of an interaction does not reveal why the interaction occurs or how to design products that are optimal for each subgroup.  In this presentation we introduce an approach based on consumer ideal point modeling allowing the identification of the subgroups’ locations in the sensory space and the generation of the corresponding optimal sensory profiles.