The results of marketing research on the options of a “smart” high-speed platform

Objective: To compose a portrait of a typical consumer for various optional lines of equipping a high- speed platform car (“smart” car) with an on-board telemetry system. Methods: The means and methods of marketing, rolling questioning, statistical processing of information, comparison, general systems theory, systemic and economic analyzes, logistics, terminology, visualization are used. Results: Optional lines have been developed for each variant of the technical design of the car, based on the results of processing the questionnaires of the respondents, a portrait of a typical consumer has been compiled; some recommendations on the composition of options in each version of the high-speed platform have been made. Practical importance: The results obtained can be applied when entering the market in terms of establishing optional lines for the design of a high-speed platform and cost. Further research should be aimed at a more detailed study of market segments with the development of the best price and functional-option solutions for the final target consumer.

Influences on Consumer Engagement with Sustainability and the Purchase Intention of Apparel Products

Apparel and textile products are filling landfills and contributing to extensive waste found across the world. Much of the textile waste is due to the typical consumer not being aware of the care for, disposal of, and sustainable options for textile products. To identify consumers’ intention to engage in sustainable practices and the intention to purchase sustainable apparel options, this study measured consumers’ attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral controls. Data were collected from a sample of 397 participants through a Qualtrics online survey disseminated on Amazon’s MTurk. Results of the multiple regression analysis yielded three of note: (1) a positive attitude toward recycling and the environment is related to a higher intention to engage in sustainable behavior, (2) a positive attitude toward green apparel products leads to a higher intention to purchase sustainable products, and (3) family and friends and the convenience of finding sustainable apparel products in stores have also influenced the purchase of sustainable apparel. Thus, this study provides significant insights into both intention to engage in sustainable behavior and the intention to purchase sustainable products and serves as a foundation for future studies on the sustainable engagement and purchase intention toward sustainable products.

Factors affecting the purchase behaviour of farmers’ markets consumers

The main purpose of this study is to determine the factors that motivate consumers who shop at farmers’ markets. The data for this study were gathered from questionnaires of 363 consumers from eight farmers’ markets in seven districts of Izmir province, Turkey. To reveal the consumer profile of the farmers’ markets examined in this study, consumer segments were determined using factor and cluster analysis. Two different consumer segments—‘conventional’ and ‘conscious’—were identified in the farmers’ markets examined. ‘Conventional Consumers’ reflect typical consumer behaviours and give more importance to factors such as the location of and access to the market, quality and freshness of the products, activities at and around the market and the availability and variety of products. ‘Conscious Consumers’, in contrast, represent a group that is more sensitive about food safety. The majority of consumers (63.64%) who visited farmers’ markets were from the Conscious Consumer segment. The majority of the consumers who visit farmers’ markets are conscious consumers, requiring the strategies related to these markets to be revised. Farmers’ markets should be improved in terms of selecting vendors, food safety, physical facilities and social activities.

Aprendizagem de Máquina Aplicada a Consumidores Comerciais Buscando Identificar Padrões Atípicos de Consumo de Energia Elétrica Utilizando o Software R

The electricity distribution network is responsible for supplying energy to consumers in the National Interconnected System, serving 99% of consumers in Brazil. There are two types of losses in this network: technical losses and non-technical losses or commercial losses. In the case of non-technical losses, the focus of this work, the existence of these results in a higher tariff for all consumers, so that the concessionaire can compensate for such reduction in revenue. Non-technical losses are usually associated with fraud (meter tampering or deviations). The main objective of this work is the application of machine learning techniques, using software R, to identify possible fraudulent behaviors of commercial consumers in the state of Santa Catarina. Considering data from typical consumer load curves and functional information from the company. Preliminary results, using real data from consumers, indicate that the SVM classifier used performed well in the cases studied, achieving precision and accuracy greater than 90%. The input variables selected for the classifier, based mainly on data and information from typical load curves, are the differential of this work, as well as the main reason for the success in the initial tests.

SURVEY OF THE CONSUMER ATTITUDE OF TOURISTS VISITING SOUTH TRANSDANUBIA, HUNGARY

The primary goal of the survey conducted was to work out adequate methods for the exploration of the consumer attitudes of tourists visiting South Transdanubia (Hungary) and to typify these attitudes, especially to analyse tourists’ behaviour concerning local products. The source of the primary findings of the paper is a guest questionnaire survey conducted in 2018. These data were analysed – relying on professional literature – by cluster analysis and factor analysis. During the research comprehensive information was gained about the typical consumer habits of tourists arriving at South Transdanubia, which habits show several similarities and matches to consumer trends revealed by the literature research. Getting to know these consumer attitudes allowed the authors to create consumer types with the help of which the structure and size of the potential consumer base can be known.

Analysis of technical solutions for a pallet car

Objective: Drawing on the results of the conducted marketing research, to work out a portrait of a potential consumer of groupage cargo transportation in a pallet wagon and a matrix of market consumer expectations with an assessment of customer focus and effective demand; provide a list of technical requirements for the car, potential routes, additional options and services for the transportation of groupage cargo in a pallet car, on the basis of which to evaluate possible options for technical solutions. Methods: Comparative analysis and assessment of the obtained analytical dependencies are applied; the need for options based on statistical processing of respondents’ answers is justified. Results: Technical solutions in several versions are recommended, the concept of a covered wagon with a large-volume body and an increased length of the loading and unloading front, with a draft gear, in a single-storey design, was proposed as a general one when a pallet car enters the market. An integral assessment of the opinions of respondents was carried out, by means of statistical analysis and visualization of the results obtained, a typical consumer was characterized. Practical importance: Marketing research data can be used when entering the market in terms of establishing optional lines of technical performance of rolling stock and its cost.

Serviceability Assessment of a Printed Finish on T-Shirts

To improve the comfort of agricultural workers, a T-shirt with a printed active cooling finish was evaluated to determine if it would meet the wash life durability and performance expectations of such an arduous application. Six shirts with a printed phase change material (PCM) finish and six shirts without (control) were washed 50 times to replicate a typical consumer wash life. Shirts were evaluated for absorbency, dimensional change, colorfastness, crocking, abrasion resistance, soil release, and smoothness retention according to AATCC and ASTM standard test methods. Testing was conducted before laundering and after 1, 5, 10, 20, 30, 35, 40, 45, and 50 consumer laundry (CL) cycles. Absorbency and dimensional change were significantly influenced by the PCM finish. Results demonstrate the appropriateness of adopting such a finish technology for agricultural worker clothing applications.

Agent‐based modeling of new product market diffusion: an overview of strengths and criticisms

Market diffusion of new products is driven by the actions and reactions of consumers, distributors, competitors, and other stakeholders, all of whom can be heterogeneous in their individual characteristics, attitudes, needs, and objectives. These actors may also interact with others in various ways (e.g., through word of mouth or social influence). Thus, a typical consumer market constitutes a complex system whose behavior is difficult to foresee because stochastic impulses may give rise to complex emergent patterns of system reactions over time. Agent-based modeling, a relatively novel approach to understanding complex systems, is well equipped to deal with this complexity and, therefore, may serve as a valuable tool for both researchers studying particular market effects and practitioners seeking decision support for determining features of products under development or the appropriate combination of measures to accelerate product diffusion in a market. This paper provides an overview of the strengths and criticisms of such tools. It aims to encourage researchers in the field of innovation management, as well as practitioners, to consider agent-based modeling and simulation as a method for gaining deeper insights into market behavior and making better-informed decisions.

A Question-Based Method to Calculate the Human Appropriation of Land for Food (HALF) Index

Global dietary consumption strongly determines agricultural land requirements. Yet, it is currently difficult for individual consumers to quantify the environmental impact of their individual diet. One relatively easy to understand metric is the Human Appropriation of Land for Food (HALF) index. The HALF index expresses the global land area percentage required for food production were the global population to consume one specific diet. Calculation of the HALF index is not trivial, making the index not suitable for individual consumers to assess their personal diet. The aim of this research is to develop and test a new method to calculate a personalized HALF index based on a limited set of multiple-choice questions that can be answered by a typical consumer. Considering the sensitivity of the original HALF index, we developed a set of ten multiple-choice questions that focus on the type and quantity of consumed animal products in addition to staple foods and overall consumption quantity. To illustrate a potential implementation, we present our question-based HALF index calculator in the form of an online graphical user interface. Across a sample of 23 country-specific diets, the question-based HALF index closely matches the original HALF index with a regression slope of near unity (r2 = 0.94, p < 0.001). Our results indicate that the question-based HALF index can be used by individual consumers to quantify the consequences of their dietary choices on land use for agriculture.