Multivariate analysis applied in the initial phase of the development of a new eco-friendly product

The development of products that do not harm the environment is a major concern of manufacturing companies. Market research and statistical methods are used to access consumer preferences and are useful to build in features that encourage the consumer to choose products with sustainable characteristics. This paper presents a research proposal for the initial phase in the development of a household-cleaning product with environment friendly characteristics. The aim is to illustrate multivariate statistical procedures that will provide data to guide the R&D team to design a sustainable appealing solution. Qualitative interview is used to elicit consumer's requirements for the product purchase, use and discard phases. Factor analysis is used to prioritize the most important requirements from consumers. Conjoint analysis is used to allow consumers to make trade-offs between those requirements considering a set of combinations and correspondence analysis is used to associate the requirements with consumers' characteristics. The combined use of such procedures generates information that contributes to the understanding of what elements are essential for the consumer perception about the product benefits. This information is important to guide the buy-collaborate-make decision in the acquisition stage of Technology Management concerning the product-system life-cycle.