Investor Segments by Perceived Project Risk and Their Characteristics Based on Primary Research Results

Abstract

Our research focuses on investment initiatives. The perceived risks are analysed from the consumer’s viewpoint, i.e., the client’s perspective, from the standpoint of the project. In the literature, there are several risk interpretations and classifications. We assumed it could be interesting and valuable to approach investment projects from a consumer-oriented viewpoint, considering that the perceived and consumer-identified set of risks is a major determinant of the outcome of a decision. In addition to relevant secondary sources, we also present partial results of our primary research project. A pre-tested, standardised online questionnaire was employed in the primary study, using a snowball sampling approach generating 1545 evaluable questionnaires. As a result of the research, we were able to segment the customer (investor) target groups into various categories depending on the perceived project risk. We have established the orientation directions along which these segments may well be meaningfully described in terms of perceived investment risk concerns and socio-demographic characteristics that influence cluster membership. In our opinion, the findings may be a useful source of information for investment project developers looking to identify consumer groups based on risk perception and build project solutions for them.