Preference analysis and product design in markets for elderly people: A comparison of methods and approaches

Abstract

The elderly people fraction is rapidly increasing in the industrialized countries. The average life expectancy for many Europeans is now over 80, and by 2,020 around 25% of the population will be over 65. It is known that with ageing the behavior changes and body condition starts to diminish. Hence, the urge for new products and services that meet the target group's needs, requirements, inspirations, and comfort is essential and promising for potential producers. As a result, it is a critical issue for market researchers to adjust their methods and techniques to those markets. The main focus of the paper is to suggest a new approach for measuring the preference of elders. The new approach can be used for designing products and services. It is based on well-known preference analysis methods (i.e., a combination of conjoint analysis and quality function deployment as with Baier 1998 or Pullman et al. 2002). The various approaches are discussed and implemented on elders. The development of a new mobile phone for elders is used as a demonstration and validation sample. © 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.