Conjoint analysis of high-performance fabrics for mountaineering jacket

Abstract

Conjoint analysis is a method for measuring and modeling consumer preferences for multiattribute alternatives. The purpose of this research was to determine the preferred high-performance fabrics for a mountaineering jacket to identify those fabric attributes best suited to the consumer's needs. A conjoint analysis was conducted using 120 samples taken from mountaineering club members including university students and amateur hikers, who ranked their preferences in the selection of a hypothetical jacket based on the profiles derived from an orthogonal design. Our results show that the water/windproof attribute was the most important in choosing a hypothetical jacket (27.6 %), followed by price (24.9 %), breathability (24.8 %), durability (18.1 %), and weight (4.6 %).