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Abstract
A tenet of the marketing concept holds that businesses exist to satisfy customer wants and needs. Firms can satisfy those wants and needs only to the extent that they understand their customers. Therefore, an understanding of consumer behavior is important. In this paper, we describe consumer behavior research methods with respect to forest products. We note a trend toward increasing sophistication in the methods used to collect consumer data. However, the increasingly sophisticated methods have presented new challenges. As evidence of these trends, we provide descriptive examples of recent consumer behavior research conducted at Forintek Canada Corporation, Oregon State University, and Virginia Tech. Results suggest increased scrutiny is advisable with respect to sampling error in traditional mail surveys. In addition, there are myriad challenges to conducting consumer behavior research, especially when done in cooperation with large retailers. We strive to inform the field of methodological challenges and encourage further development of consumer research specific to the forest sector.
Consumer behavior research is the scientific study of the processes consumers use to select, secure, use, and dispose of products and services that satisfy their needs. The study of consumer behavior can be categorized based on who does the buying - intermediary customers (e.g., wholesalers, distributors, retailers, and secondary manufacturers) or final consumers (do-it-yourselfers and homeowners). In either case, knowledge of consumer behavior directly affects marketing strategy. This is because of the marketing concept, i.e., the idea that firms exist to satisfy customer needs (Winer 2000). Firms can satisfy those needs only to the extent that they understand their customers. For this reason, marketing strategies must incorporate knowledge of consumer behavior into every facet of a strategic marketing plan (Solomon 2002).
In most cases, forest products marketing research has focused on the behavior of intermediary customers. Presumably, the attention given these customer groups is because about 40 percent of the demand for forest products is derived from new home construction (Rich 1970, Taylor 1999). However, the advent of forest certification, and its associated marketing implications, has shifted more research toward final consumers. Although general marketing principles apply to both final consumers and intermediary customers, several differences exist (Winer 2000): 1) demand for intermediate products is derived from underlying final consumer demand; 2) many intermediate products...