Consumer Preferences for Cigarettes in Sudan-A Conjoint Analysis Approach

Abstract

Understanding Consumer’s preferences on attributes of cigarettes market is the first step to successful marketing strategies. The goal of this article is to explore the preferences of the smokers and to determine the way consumers perceive the importance of cigarettes attributes using conjoint analysis. Research was conducted on a sample of 416 users of cigarettes in Sudan and data were collected using a structured questionnaire. By implementing conjoint analysis, the current study investigates how consumers do tradeoff between preferences of number of attributes and the importance they attached to each of these cigarettes' attributes. The four attributes that are dealt within this study are the social status, availability, quality and price of cigarettes. Though the preferences of the various consumers vary, the results show that while price, quality and availability are important attributes, the social status is the most preferred attribute in the cigarettes industry in Sudan. The findings of the current study provide essential implications for marketers in developing future marketing strategies and for investment in this sector.