Multi-Attribute Preference Formation in Geographically Differentiated Agri-Food Products

Abstract

Chilean pisco, a geographically differentiated agro-industrial product protected by a Denomination of Origin (DO), faces a changing consumption environment characterized by greater emphasis on perceived quality, authenticity, and product differentiation. Understanding how consumers evaluate product attributes is relevant for examining preference formation in agri-food products with territorial identity. This study analyzes consumer preferences for Chilean pisco by identifying the relative importance of product attributes using conjoint analysis (CA). A survey was applied to 402 consumers in Chile using an orthogonal fractional factorial design comprising nine product profiles defined by price, alcohol content, color, and brand recognition. The model estimated part-worth utilities and relative attribute importance under trade-off conditions. Results show that price had the highest relative importance (RI = 36.5%), followed by alcohol content (26.2%), and color (21.6%), while brand recognition showed the lowest (15.7%). The preferred profile combines medium price (β = 0.809), well-known brand (β = 0.448), high alcohol content (45% vol.) (β = 0.333), and clear color (β = 0.098). Consumer preference formation follows a hierarchical structure in which attributes contribute differently to overall preference. It is concluded that, within the evaluated product category, competitiveness strategies should prioritize coherent price positioning and sensory consistency alongside brand differentiation. These findings contribute to understanding consumer behavior in agro-industrial products with territorial identity and provide empirical evidence relevant to the differentiation of geographically protected products.

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