Estimation of the Brand's Influence on Product Sales Based on Market Research Data

The aim of this article is to present an original statistical methodology suitable for the analysis of consumer survey data in the field of brand management. Specifically, the methodology is designed to analyse data capable of answering the question of how a product brand influences the customer’s final purchase decision. Based on market research data, the authors examine the weight and role of factors that ultimately lead customers to decide to purchase or not to purchase a product of a particular brand. An original application of a nonparametric statistical test is proposed, enabling the identification of the underlying motivations driving customers’ final decisions. The approach is essentially based on a comparative analysis of data obtained through market research surveys. The proposed analysis allows for the prediction of customer behaviour, final motivation, and the identification of statistically significant key factors influencing the decision to purchase (or not to purchase) a specific brand. The proposed methodology requires data from market research, particularly field survey data, which are commonly available in corporate marketing research. Relevant data may originate from customer polls or call centre records; however, the most robust results are achieved using organized surveys based on representative samples. In the case of representative samples, the analysis provides not only insights into which product attributes guide purchase decisions but also estimates of the probabilities associated with these decisions. When the sample is not representative, such probabilities cannot be reliably determined; nevertheless, the relative importance of individual product attributes motivating customer decisions can still be assessed. Brand choice and brand-related decision-making are inherently individual processes, sometimes driven by subconscious and spontaneous motivations, and at other times by deliberate and mature comparison. The article focuses on these aspects, including an orientation toward behavioural elements of consumer behaviour that can be inferred from data analysis.