Investigating the Factors Affecting the Selection of Wooden Office Furniture by Customers

In order to gain competitive advantage, marketing managers to make decision on topics such as compete in developing market share, developing new products, changing prices, changing product features, and change advertise channels of distribution, have to study the needs, perceptions and behavior of customers.This research was carried out with the aim of investigating the factors affecting the choice of the wooden office furniture from customers using hierarchical analysis method.
By reviewing the research literature, the main factors and components were identified and its conceptual model was based on a combination pattern. By designing the questionnaire including the 5 main- indicators and 45 sub-indicators, Information gathered from 260 buyers of wooden office furniture in the designated areas of Tehran. . The importance degree of criteria and alternatives after getting expert’s opinions and applying analytical hierarchy process are determined. The questionnaire reliability was measured by Cronbach’s alpha test.
The characteristics of "process, quality and design" followed by "economic and after-sales" features had the most impact on the choice of office furniture from customers, as well as the sub-items such as quality of raw materials, foam and wood components, life The product benefits from the purchase price, Delivery time of the product, the internal environment of the product, the size and volume of the product at the time of presentation of technical specifications of the product and the superiority of the wooden office furniture products in comparison with similar products have the highest score.
In the wooden office furniture, the quality and design factors play a significant role in choosing customers unlike the home furniture, in which the most important element is elegance. Also, paying attention to the price and the proportion of sales price with the expected value of a product is one of the most important demands of customers in choosing wooden office furniture. Producers of such products must pay special attention to guarantee the product and its ability to be replaced for obtaining new export markets and consumer choice. From the consumer's point of view, the relatively low importance of the beauty, fashion, and branding of the wooden office furniture can be a sign of particular role of the strength and quality of the product and the weakness of the domestic manufacturers. On the other hand, many consumers are still not aware of the importance of brand role in the various wood industries. Successful branding in the wooden furniture industry will increase the competitiveness of manufactured products in comparison to similar products. It seems that attention to the results of this research can be a very good guide to meet needs of customers and achieving new markets for the export of such products.