The Analysis of Factors Affecting New Product Categorization (Case Study: Lactivia Drinking-Yogurt)

While introducing new products, the producers disregard the consumers’ point of view and only focus on their own ideas. Being new to the consumer occurs when they do not consider the product similar to any of the products they have ever seen and they give it a distinct identity. Drinking yogurt is a new product class that has recently been produced by Kaleh Company with a specific brand of Lactivia in the Iranian market. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the factors that cause consumer to consider Lactovia drinking yogurt as a new product class in a distinct product class and also to identify the importance of these factors in product classification.  

The present study is applied in terms of purpose and is qualitative in terms of data collection method. The statistical population of the study included all citizens of the two cities of Sari and Tehran who were exposed to Lactivia drinking yogurt advertisement or who have consumed it. Finally, 39 individuals were selected based on non-probabilistic purposeful sampling method and using theme analysis the signs and the source that consumers used to assign the product class were identified.  

A total of 13 product classes and 9 signs were obtained. The findings showed that in the process of classification of a new product, customers’ experience of using similar products, advertising messages and their relatives’ comments about the product as well as the mixed uniqueness of the product are the leading factors. Sixty two percent of those who have only consumed lactivia, consider it in the "diluted yogurt" class and "the shape of the product" was the most common sign they used to classify the product.    

Product classification differs among consumers based on the product benefits and characteristics and according to the importance of the brand sign. If the product is highly important, “the benefits and characteristics” of the product is the main factor in the classification; otherwise, the similarity with the existing products determines the product class. Increasing the perceived fit between the shape and the name of the product makes the consumers to assign the product into the category which is associated with its name. The incompatibility of the shape of the product with the existing classes can lead to the classification of that product as a new product. The creativity on how to consume a new product increases the likelihood that it will be considered as a new class. If product benefits are of high importance, the determining factor of the product class is the dominant characteristics of that product; otherwise, the shape of the product is decisive. The new product name is one of the most fundamental signs to classify that product as a new product. The difference in shape and color of the product packaging from similar existing products is one of the requirements for classifying that product as a new one. The inclusion of the parent brand on the product makes the consumer resist considering it as a new product.