2019 Volume 48 Issue 3 Pages 71-83
Quality can be divided into objective elements, such as material characteristics, and subjective elements, such as beauty. The latter is called perceived quality, and in recent years, it has been emphasized more than the objective elements. In the automobile industry, perceived quality is one of the most important determinants of competitiveness. However, being a subjective concept, the estimation of its quantitative effect is insufficient. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the influence of the perceived quality of car exteriors on the customers' willingness to pay (WTP) by conducting a randomized controlled trial (RCT). In the RCT, participants were randomly assigned to two groups, with the homogeneity of each group confirmed by including items such as gender, age, household income, and so on in the recruiting survey. WTP was measured using the contingent valuation method to evaluate responses to an open-ended question. Among ``Color, Material, and Finish (CMF)''---the constituents of perceived quality---Finish was focused on. Evaluation through the Brunner-Munzel test showed a significant difference in the results. Although quantitative evaluation using statistical methods has mainly focused on objective elements of products, this study shows that it is possible to evaluate even the sensory elements of design finish from a consumer perspective, such as WTP.
