Competitor detection: an investigation of consumers' perceived similarity

• Amata Ring ^[1] ; Karin Teichmann ^[2]
  1. [1] University of Vienna

     University of Vienna

     Innere Stadt, Austria

     
  2. [2] University of Innsbruck

     University of Innsbruck

     Innsbruck, Austria

     
• Localización: Tourism analysis, ISSN 1083-5423, Vol. 16, Nº. 4, 2011, págs. 405-418
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • This article focuses on the consumer's perception of skiing destinations in terms of competitive position in consumers' minds. More specifically, the article explores factors that shape individuals' perceptions about which destinations compete with each other while centering on the categorization process itself. To detect competitors in customers' minds, unconstrained sorting data is used. Results are further analyzed by means of three different methods: hierarchical clustering, (spherical) MDS, and nondisjunctive clustering. A comparison of the findings shows that all three approaches produce rather consistent results. National boundaries are the dominant factor for the categorization of skiing destinations. In addition, the emotional element of luxury is a relevant criterion to detect competing destinations. The study provides theoretical and managerial implications.