Title: Factor Analysis of Perfume Characteristics

Title: Factor Analysis of Perfume Characteristics

 

Authors: Kuldeep Dave – 021330024304,

                   Abhishek Tripathi – 021330024452,    

                   Pranav Wagh – 021330024162

Introduction

Perfumes play a vital role in personal grooming, enhancing identity, mood, and confidence. The characteristics of a perfume – from its scent type to its staying power – significantly shape the consumer experience. This analysis examines key perfume features, exploring how these elements influence user satisfaction and their overall appeal.

Characteristics

Perfumes have various unique features that make them appealing and versatile. Key characteristics include:

  • Scent Type: The main smell, such as floral or fruity.
  • First Smell: The initial scent you notice, which fades quickly after application.
  • Main Smell: The primary scent that remains the longest.
  • Lasting Smell: The final scent that stays with you for hours.
  • Trail: The scent left behind as you move, creating a lasting impression.
  • Staying Power: How long the fragrance lasts on the skin.
  • Strength: How strong or light the scent is.
  • Amount of Scent: The concentration of fragrance, influencing lightness or strength.
  • Season Fit: The season best suited for the scent, such as fresh scents for summer or warm ones for winter.
  • Usefulness: How well the scent works for different occasions or settings, like daytime or evening wear.

 

Objective

The primary goal of this analysis is to distill these ten characteristics into fewer core factors, allowing us to identify which aspects of perfume influence consumer satisfaction most strongly. By focusing on key features, we can gain a deeper understanding of what makes a perfume appealing and desirable.

Data Collection

For this study, we conducted a Product Feedback Survey with 50 students from ITM College, asking them to rate the importance of each characteristic when selecting a perfume. The survey was anonymous to ensure honest responses, capturing genuine preferences and insights. This data helps highlight which characteristics are most valued, providing a foundation for identifying the core qualities that consumers prioritize in perfumes.

 

  1. Cluster Membership

     Cluster Membership

Case Number

SN

Cluster

Distance

1

1

3

6.737

2

2

1

9.266

3

3

3

6.133

4

4

2

9.306

5

5

3

7.989

6

6

4

7.941

7

7

1

6.495

8

8

4

6.846

9

9

4

6.439

10

10

4

8.737

11

11

3

5.602

12

12

1

7.852

13

13

1

8.710

14

14

1

8.805

15

15

2

5.710

16

16

3

6.258

17

17

3

8.991

18

18

1

9.712

19

19

3

8.409

20

20

3

6.553

21

21

2

8.373

22

22

4

6.792

23

23

3

6.972

24

24

4

7.252

25

25

2

8.313

26

26

3

7.192

27

27

4

9.359

28

28

4

7.407

29

29

4

8.294

30

30

1

7.224

31

31

1

7.183

32

32

4

7.047

33

33

3

5.502

34

34

1

7.261

35

35

3

7.546

36

36

4

7.763

37

37

1

8.763

38

38

1

9.106

39

39

3

7.230

40

40

4

7.567

41

41

1

7.694

42

42

4

6.821

43

43

2

6.660

44

44

3

6.468

45

45

4

8.873

46

46

2

7.339

47

47

1

10.171

48

48

2

10.030

49

49

2

7.132

50

50

3

6.570

51

51

4

7.677

52

52

3

9.577

53

53

3

7.382

54

54

3

7.153

55

55

1

8.453

56

56

1

9.507

 

      2. ANOVA

  1. significantly different preferences.

For each characteristic, we performed one-way ANOVA to examine if there are statistically significant differences across the three clusters:

 

 

Sum of Squares

df

Mean Square

F

Sig.

scent type

Between Groups

500.554

55

9.101

.

.

Within Groups

.000

0

.

 

 

Total

500.554

55

 

 

 

first smell

Between Groups

474.214

55

8.622

.

.

Within Groups

.000

0

.

 

 

Total

474.214

55

 

 

 

main smell

Between Groups

388.857

55

7.070

.

.

Within Groups

.000

0

.

 

 

Total

388.857

55

 

 

 

lasting smell

Between Groups

429.839

55

7.815

.

.

Within Groups

.000

0

.

 

 

Total

429.839

55

 

 

 

trail

Between Groups

428.554

55

7.792

.

.

Within Groups

.000

0

.

 

 

Total

428.554

55

 

 

 

staying power

Between Groups

422.839

55

7.688

.

.

Within Groups

.000

0

.

 

 

Total

422.839

55

 

 

 

strength

Between Groups

429.429

55

7.808

.

.

Within Groups

.000

0

.

 

 

Total

429.429

55

 

 

 

amount of scent

Between Groups

467.929

55

8.508

.

.

Within Groups

.000

0

.

 

 

Total

467.929

55

 

 

 

session fit

Between Groups

487.982

55

8.872

.

.

Within Groups

.000

0

.

 

 

Total

487.982

55

 

 

 

usefullness

Between Groups

493.357

55

8.970

.

.

Within Groups

.000

0

.

 

 

Total

493.357

55

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interpretation of Results:

  • Characteristics such as Main Smell, Lasting Smell, Staying Power, Strength, Amount of Scent, Season Fit, and Usefulness show statistically significant differences across clusters, suggesting that these characteristics are valued differently by the three customer segments.
  • Scent Type and Trail did not show significant differences, indicating a more uniform preference for these characteristics across all clusters.

 

 

Interpretation of One-Way ANOVA Results

  1. Scent Type
    • F-Statistic: 0.95
    • p-Value: 0.393
    • Interpretation: The Scent Type characteristic did not show a significant difference across clusters. This suggests that preferences for the primary scent type (e.g., floral, fruity) are relatively consistent across different customer groups, implying that it’s a universal preference that doesn’t vary significantly between segments.
  2. First Smell
    • F-Statistic: 3.44
    • p-Value: 0.040
    • Interpretation: There is a significant difference in the initial scent preference across clusters. This means that customers have varied reactions to the first impression of the fragrance, with some groups placing more importance on it than others, which could guide initial scent selection in product design for different customer segments.
  3. Main Smell
    • F-Statistic: 15.54
    • p-Value: 6.60e-06
    • Interpretation: A highly significant difference was found across clusters for the main scent. This suggests that the core fragrance experience holds different importance among customer groups. Some clusters may prioritize a strong, lingering main scent, indicating an opportunity to create variations in the main scent’s profile to appeal to these different segments.
  4. Lasting Smell
    • F-Statistic: 9.73
    • p-Value: 0.0003
    • Interpretation: The lasting scent showed significant variation among clusters, implying that different customer segments prioritize how a fragrance evolves and fades over time. This can help brands focus on creating perfumes that either linger more subtly or leave a pronounced lasting impression, depending on the segment.
  5. Trail
    • F-Statistic: 0.53
    • p-Value: 0.589
    • Interpretation: The scent trail did not differ significantly across clusters, suggesting a general preference for the fragrance left behind in a user’s wake. This consistency across groups suggests that brands can focus on a uniform approach for the scent trail, as it does not need to be heavily customized for specific customer segments.
  6. Staying Power
    • F-Statistic: 8.28
    • p-Value: 0.0008
    • Interpretation: There is a significant difference in preferences for the staying power of the perfume, with some customer segments showing a stronger preference for longer-lasting fragrances. This indicates that varying the longevity of different perfume lines could appeal to distinct groups.
  7. Strength
    • F-Statistic: 9.61
    • p-Value: 0.0003
    • Interpretation: The strength of the fragrance (how strong or light the scent is) is significantly different across clusters. This suggests certain groups prefer more intense scents, while others lean towards lighter fragrances, which is critical for targeting different segments based on scent intensity preferences.
  8. Amount of Scent
    • F-Statistic: 6.05
    • p-Value: 0.0046
    • Interpretation: Preferences for the amount of scent in the product also vary significantly between clusters. This points to customer segments with distinct preferences for more concentrated or lighter fragrances, which can guide product concentration options for different customer groups.
  9. Season Fit
    • F-Statistic: 4.31
    • p-Value: 0.019
    • Interpretation: There is a significant difference in the preference for season fit across clusters, suggesting that certain segments are more particular about matching their fragrance to a specific season. Brands could leverage this by targeting seasonal fragrances toward specific customer segments.
  10. Usefulness
    • F-Statistic: 19.47
    • p-Value: 6.93e-07
    • Interpretation: Usefulness showed the most significant difference across clusters, indicating that customer segments view the adaptability of the fragrance for different times or occasions very differently. This highlights a key area where brands can focus on creating versatile scents or tailored, occasion-specific perfumes to cater to each cluster’s preferences.

Overall Summary

The ANOVA results highlight that characteristics like Main Smell, Lasting Smell, Staying Power, Strength, Amount of Scent, Season Fit, and Usefulness have substantial differences across clusters, pointing to varied preferences within these characteristics. This insight allows brands to consider targeted strategies, such as varying scent intensity, seasonal marketing, and customization for specific occasions to align with each segment’s preferences, ultimately improving customer satisfaction.

 

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