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Holistic Conjoint

Marco Vriens & Felix Eggers

Customer Needs and Solutions2025https://doi.org/10.1007/s40547-025-00159-4article
ABDC B
Weight
0.50

Abstract

In contemporary markets, consumers frequently face complex choice alternatives characterized by numerous features, making it challenging to measure the impact of those attributes on decisions using conjoint choice experiments. Consumers often simplify decision-making by employing heuristics or focusing on overarching benefits rather than meticulously evaluating each attribute. We propose and test a heuristic that assumes an energy-conserving consumer who evaluates a set of attributes holistically. We define the holistic dimension as the total number of features or benefits that a product or service offers. Our findings indicate that consumers utilize this holistic dimension as a heuristic. This insight has significant managerial implications. For instance, for consumers for whom the holistic dimension effect is positive and large, marketers should consider adding features to products even if consumers do not find the individual attributes very important. Additionally, we show that accounting for this heuristic in experimental designs enhances the reliability and validity of conjoint studies.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s40547-025-00159-4

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@article{marco2025,
  title        = {{Holistic Conjoint}},
  author       = {Marco Vriens & Felix Eggers},
  journal      = {Customer Needs and Solutions},
  year         = {2025},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s40547-025-00159-4},
}

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Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.