MaxDiff in Travel Retail: Cutting Through the Noise

At Pi Insight, we utilise a wide range of research methodologies depending on the objectives of the project and the specific questions our clients are trying to answer. However, one trend we’ve seen accelerating recently is the growing use of more advanced methodologies, particularly MaxDiff. In fact, we currently have two separate MaxDiff projects running right now.

While MaxDiff has been widely used in domestic FMCG and consumer research for many years, it is only now starting to gain significant traction within Travel Retail. We’ve been using the methodology on selected projects for a number of years, but historically it has tended to feature only occasionally. Today, however, more brands are recognising the value it can bring and how MaxDiff cuts through the noise and helps answer one of the most important questions in consumer research: what truly matters most to shoppers?

Rather than asking consumers to rate a long list of attributes independently, respondents are presented with smaller groups of options and asked to identify the most important and least important. By repeating this exercise across multiple combinations, a clear hierarchy of priorities emerges.
MaxDiff mirrors the way shoppers make decisions in the real world.

Consumers rarely evaluate every feature in isolation; they make trade-offs. For example, if you’re a category or brand owner looking to understand what drives purchase, MaxDiff provides the true decision higherachy and defines whether that purchase is being made due to brand reputation, product quality, price, promotions, sustainability, exclusives or staff recommendations.

This is why we’re seeing growing interest in the methodology. It creates genuine prioritisation, forces realistic trade-offs, removes the classic “everything is important” problem and provides a much clearer understanding of the factors driving decision-making. The result is more focused investment, stronger strategic direction and a robust basis for segmentation and targeting.

If you’d like to learn more about how MaxDiff or other advanced research methodologies can be applied to your business challenges, please get in touch!