How does species name affect consumer choice? An analysis and implications for cabinet door marketers

Consumers choose products based on various tangible and intangible attributes. Previous research has shown that there is a difference between appearance-based and word-based evaluations ofwood species. However, little research has been done on how this difference affects consumer choice. This study examined how the presence or absence of a species name affects a cabinet door's popularity in the Pacific Northwest (including Alaska). The results showed significant difference between appearance-based and species name-based preferences for cabinet doors. For example, respondents chose cherry and red oak cabinet doors more often when the doors were labeled with the species name than when they were not labeled. In contrast, red alder was chosen less often when the doors were labeled with the species name. This suggests that certain species names should be emphasized in cabinet door marketing while others should be avoided. Age and income demographic segments are analyzed and managerial implications are discussed.