Exploring the Potential Commercial Significance of Ratibida columnifera (Nutt.) Wooton & Standl. for the Green Industry

Abstract

seed should be harvested as close as possible to when natural dispersement would occur for optimum germination. Conjoint analysis was used to gain insight on consumer preferences for attributes and levels attributed to R. columnifera. A ratings-based conjoint analysis of petal colors, petal shapes, petal numbers, and prices was conducted to elucidate willingness to pay using data from 1000 subjects recruited using Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk). Petal color was the most important attribute, followed by price, petal shape, and petal number. Utility values revealed a preference for bicolor petals. Preferences for price went from least expensive to most expensive. Circular petals were favored over other shapes. Subjects also preferred inflorescences to have 10 petals or more. Cluster analysis yielded three consumer segments which differed in their utility values.