Factors Influential in Consumers’ Furniture Selection and the ...

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Abstract

A consumer chooses furniture to match a lifestyle; comfort is an important factor, but so are the time, energy and money spent on making such choice. To meet the expectations and needs of individuals and families; furniture usability, durability, appropriateness, comfort, flexibility, exposure time as well as the price and cost of maintenance must be taken into consideration. This study was designed and carried out to determine which factors determined the furniture preferences of consumers and what were the most preferred furniture features. Six hundred and thirty-four of 5 thousand and fifty-eight married people working in the Campuses of Hacettepe University (Ankara, Turkey) were selected for the study using the systematic sampling method. SPSS 11.5 program was used to analyze the data obtained at the end of the study. Among the factors influential in consumers’ selection of furniture, the average score of the durability factor was found to be high for both genders. Similar results were obtained when the situation was examined by considering education level. Regarding the preferences of consumers regarding living room, dining room and bedroom furniture features; the average score of the durability factor was found to be high for both men and women. At all education levels, the average scores of durability and economy factors regarding the preferences about living room furniture features were equal and the highest; whereas, the average scores of aesthetics for dining room furniture and durability for bedroom furniture were found to be the highest among all average scores.