Behavior-Predicting Discrete Choice Simulations (Conjoint Analysis and MaxDiff)
Choice-based market research, including conjoint analysis and maximum difference scaling (MaxDiff), are statistical techniques used to measure consumer preferences for different product features. This helps businesses predict which features are most important to customers to inform product development, messaging, and pricing decisions.
Sunseed’s research designs use the power of discrete choice analysis to create predictive simulations on an array of business challenges. From perfecting product features, price, design, and messaging to selecting the product that is most likely to win at the shelf; Sunseed helps businesses simulate real-world consumer behavior to predict what is most important to current and potential buyers.
Understanding CONSUMER CHOICE
Consumers make thousands of decisions each day. It’s no surprise they often have a hard time explaining why they make the choices they do.
Differences between consumers’ reported behavior and their actual behavior can be a nightmare for business planning. Discrete choice and conjoint models work by simulating real-world consumer behavior.
Sunseed’s Choice-Based Research
Sunseed Research’s choice-based research designs recreate real-life scenarios, allowing consumers to better identify their likely choices. Sunseed mathematically derives the weight of the underlying components which impact conscious and subconscious consumer purchase decisions, preferences, and importance.
Additionally, Sunseed can help you understand how preferences shift across your customer segments, their demographics, and other key factors.
Market Research. Simplified.
Explore our comprehensive portfolio of Market Research Services to discover how Sunseed can make your business grow.
Industry-Leading Advanced Statistical Analysis
Business is full of complex decisions, producing patterns that are often difficult to interpret. Our expert research team has decades of experience analyzing and identifying the patterns in complex market data that can help businesses grow and compete in the marketplace.
Data Visualization Designed for Maximum Insights
Every research project is delivered by using stunning multi-dimensional data visualizations to communicate a visual story. In fact, visualizing information isn’t just a deliverable; it’s a critical step in our analytical process.

Anticipate and Direct
Secure Your Competitive Advantage
Prioritize Features
Determine must-have and unnecessary features
Optimize new designs
Illuminate the most appealing sets of features
Measure brand impact
Understand the impact of brand (yours, and your competitors) on product choice
optmize price
Choose the best price based on features, brand, and competition
Select Ideal Product Packaging
Evaluate various designs across customer segments for preference and differentiation
Optimize Messaging
Isolate the best performing promotions and messaging to use when marketing your product
Guide Strategy
with Sunseed’s Powerful Consumer Behavior Simulators
Sunseed’s online Consumer Behavior Simulators provide the ability to introduce optimized products into a market mix. By simulating competitive mixes, you have the power at your fingertips to predicted changes in demand and share preference – helping you secure a competitive advantage.

CASE STUDY: Winning in higher education using research and insight
Research Topics: Advertising Research, Audience Research, Modeling/Simulation Studies, Segmentation Studies, Survey Research
The need for a differentiated and effective messaging strategy in higher education is more important than ever before. At Purdue University there is an ongoing desire to understand the audiences it serves through research and insight. In 2022, Purdue University and Sunseed Research partnered to understand how the university’s brand pillars resonated with its audiences, how this changed at different points in the decision-making journey and how they could best optimize messaging for the future.

Using a MaxDiff approach to test messaging
Through this partnership, we wanted to learn whether the reasons to believe (RTBs) we had developed over time resonated with our audiences, how this changed at different points in the decision-making journey and how we could best optimize our messaging for the future. We explored multiple approaches and decided that a MaxDiff approach would be the ideal methodology to answer our questions. Using MaxDiff allowed us to test 30 different messages that touched upon Purdue University’s brand pillars.
TURF: Creating meaningful connections by improving messaging
While knowing which message to use is critical, we also needed to know which mix of message(s) would give us the greatest likelihood of making a meaningful connection. Using TURF (total unduplicated reach and frequency), we were able to determine which combination of messages would appeal to the greatest number in each of our audiences.
“The online simulator provides an excellent opportunity to be strategic and tactical. With the simulator we are able to self-serve and war-game without having to continually bring in a partner for additional analysis.”
-Ashley Miller
Principal of Marketing Insights & Analytics at Purdue University
Bring your data to life.
Uncover your data story with Sunseed.
Every research project we deliver uses stunning multi-dimensional data visualizations to communicate a precise visual story. Indeed, visualizing information isn’t just a deliverable; it’s a critical step in our analytical process.
Sunseed Research transforms what you know about your customers and market. You will understand how far your brand can go, how the market perceives you and your competition, where the market is headed, who your customers are and their needs, the precise path for purchasing your product, and your product’s optimal configuration and price point.
Whether you want to boost sales, find more customers, or improve your customer experience, Sunseed Research will create the right strategy to find the information you need to maximize your results.
Visualizing Sunseed’s Discrete Choice Modeling MaxDiff and TURF
The Science of Business
When you’re ready to get started, we’re ready to do whatever it takes to make sure your market research is successful. From custom research design to ongoing best-practice guidance, we’re here to help.