Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering Commons^™

Empirical Study Utilizing Qfd To Develop An International Marketing Strategy, Cassandra C. Elrod, Sarah M. Stanley, Elizabeth A. Cudney, Caroline Fisher

Business and Information Technology Faculty Research & Creative Works

Customer expectations can be extremely nebulous. This research identifies the demographic segmentations and their respective expectations for the spa market. Interviews were conducted and a subsequent questionnaire was employed to gather the voice of the customer and assess the expectations of spa clientele. All of the data was collected from luxury spas in Hawaii, and consisted of respondents from all over the world. Results of the survey suggest that while men want more tangible benefits of a spa, women prefer the experiential qualities of peace and rejuvenation. Additionally, those of lower to middle income focus on the atmosphere more than …