An Empirical Analysis of Latitude of Price Acceptance in Consumer Package Goods

Abstract

Scanner panel data analyses for sweetened and unsweetened drink categories (with four brands in each) support the presence of a region of price insensitivity around a reference price. The analyses also suggest that consumers with higher average reference price have a wider latitude of price acceptance. Consumers with a higher frequency of purchase (i.e., shorter average interpurchase time interval) are found to have a narrower latitude of price acceptance, because they are more aware of the range of price distributions. Finally, consumers with a higher average brand loyalty have a wider latitude of price acceptance, demonstrating greater tolerance of price fluctuations.