A Study on Apple Preferences Using Best-Worst Scaling Method

This study used the best-worst scaling method to analyze consumer preferences for apple attributes. The results indicated that internal quality attributes, such as sweetness and texture, were considered more important than external attributes like color, size, and shape. This highlights a discrepancy between appearance-based standardized agricultural grading criteria and consumer preferences. The relatively low importance of external quality supports the feasibility of commercializing non-standard apples. Also, as climate change makes red coloration more difficult to achieve during cultivation, this implies the potential for introducing climate-adaptive varieties with diverse skin colors. Domestic origin was perceived as a neutral attribute, suggesting that consumer preference can be enhanced by strengthening origin branding based on local food approaches that improve reliability, safety, and producer-consumer relationships. Packaging unit and certification were identified as the least important attributes, suggesting the need for open-format distribution systems and a reconsideration of current certification practices. However, the heterogeneity analysis revealed that larger households assigned relatively greater importance to domestic origin and nutritional content, suggesting the necessity of segmented information and certification strategies tailored to consumer groups.