بررسی رابطه بین تنوع محصولات و میزان جذب مشتری (مورد مطالعه صنایع تولید کیک و بیسکویت در شهرک صنعتی ولایت هرات)

Abstract

Abstract

In contemporary competitive markets, product variety has become a central pillar of marketing strategy and a critical mechanism for enhancing customer attraction and market differentiation. However, the effective management of product diversity—particularly within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing economies—remains constrained by structural and managerial challenges, including the paradox of choice and escalating operational costs associated with diversification. This study empirically investigates the impact of product variety and its principal dimensions—namely product type, packaging, quality, and price—on customer attraction within cake and biscuit manufacturing firms located in the Herat Industrial Park. The research adopts an applied, quantitative design. The statistical population consists of 245 employees from production firms, from which a sample of 151 respondents was drawn using Cochran’s sampling formula to ensure statistical representativeness. Data were collected through a structured field questionnaire, and instrument reliability was confirmed via Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (α = 0.937), indicating a high level of internal consistency. Statistical analysis was conducted using Pearson correlation in SPSS. The results reveal a statistically significant and positive relationship between overall product variety and customer attraction (r = 0.663, p < 0.001). Disaggregated analysis further shows that all dimensions of product variety exhibit significant positive correlations with customer attraction: product quality (r = 0.702), packaging (r = 0.635), price (r = 0.541), and product type (r = 0.590). The coefficient of determination (R²) indicates that diversity in product quality accounts for the largest proportion of variance in customer attraction (49.3%), whereas diversity in product type accounts for the smallest (29.3%). Overall, the findings underscore that product variety—particularly in terms of quality and price differentiation—constitutes a decisive factor in enhancing customer attraction. It is therefore recommended that firms adopt strategically calibrated diversification approaches grounded in a nuanced understanding of local consumer preferences and purchasing behavior. Such alignment is essential for achieving sustainable competitive advantage in resource-constrained and dynamically evolving market environments.