The Challenge

Applied Marketing Science (AMS) partnered with John Deere to develop the next generation of its entry-level sport all-terrain vehicles (ATVs). Facing increased competition from new and established brands, our client sought to understand the right features to include, what price they could charge and how much more they could charge based on their premium brand name.

What We Did

AMS assessed the sport ATV user experience with a range of entry-level vehicles made by various manufacturers. Topics covered a range of experiences, from the purchase process, vehicle design and aesthetics through all aspects of operating and owning sport ATV’s, such as engine start-up, fuel efficiency, all-terrain handling, brakes, accessories, maintenance, storage, brand preferences and price. AMS led the initiative, which involved:

• Qualitative research with sport ATV users, using our best-in-class techniques. Research involved interviews, ethnographic observation and an evaluation of social media and review sites. Results established the full range of functional and emotional user experiences and expectations.
• Quantitative research, including a conjoint tradeoff analysis, to establish the features that would differentiate the ATV manufactured by our client from those of the competition. Results established the value of individual features and vehicle brands, as well as how much ATV users would pay for each
• A “what-if” tool for scenario planning. This tool enabled our client to estimate its expected share, relative to the competition, on a variety of potential new vehicle offerings with a range of possible vehicle features and prices.

The Outcome

For the next model of the vehicle, the research directed our client to improve the smoothness of shifting, reduction of vibration and noise during operation, as well as providing faster acceleration speeds. The scenario-planning tool allowed the client to explore a variety of pricing options for these features, enabling the client to establish a price for their entry-level sport ATV that maximized its share in the marketplace.