UV protection for the scalp

: a mixed methods approach investigating adoption intention and willingness to pay in the German market

Abstract

In recent years, the beauty industry has undergone significant disruptive changes, particularly in the haircare segment, one of its most innovative and fast­paced segments. While experts consider the scalp care market as being in its infancy and with high growth potential, there has been an increased awareness of the importance of UV protection in skincare. Consequently, Head & Shoulders considers launching a shampoo with UV protection for the scalp to address the growing concerns about harmful effects caused by UV radiation. This study investigates consumer and product characteristics that drive adoption intention and willingness to pay for a UV­shampoo and determines the primary target audience. Therefore, a mixed­methodsapproach was used with qualitative expert and consumer interviews followed by a quantitative survey analysis with 213 participants. Findings reveal that consumer innovativeness and social group conformity influence adoption intention, although with a stronger effect for consumer innovativeness. Further, results indicate that willingness to pay is strongly influenced byadoption intention, while the perceived degree of innovation and understanding of the product’s utility, as well as consumers’ innovativeness have a significant yet unstable effect. Additionally, increasing consumers' interest in purchasing the UV­shampoo is important in achieving higher willingness to pay, while the price premium of 27% was consistent with findings in previous research. Moreover, women were more inclined to acquire the UV­shampoo, while no significant influence of income nor age was found on adoption intention. Lastly, managerial implications and limitations for Head & Shoulders are discussed.

Date of Award	23 Jan 2023
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Miguel Rita (Supervisor)