Multidimensional Scaling Analysis: An Application to Positioning Cosmetic Brands

Positioning is one of the most powerful marketing concepts. The importance of knowing the position of the product because the positioning is part of the broader marketing strategy which includes three basic decision levels, namely segmentation, targeting and positioning. In statistics, a method that can describe the positioning is Multidimensional Scaling (MDS). The purpose of multidimensional scaling is to provide a visual description of the proximity pattern as similarities or distances between a set of objects. Cosmetic products always get the attention of women including students as consumers who tend to always follow lifestyle trends that involve physical appearance and beauty. This study finds out the position of Wardah cosmetics compared to nine other brands on the market based on the attributes that influence consumers’ perceptions in buying cosmetics. The observed variables in this research are attributes of cosmetic products which are: brand, packaging, price, and ingredients. By using the MDS method, the results show that Wardah cosmetics are in the positive zone when viewed from packaging and safe material and suitable for the skin, but Wardah is in the negative zone when viewed from brand popularity and inexpensive.