A developing area of product research deals with the relation among product variables when these product variables are rated by the same panelist or by two or more groups of panelists. This paper presents a study of the attributes of margarine, showing the depth of information about consumer perceptions and drivers of liking that emerges from a detailed analysis of relations among attributes. The paper considers three analyses of attribute relations: principal components analysis to identify basic dimensions of perception, linear functions relating overall liking to attribute liking or to image ratings, respectively, and quadratic functions relating overall liking or image ratings to sensory attribute levels. The analyses show how consumer data that can be tapped for learning about the consumer perceptions on the one hand, and for product development guidance on the other.

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