Golsa Omidvar - Department of Industrial Design, Alzahra University,Tehran, Iran.
Zahra Merrikhpour - Department of Industrial Design, Art and Architecture Faculty, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamadan, Iran.

Today, acknowledging the significance of consumer behavior across diverse domains is unavoidable. The imperative to satisfy customers lies in meeting their needs and expectations comprehensively when making purchasing decisions. This research adopts a blended quantitative and qualitative approach within the realm of applied research, employing the analytical descriptive method. The initial phase involves identifying and categorizing existing gas stove brands in the Hamadan market through field research and interviews. Subsequently, the pivotal criteria for determining product positioning, guided by the Marketing mix ۴Ps, were identified. To fulfill the research objectives, a questionnaire was developed using a ۵-point Likert scale, separately assessing domestic and foreign brands. The study encompassed ۲۲۴ women aged ۳۰-۵۰ from Hamadan city, selected through a non-probability sampling method. SPSS software facilitated the analysis of research results in two segments: descriptive statistics (frequency and data description) and inferential statistics (hypothesis validation through Friedman's test and dependent two-sample t-test). The test outcomes and perceptual maps revealed that domestic gas stoves outperformed foreign products in the price and distribution factors, lagged in the product factor, and stood equal in the promotional activity factor. Moreover, it was evident that women in Hamadan, aged ۳۰-۵۰, prioritize brand reputation when purchasing gas stoves.

Product positioning, Perceptual Mapping, Marketing mix ۴p, willingness to buy, Brand credibility