التكامل الاقتصادي
Volume 14, Numéro 1, Pages 585-604
2026-03-31
Perceptual Segmentation And Preference Polarization: A Cognitive Approach To Price–quality Positioning In The Algerian Sauce Market
Authors : Belhocine Hamid . Ould Taleb Ouramdane .
Abstract
This study investigates consumers’ perceptual and cognitive dynamics in the sauce and condiment market by jointly examining aided brand awareness, price perception, and perceived quality. Drawing on original survey data and an integrative analytical framework, the results reveal a strongly polarized competitive structure. LESIEUR is consistently associated with a premium positioning supported by price-based quality signaling, whereas FLEURIAL occupies a position of controlled price neutrality that stabilizes consumer expectations. The joint analysis of price and quality perceptions highlights the existence of a perceptual gradient that structures cognitive trade-offs and purchase decisions. This gradient contributes to both brand differentiation and consumer loyalty by anchoring evaluations within coherent price–quality schemas. Beyond descriptive evidence, the findings allow for the conceptual modeling of interactions between brand awareness, price perception, and perceived quality, providing strategic insights into cognitive segmentation and marketing policy optimization. Overall, the article contributes to a finer understanding of how perceptual structures shape competition in polarized markets and identifies durable levers of differentiation grounded in consumer cognition.
Keywords
consumer perception ; price–quality positioning ; aided brand awareness ; perceptual gradient ; cognitive differentiation ; polarized markets
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