In the context of consumer surplus and willingness to pay, why might marketers hold a focus group to learn more about how customers feel toward a new product?

• A. To measure the producer surplus generated by the product.
• B. To estimate the maximum price consumers are willing to pay, which helps determine potential consumer surplus.
• C. To calculate the marginal cost of producing the new product.
• D. To set the equilibrium price in the market directly.

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the concept of consumer surplus: it is the difference between what consumers are willing to pay for a good or service and what they actually pay.
2. Recognize that willingness to pay represents the maximum price a consumer is ready to pay for a product, which is crucial for estimating consumer surplus.
3. Identify that marketers use focus groups to gather qualitative and quantitative data on consumers' preferences and their maximum willingness to pay for a new product.
4. Use the information from the focus group to estimate the demand curve or the range of prices consumers find acceptable, which helps in assessing potential consumer surplus.
5. Note that this process does not directly measure producer surplus, marginal cost, or set equilibrium price, but rather informs pricing strategies by understanding consumer valuation.