Perceived brand authenticity: Examining the effects of inferred dedication and anticipated quality on consumers' purchase intentions and actual choices

This research investigates both the downstream effect of perceived brand authenticity on consumers' actual, consequential choice and the important role of inferred brand dedication in the relationship between perceived brand authenticity, anticipated quality, and purchase intentions. We also investigate the interactive effect of two source-related factors—intrinsic motivation and congruity—on consumers' brand authenticity perceptions. We present findings from three studies using different product categories (utilitarian/consumable: hand sanitizer; hedonic/consumable: chocolate; hedonic/non-consumable: sunglasses). Study 1 shows that consumers use information regarding the intrinsic motivation of those behind the brand and congruity between the brand's actions and what it represents to consumers when forming brand authenticity perceptions and that intrinsic motivation and congruity interact to increase authenticity perceptions. We anticipate that consumers' positivity toward brands perceived as authentic will extend to actual choice through anticipated quality. Study 2 demonstrates that consumers choose authentic brands over inauthentic brands above what chance would dictate and anticipated quality can forecast this choice. Next, we extend our collective process knowledge by exploring an underlying reason why consumers anticipate that brands presented through marketing communications as authentic will have higher quality. We suggest that when managers present brands as authentic, consumers infer greater dedication of those behind the brand and inferred dedication influences anticipated product quality. Study 3 provides support and uncovers a serial mediation process, highlighting the importance of inferred dedication. Specifically, perceived brand authenticity increases consumers' brand dedication inferences, which in turn increases anticipated product quality, and ultimately purchase intentions.     

Is interpersonal and institutional e‐trustworthiness equally important in consumer e‐trust development? Implications for consumers' e‐trust building behaviours

Trust is a widely studied phenomenon across numerous disciplines. E‐trust researchers have conducted a vast number of studies, but despite extensive interest in the issue, there are only few studies that concentrate on how consumers build e‐trust. Furthermore, consumer e‐trust is seen to be a function of both interpersonal and institutional e‐trustworthiness, but only limited number of attempts have been conducted to study the relative importance of interpersonal and institutional e‐trustworthiness in consumer e‐trust development process. The present article seeks to improve this situation by studying how consumers' perceived interpersonal and institutional e‐trustworthiness influence their intention to build e‐trust. The results of the study suggest that consumers build e‐trust actively, and the development of e‐trust is not only based on trustees' behaviour. Moreover, the results indicate that interpersonal e‐trustworthiness is more important than institutional e‐trustworthiness in consumers' e‐trust building. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

How trust in financial supplier information impacts young adults' financial information involvement: The moderating roles of product savings risk and social norm

Although consumers' risk‐taking, supplier trust, social norms and information involvement are central to much of thought in the financial market and consumer economic literature, it is not known how the interplay between consumers' trust in supplier information, risk‐taking behaviour and social norm may influence information involvement. This research contributes to the consumer economic literature by investigating how product savings risk and social norm affect the relationship between young adults' trust in supplier information and their information involvement. On the basis of two samples with young adults who recently have purchased a low‐risk savings product (n = 641) and a high‐risk savings product (n = 219), respectively, several results are obtained. It is found that both product savings risk and social norm positively moderate the relationship between young adults' trust in supplier information and their information involvement. In addition, the results indicate that the three‐way interaction between trust in supplier information, products savings risk and social norm has a positive effect on information involvement. As direct implications, financial authorities and financial service managers should especially consider investing additional resources in developing information trust for high‐risk savings products and should also take social norms into account when considering young adults' high‐risk‐taking behaviour. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Attachment styles and relationship quality: Actual,perceived, and ideal partner matching

Attachment dimension matching in dating relationships and how matching relates to relationship quality were investigated. Across 2 studies, individuals preferred similar but more secure partners (lower anxiety and lower avoidance) as reflected by their ideals. In Study 1, greater similarity between the self and perceptions of the partner's anxiety predicted more positive relationship outcomes (e.g., relationship satisfaction, trust). Similar results were found for ideal–perceived partner avoidance similarity, whereas ideal–perceived partner anxiety similarity was less important. Study 2 involved both partners in the relationship and indicated that relationship outcomes were predicted by the actor's and partner's attachment dimensions as well as by ideal–perceived partner similarity and self–perceived partner similarity.     

企业幽默能否化解消费者抱怨:幽默类型与关系范式的匹配

幽默可以促进沟通效果,实践中许多企业运用幽默来回应消费者抱怨。然而既有文献对于幽默能否以及如何有效化解抱怨缺乏系统深入的研究。本文则基于良性冲突理论与关系范式理论探究了企业幽默式抱怨回应策略对不同关系范式下消费者的影响。通过二手数据分析和实验法,本文发现:对于唤醒度较低的负面情感导致的消费者抱怨,企业幽默(相较于非幽默)的抱怨回应策略更有助于改善消费者品牌态度;而且,不同类型的幽默化回应作用不同,自强型幽默的抱怨回应对改善共有关系范式下消费者品牌态度更有效,自嘲型幽默的抱怨回应则有助于改善共有和交易关系范式下消费者的品牌态度;幽默回应策略与关系范式通过影响消费者的良性评价而作用于品牌态度。     

Perceived trustworthiness of online shops

• Trust has been found to be crucial for consumer behaviour towards online shops. However, existing studies on the role of trust in electronic commerce are mainly based on ad hoc scales to measure trustworthiness, merely rely on self‐reported consequences of trust such as intention to buy, and focus on low‐risk products.
• In a web‐based study, 634 participants interacted with a provider of medical goods, that is a simulated online pharmacy. The study develops and employs a psychometrically sound scale for assessing perceived trustworthiness of online shops. Moreover, it examines the impact of trustworthiness on both consumers' intended and actual behaviour towards online shops.
• Results show that trustworthiness promotes both intention to buy and actual financial risk taking. Perceived risk was not found to moderate the relationship between trustworthiness and intention to buy. Instead, trustworthiness partially mediated the influence of perceived risk on intention to buy. The results from the scale development challenge multidimensional conceptualizations of trust; comparing this finding with other studies suggests that the duration of the relationship might moderate the dimensionality of trust.

Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

调节定向视角下在线评论感知有用性的眼动研究

本研究采用2评论类型(属性型VS体验型)×2调节定向(促进VS预防)的眼动实验,深入探讨消费者对在线评论的加工过程和感知有用性的认知机理。研究发现：(1)与属性型评论相比,个体对体验型评论的认知过程更短,感知有用性却更高。(2)相对于预防定向个体而言,促进定向个体对在线评论的认知加工过程更短,感知有用性更高。(3)评论类型和调节定向的交互效用,在属性型评论情境中显著,但在体验型评论情境中不显著。研究结果揭示了评论类型和调节定向影响消费者对在线评论认知评估的作用机理。     

Evaluation context's role in driving positive word‐of‐mouth intentions

Relevant literature recognizes that transaction‐specific and cumulative evaluations are different, but few empirical studies test how these differences might affect the link between product evaluations and word of mouth (WOM). This study addresses this issue by assessing the simultaneous effects of perceived quality and satisfaction on the resulting positive WOM intentions for both types of evaluations. Results reveal that different factors drive positive WOM intentions depending on the context of the study. When the consumers' evaluations are related to a specific transaction, perceived quality is the dominating predictor of positive WOM intentions. When the evaluations are cumulative, satisfaction is the dominating predictor of positive WOM intentions. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of construal level and need for cognition on consumers' responses to temporally framed benefits

Applying construal level (CL) theory as a theoretical framework, this study examined the conditions under which temporally framed messages are effective. A 2(temporal framing: near‐future vs. distant‐future rewards) × 2(CL: high vs. low) × 2(need for cognition: high vs. low) between‐subjects design was employed. Data from two online experiments showed that consumers generated more favorable responses to the ad when the temporal distance matched consumer CL. Low‐construal consumers, either chronic or primed, were found to prefer product information framed with near‐future rewards. This CL temporal match effect appeared for consumers high in need for cognition only. Further, the matched message enhanced consumers' perception of message quality and this perceived message quality mediated the effect of the CL temporal match on consumer responses to the ad. Theoretical and managerial implications were discussed.     

Prior Attitudes,Salient Value Similarity,and Dimensionality: Toward an Integrative Model of Trust in Risk Regulation1

Although it is widely recognized that trust plays an important role in people's responses to various risks, there is still considerable conceptual disagreement about the different aspects of trust. There are at least 3 different approaches to trust: (a) dimensional, (b) salient value similarity, and (c) associationist. Three British datasets on genetically modified food were used to test the plausibility of a causal model that integrates these approaches. It appears that value similarity can be predicted by a combination of prior attitudes and perceived attitudes of the other, and that value similarity precedes other important trust judgments. The study suggests that various risk‐relevant judgments are expressions of a more general attitude toward genetically modified food, and raises questions about the usefulness of detailed modelling.     

Consumer perceptions of bundles and time‐limited promotion deals: Do contracts matter?

Marketers use various types of deals to positively influence consumers' product evaluations. Across two experiments, we manipulated print advertisements to examine whether the commonly used deal content of both bundling and time‐limited promotions affect consumers' perceived confusion, risk and value. In study 1, the influence of this content was tested in the context of a 2‐year telecommunications (telco) contract. Here, consumers associated a three‐item bundle with greater perceived value than a single item, but perceived value was reduced and risk heightened when it was only available for a limited time. We speculate that this is because of the long‐term nature of the contract. Study 2 removed the contract restriction, examining the bundling of a video game console and game(s), again with a time‐limited promotion. However, in this context, we failed to locate any interaction effects. It appears that consumers further appraise the drawbacks of a long‐term telco contract when accompanied by a time‐limited promotion and may perceive the switching costs for study 1 three‐item telco bundle to be particularly risky. Our studies represent the first empirical investigation of the effect on consumers' perceptions of offering a bundle in conjunction with a time‐limited promotion. Testing these effects in contract and no contract conditions adds to the contribution of our studies by delineating a boundary condition. From a managerial perspective, our findings are thought‐provoking in respect to information integration, or how consumers process different deal content together. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of brand name on consumers' risk perceptions of online shopping

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between brand names and consumers' perceived risk. Hypotheses dealt with whether the presence of a product's brand name affects consumers' perceived risk towards shopping online; whether the familiarity with a brand name influences consumers' perceived risk; and whether online shoppers and non‐shoppers perceive risk towards shopping online differently. Results indicate that the presence or absence of a product's brand name affects online shoppers' perceived risk, but in the opposite direction to that expected. There was no significant difference between online shoppers' perceived risk vis‐à‐vis brand familiarity; however, online shoppers possessed lower perceived risk than non‐shoppers. Implications and limitations are discussed and recommendations for future research are provided. Copyright © 2004 Henry Stewart Publications Ltd.     

Reconnecting with the past in social media: The moderating role of social influence in nostalgia marketing on Pinterest

Nostalgia marketing practices in social media help brands link consumers with happier times from the past. A randomized 2 (evoked nostalgia: high vs. low) × 2 (social influence: high vs. low) between‐subjects factorial design experiment was conducted to examine the effects of nostalgia and social influence on consumers' judgments in the brand management context of Pinterest boards. The results revealed the strong main effect of evoked nostalgia on consumers' attitudes toward the Pinterest board and the brand, purchase intention, willingness to pass along branded pins, and brand–consumer relationship quality. Furthermore, this study discovered the significant moderating role of social influence for all dependent measures. Strongly (vs. weakly) evoked nostalgia generated more favorable responses only when social influence was high. In contrast, there were no significant differences between strongly and weakly evoked nostalgia when social influence was low. Theoretical contributions to the nostalgia literature and managerial implications for social media marketing are discussed.     

Food for thought: the effect of counterfactual thinking on the use of nutrition information

In three experiments, we examine the efficacy of counterfactual thinking (CFT) as a strategy to enhance consumers' motivation to process and use nutrition information on food packages. In the first study, we test whether CFT leads to greater motivation to process nutrition label information in the process of forming product attitudes. We also test whether motivation mediates the relationship between CFT and the influence of the nutrition label in product evaluation. In a second study, we test the effect of upward versus downward CFT on motivation. We also examine whether nutrition information on food packages moderates the relationship between CFT and product attitudes. In a third study, we examined the duration of the motivational effect of CFT. Results from the three studies support the role of CFT as a mechanism that enhances consumers' motivation to elaborate on and use nutrition information to form product attitudes. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The effect of shopping channel (online vs. offline) on message framing of naturalness

Naturalness is a significant driver of food-related choices. However, there is scarce knowledge of how textual cues could be utilised to enhance the effectiveness of naturalness claims. Drawn from construal level theory, we attempted to examine how different methods of framing naturalness affect consumers in online vs. offline shopping contexts. Study 1 employed a 2 (abstract vs. concrete) × 2 (online vs. offline) experiment with 127 respondents and demonstrated that concrete framing heightens positive attitudes via increased perceived concreteness of the message, especially in offline shopping situations. Study 2 employed a 4 (abstract vs. control vs. concrete without mentioning natural vs. concrete mentioning natural) × 2 (online vs. offline) experiment with 173 respondents and replicated findings from Study 1. Furthermore, Study 2 ruled out alternative explanations of message authenticity, transparency and credibility and indicated that the effect of message framings is truly driven by the congruency between consumers' construal level and message framings. Interestingly, no significant effect of abstractly framed naturalness claims was observed in online shopping situations, contradicting existing studies. This suggests that other psychological mechanisms may interplay and hinder the effectiveness of abstract framing in our study. Taken together, the current research demonstrate that consumers' mental representation varies across shopping platforms and how it affects their evaluation of different methods of message framing.     

Online low‐key conspicuous behavior of fashion luxury goods: The antecedents and its impact on consumer happiness

Nowadays, people tend to show off in a more conservative rather than ostentatious way, that is, “low‐key style.” This paper focuses on consumers' low‐key conspicuous behavior on social media after they purchase fashion luxury goods, so as to explore the antecedents of this behavior, as well as its impact, on consumer happiness. Our results show that motivations for self‐representation and avoidance of negative comments from others trigger the low‐key conspicuous behavior. Afterward, this behavior will positively affect consumers' short‐term happiness through both perceived self‐image and perceived interpersonal relationship, while enhancing long‐term happiness only through perceived interpersonal relationship. The reason may be that the temporary pleasure brought by the improvement of perceived self‐image is not enough to raise the quality of life, but an improvement in one's interpersonal relationship is a lifelong benefit.     

Individual differences in consumer value for mass customized products

Mass customized products, compared with mass marketed alternatives, offer advantages for optimizing performance outcomes, improving aesthetic appeal, and matching products' symbolic meanings with consumers' expressive desires. Despite having identified these value drivers for mass customized products, extant research has not connected those value drivers to individual differences among consumers. As a result, researchers' and practitioners' abilities to predict consumer value for mass customized products remain limited. This study advances and tests a model of individual differences associated with the perceived value of a customized product and mediated by involvement and perceived risk. A field survey administered to a sample of 240 participants provided data to test the model. Path analysis using structural equations modeling suggests that consumer value for mass customized products differs according to individual differences in need for uniqueness, need for optimization, and centrality of visual product aesthetics. Results also suggest that product category involvement and perceived risk are informative theoretical perspectives from which to study consumer value for mass customized products. The findings hold implications for how firms should approach the design of mass customization toolkits and how they should structure marketing communications promoting mass customized products. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Don't Tell Me What I Don't Want to Hear! Politicization and Ideological Conflict Explain Why Citizens Have Lower Trust in Climate Scientists and Economists Than in Other Natural Scientists

Studies suggest that citizens have higher trust in some groups of scientists than in others. However, we still know little about the causes of these trust gaps. The current study fills this knowledge gap by examining Norwegian citizens' trust in climate scientists, economists, and so-called “less politicized natural scientists.” I argue that trust in climate scientists and economists is lower than trust in less politicized natural scientists because the former fields are politicized, while the latter are not. Politicization strengthens ideological conflicts between citizens' ideology and research produced by climate scientists and economists, which leads to lower trust in these groups of scientists. I test this argument by running regression analyses on data from a representative survey of the Norwegian population. The results support the argument: Citizens have significantly higher trust in less politicized natural scientists than in both climate scientists and economists, and these differences can be explained by ideological biases in trust. Citizens with a proeconomic growth ideology have significantly lower trust in climate scientists than in less politicized natural scientists, and citizens with a left-wing economic ideology have significantly lower trust in economists than in less politicized natural scientists.     

The effect of repeat purchase information in electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) on purchase intention

Consumers commonly rely on electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) to inform their purchase decisions. The purpose of this study is to investigate when and why repeat purchase information in eWOM influenced customers' purchase behavior, using the social learning theory as a framework. Three experiments were conducted to test the hypotheses. The results showed that repeat purchase information in eWOM positively affected consumers' purchase intention through perceived diagnosticity of eWOM and perceived value. Additionally, the effect varied from product type. For utilitarian products, the repeat purchase information in eWOM had a significant impact on consumers' perceived diagnosticity and purchase intention, while for hedonic products, the impact was not significant. The current study deepens the understanding of social learning theory in eWOM content by providing a novel look at repeat purchase information in eWOM. These findings offer important implications for both research and practical applications of eWOM, particularly in term of effectively utilizing repeat purchase information of eWOM.     

‘If it makes you feel good it must be right’: Embodiment strategies for healthy eating and risk management

The following arguments are constructed around the encounter of embodied experiences and societal discourses. On the basis of an ethnographic study of 34 Danish consumers, we present different consumers' strategies in relation to their perception of healthy food and management of food‐related health risk. Drawing on a subsample representing particular subject positions in relation to healthy eating, we argue for an increased role of embodiment in consumers' risk handling. The study shows that because of the overload of information, consumers increasingly turn to personal experiences and bodily feelings as the instrument and strategy for evaluating possible health risk and benefit. Furthermore, the study shows how these evaluations are related to broader political and socio‐economic issues as well as closely intertwined with notion of trust and mistrust. Through embodied feelings, consumers navigate and negotiate their position in relation to social discourses of health and risk. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.