Effects of consumer psychographics and store characteristics in influencing shopping value and store switching

The research examines the impact of psychographic variables and store characteristics on utilitarian and hedonic shopping value. The findings demonstrate the direct influence of deal proneness and normative interpersonal influences on personal shopping value. Moreover, the study also captures the influence of several store characteristics, such as assortment, after sales service and ambience. The significant influence of shopping value in reducing store switching is also noteworthy. This study also provides evidence relating to how retailer‐controlled variables can influence consumer‐derived shopping value. Results show how each store environment factor influences consumers' overall shopping value and thereby provide an avenue to make strategic adjustments, which in turn can generate a better consumer experience and increased value. The study builds on and extends the previous work carried out relating to antecedents of shopping value by looking at the simultaneous influence of consumer‐level factors as well as retailer‐managed factors. Moreover, the study provides further evidence regarding how shopping value can lessen the dire impact of consumer defection at retail store level. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A case study of embarrassment

The psychoanalytic references to embarrassment are reviewed. Embarrassment, in the literature, is seen largely as an affect involving exhibitionistic and scopophilic conflicts and defenses against these. A case in which embarrassment was prominent is discussed. Embarrassment in the patient was an ego response which implied an external object for its manifestation. It involved exhibitionistic and scopophilic conflicts and projective defenses, but also operated in ego-gratifying and adaptive ways. Her embarrassment was understood through the analysis of an initial embarrassing dream of nakedness and other dreams and associated material as the defensive out-grouth of repeated exposures to the primal scene. Embarrassment was a resistance to remembering in the analysis, and the primal-scene experiences were partially reconstructed. The analytic situation was, in many ways, a symbolic re-creation of the primal scene, including the patient's response of embarrassment. The development of embarrassment in the patient's childhood was furthered and confirmed by its being an identification with the attitudes of both parents. Finally, some reflections on embarrassment and shame in its various forms are set forth.     

He's gotta have it: shopping dependence and the homosexual male clothing consumer

Shopping is not always ‘fun’ and is not always ‘therapeutic’, yet, the negative aspects and motivations for this behaviour have received little attention. Consumers often may be dependent upon shopping activity to satisfy personal needs, such as emotional repair and self‐image, which are far removed from the acquisition and use of products. Not only may this dependence be dysfunctional in that it signals an individual's inability to control their shopping behaviour but also it may be symptomatic of more serious problems, such as compulsive and even addictive shopping. This paper explores this shopping dependence in the context of fashion clothing consumption. Male consumers are considered, with sexual orientation employed as an indicator of behaviour. Data from a survey of 225 homosexual and 225 heterosexual UK males suggest that homosexual males display clothes shopping dependence, and at a level that is significantly stronger than for heterosexuals. Younger males show a greater tendency to display such behaviour, with dependence declining with age for both groups. Managerial and research implications are considered. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Security of multi-agent systems: A case study on comparison shopping

The multi-agent-systems paradigm is becoming more and more popular as a basis for realizing net-based solutions. This development is accompanied by an increasing relevance of security issues. For instance, the potential loss of privacy and other assets is a major concern for, both merchants and customers, in Internet-based commerce and, without being properly addressed, such very legitimate concerns hamper the growth of e-commerce.This article uses a comparison-shopping scenario to introduce a general methodology for formally verifying the security of multi-agent systems. Following the approach of possibilistic information flow security, the flow of information between and within agents is restricted in order to ensure that secrets will not be disclosed to unauthorized meddlers. The security requirements for the overall system are then decomposed into requirements for the individual agents that can be verified independently from each other. Exploiting the modular structure of a multi-agent system considerably reduces the complexity of the overall security analysis. The techniques for decomposing security requirements, for verifying individual agents, and for deriving global security guarantees for the entire system from locally verified properties are all generic in the sense that they apply also to many other systems and security requirements than the ones that appear in the example scenario.     

Coin value and perceived size: a longitudinal study.

Decimalization of the Irish currency presented an opportunity to study the perceived size of coins as they were introduced or withdrawn and to examine the accentuation of differences between coins. Estimates were obtained of the sizes of 4 coins from 478 subjects in 3 groups tested at different times: just after decimalization, 2, or 3 yr. later. A newly introduced coin was significantly underestimated in size at first but came to be significantly overestimated later, while all familiar coins were always significantly overestimated. The amount of overestimation of a coin depended on its value, not its size, leading to an accentuation of the difference between any two coins if the larger coin was also the more valuable but sometimes to the opposite if the smaller coin were of higher value than the larger member of the pair.     

Experiential tourist shopping value: Adding causality to value dimensions and testing their subjectivity

Previous literature on consumer behavior has tackled the experiential approach in retailing services in depth; however, most of the previous studies have concentrated on the simultaneous but not concatenated effects of value dimensions on satisfaction and/or loyalty. Furthermore, tourists' shopping behavior remains an underdeveloped area of study from the experiential perspective. This work explores experiential tourist shopping value, aiming to (a) explain tourists' loyalty to retailers by adding causality to experiential dimensions and (b) prove the subjectivity of these values. After a diachronic and synchronic review of the literature on experiential shopping value, a structural model with a chain of effects consisting of product quality, service quality, self‐esteem and shopping enjoyment on loyalty, and a multidimensional index as a second‐order model were built with partial least squares and tested on a purposive sample of 374 tourists in Valencia (Spain). Our findings revealed a sequential approach to tourists' shopping experiences where utilitarian values led to social and hedonic ones, all of which were antecedents of loyalty to retailers. Furthermore, the index showed differences by gender and nationality. Although our results are context specific, they add to the value creation process as they show a sequence of effects, and a fully subjective value provision, which changes according to demographics. The originality of this work is that it contributes to the suitability of the experiential paradigm in explaining tourists' shopping behavior by promoting interest in this specific, underdeveloped target area, and also by adding causality and proving the subjectivity of experiential value dimensions.     

结伴购物情境下消费者冲动购买行为发生机理

冲动性购买是生活中的常见现象, 也是消费者行为研究的重要子领域。围绕单人购物情境下的冲动购买研究成果较多, 而对结伴购物情境下的冲动购买行为研究明显不足。聚焦结伴购物情境下消费者的冲动购买现象, 基于“欲望-意志力”模型, 在情绪感染理论、归因理论等理论基础之上, 采用焦点访谈法、实验法、问卷调查法等研究方法, 从欲望和意志力两个方面, 深入探讨结伴购物消费者冲动购买行为发生的内部决策机理。研究结论将丰富现有结伴购物情境下的冲动购买行为研究内容, 也为企业营销实践、个人冲动购买行为管理以及政府部门开展消费者教育提供理论指导。     

Engaging the consumer: The science and art of the value creation process

Regulatory engagement theory [Higgins, E. T. (2006). Value from hedonic experience and engagement. Psychological Review, 113, 439–460.] proposes that value is a motivational force of attraction to or repulsion from something, and that strength of engagement contributes to value intensity independent of hedonic and other sources of value direction. This paper reviews different sources of engagement strength, including dealing with challenges by opposing interfering forces and overcoming personal resistance, preparing for something that is likely to happen, and using “fit” or “proper” means of goal pursuit. We present evidence that each of these sources of engagement strength can intensify the value of something, and we show how stronger engagement can not only make something positive more positive but also make something negative more negative. We also discuss how these effects of stronger engagement on the value of something else are independent of actors' own personal experiences during goal pursuit. We then broaden regulatory engagement theory by describing the nature of these personal experiences from different sources of engagement strength—distinct positive experiences (e.g., feeling “pleasure” vs. feeling “right”) and distinct negative experiences (e.g., feeling “tension” vs. feeling “defiance”)—and consider the science and art of combining them with engagement strength for maximal persuasion and influence.     

Effects of time of day on shopping behavior.

Shoppers interviewed in a shopping mall at different times of the day show different activities within the mall and attitudes toward the products. Prices also vary with the time of the day. These results can be explained in terms of shopping values and the related demographic characteristics of the population visiting the shopping center at different times of the day.     

Effects of country size and language similarity on international attitudes: a six-nation study

Linguistically similar neighbouring nations that differ in size are often asymmetrical in their attitudinal relations towards each other: Citizens of smaller nations tend to see larger nations as less likeable and less similar than vice versa. We hypothesized that the smaller nations' reaction is the consequence of a threatened identity due to its relative size combined with too much similarity on a vital part of its identity, namely language. To test this hypothesis, 832 high‐school students from six different ethnic/national entities (France, Germany, Austria, the French‐ and German‐speaking parts of Switzerland, the French‐ and Dutch‐speaking parts of Belgium, and The Netherlands) completed a questionnaire on liking and similarity ratings. The results—to a large extent—showed that differences in size, in combination with linguistic similarity with another nation, pose a threat to the identity of the smaller nation or ethnic group. Differences in size, in combination with linguistic similarity, were associated with asymmetries in mutual liking on one hand and asymmetrical perceptions of similarity to the other country on the other hand. The conclusions of this study are consistent with findings of earlier research and stress the importance of language for a nation's identity. Moreover, the findings support social identity theory as a useful theory for understanding intergroup and international relations.     

Judging a book by its cover: the unconscious influence of pupil size on consumer choice

Past research suggests that men perceive women with large pupils as especially attractive. We employed an innovative methodology to examine whether this effect influences consumer decision-making. A popular psychology book was published with two slightly different front covers. Both covers contained the same photograph of a woman; however, the woman's pupils on one cover were digitally enlarged. Readers indicated whether they were male or female, and whether they possessed the cover with small or large pupils. A significantly greater percentage of men than women had chosen the cover with the large pupils. None of the participants who attempted to guess the nature of the experiment was correct, suggesting that the influence exerted by pupil size was unconscious. These findings provide further support for the notion that people's judgments are unconsciously swayed by pupil size, and demonstrate that this effect operates in a real world setting.     

信任倾向与主观参照对网上购物意向的影响

该研究对225名大学生、在职人员进行问卷调查,通过分层回归分析探讨了信任倾向与主观参照对网上购物意向的影响。结果表明:男性在职人员的信任倾向要显著大于男大学生的信任倾向,而对于女性,这种差异不显著。工作与否、性别、学历在信任倾向、主观参照以及网上购物意向上差异不显著。主观参照对网上购物意向的影响受到信任倾向的缓冲,相对于高信任倾向的人,低信任倾向人的网上购物意向更容易受到主观参照的影响。信任倾向和主观参照对网上购物意向都有显著影响,但主观参照的回归效应更大。     

Power and consumer behavior: How power shapes who and what consumers value

The current paper reviews the concept of power and offers a new architecture for understanding how power guides and shapes consumer behavior. Specifically, we propose that having and lacking power respectively foster agentic and communal orientations that have a transformative impact on perception, cognition, and behavior. These orientations shape both who and what consumers value. New empirical evidence is presented that synthesizes these findings into a parsimonious account of how power alters consumer behavior as a function of both product attributes and recipients. Finally, we discuss future directions to motivate and guide the study of power by consumer psychologists.     

Religiosity and consumer behavior of older adults: A study of subcultural influences in Malaysia

• Although differences in consumption patterns across countries are often inferred to be the result of different cultural values and religious orientations, they raise issues of validity because of the many country‐specific factors that may affect behavior. Furthermore, the effects of religiosity are confounded with those of variables that are associated with religiosity such as age. This paper examines the effects of religiosity on well‐being and changes in consumer preferences of 645 adults age 50 and older living in different regions of Malaysia who were surveyed via personal interviews. The results confirm the positive effects of religiosity on well‐being but show differences across the three main ethnic subcultures of Malaysia (Malays, Indians, and Chinese), and they provide little support for the hypotheses that the consistency of consumer brand and store preferences is influenced by religious values. It is suggested that the relationship between religiosity and consumer behaviors warrants additional research, focusing also on variables that relate to religiosity, method of analysis, and on mechanisms that link religiosity to consumer behaviors.

Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The influence of retailer size on consumer responses to social responsibility initiatives

The current research demonstrates that retailer size moderates the positive effect of corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives on consumer outcomes such as increased purchase intentions and perceptions of CSR. Retailer size is introduced as a factor that leads consumers to respond more positively to small retailers' CSR activities, relative to CSR from large retailers. We also provide support for the ability of consistency/commitment to CSR to serve as a means by which larger retailers can counter their size liability. We replicate and generalize these results across multiple CSR forms. Implications for retail management and future research are discussed.     

Ensemble representations: Effects of set size and item heterogeneity on average size perception

Observers can accurately perceive and evaluate the statistical properties of a set of objects, forming what is now known as an ensemble representation. The accuracy and speed with which people can judge the mean size of a set of objects have led to the proposal that ensemble representations of average size can be computed in parallel when attention is distributed across the display. Consistent with this idea, judgments of mean size show little or no decrement in accuracy when the number of objects in the set increases. However, the lack of a set size effect might result from the regularity of the item sizes used in previous studies. Here, we replicate these previous findings, but show that judgments of mean set size become less accurate when set size increases and the heterogeneity of the item sizes increases. This pattern can be explained by assuming that average size judgments are computed using a limited capacity sampling strategy, and it does not necessitate an ensemble representation computed in parallel across all items in a display.     

The moderating role of consumer entitlement on the relationship of value with customer satisfaction

This research provides an extension of Oliver's (1980) expectancy disconfirmation model of satisfaction by examining the moderating role of consumer entitlement in the relationships between service quality and perceived value with customer satisfaction. Using a sample of season ticket holders of the National Hockey League franchise in the southeastern USA (n = 234), we found that consumer entitlement moderates the relationship of value with satisfaction, such that the impact of consumer‐perceived service value on satisfaction is mitigated for highly entitled consumers. That is, the positive value–satisfaction relationship is stronger for individuals low in consumer entitlement. This finding suggests that highly entitled consumers' satisfaction judgments are dominated by expectations, while less entitled consumers rely more on disconfirmation assessments. Strengths, limitations, suggestions for future research, and practical implications are offered. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Flustered and faithful: embarrassment as a signal of prosociality

Although individuals experience embarrassment as an unpleasant, negative emotion, the authors argue that expressions of embarrassment serve vital social functions, signaling the embarrassed individual's prosociality and fostering trust. Extending past research on embarrassment as a nonverbal apology and appeasement gesture, the authors demonstrate that observers recognize the expression of embarrassment as a signal of prosociality and commitment to social relationships. In turn, observers respond with affiliative behaviors toward the signaler, including greater trust and desire to affiliate with the embarrassed individual. Five studies tested these hypotheses and ruled out alternative explanations. Study 1 demonstrated that individuals who are more embarrassable also reported greater prosociality and behaved more generously than their less embarrassable counterparts. Results of Studies 2-5 revealed that observers rated embarrassed targets as being more prosocial and less antisocial relative to targets who displayed either a different emotion or no emotion. In addition, observers were more willing to give resources and express a desire to affiliate with these targets, and these effects were mediated by perceptions of the targets as prosocial.