The moderating influence of socio‐demographic factors on the relationship between consumer psychographics and the attitude towards private label brands

This study examines the moderating influence of socio‐demographic variables (gender, age, education, income and family size) on the relationship between psychographic measures (general deal proneness, price‐related deal proneness, end‐of‐aisle display proneness, impulsiveness, smart‐shopper self‐perceptions and brand loyalty) and consumers' attitude towards private label brands. The proposed hypotheses are tested by collecting data at three different British supermarkets and assessed using structural equation modelling. The study reveals findings contrary to the prevailing views about consumer psychographics and socio‐demographics, including the following: (i) the significance of deal proneness among high‐income consumers; (ii) the end‐of‐aisle display proneness among older, high‐income and highly educated consumers; and (c) the relationship between impulsiveness and brand attitude among low‐income and less‐educated consumers. The study also provides multiple insights relating to psycho‐demographic targeting and display strategies. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Outwitting the rational mind: How effortful thinking influences price cognition

Prior research presents mixed findings on how people's degrees of effortful thinking influence their reliance on heuristics and biases. Although the tenets of dual process theory would argue that effortful thinking should attenuate people's reliance on heuristics, a number of contemporary findings suggest otherwise: Effortful thinking may, in fact, enhance biased processing of information in certain instances. This research shows how, in the context of pricing, people's degrees of effortful thinking can amplify their inclination towards biased processing of price information. In five studies (n = 1,339), we find that effortful thinking induces a greater preference for nine‐ending (vs. zero‐ending) prices, and the effect is mainly driven by people's greater propensity for argument‐based decision making. Such predilection to nine‐endings attenuates with lower cognitive effort in processing price information. Moreover, when locus of deliberation shifts from price to quality, consumers' preference for nine‐ending priced options is subdued.     

Does the introduction of the Euro have an effect on subjective hypotheses about the price‐quality relationship?

• Product prices are often considered to be an indicator for quality. In our experiment we focussed on the question if consumers' hypotheses can be biased by exchanging the digits on price displays due to currency changes. We found that high numbers in a price expressed in terms of a currency with a relatively low value (German Mark) lead to a higher perceived quality level than an equivalent price expressed in terms of relatively high listed currency (Euro). Contrary to our expectations we could not prove that this effect is stronger for premium than for low‐budget products.

Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Building trust to increase purchase intentions: The signaling impact of low pricing policies

We examine the differential signaling impact of two low pricing policies, Price Matching Guarantees and Everyday Low Prices, on consumers' trusting beliefs and purchase intentions. We demonstrate that both PMG and EDLP pricing policies signal stores' ability to offer lower prices. However, whether these sellers were perceived as benevolent, and—consequently—consumers' purchase intentions, varied critically depending upon price uncertainty. Perceived benevolence and purchase intentions were significantly higher [lower] for sellers offering PMG than EDLP when price dispersion was high [low]. Our findings offer insights into whether and under what conditions firms should adopt these low pricing policies.     

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.     

Quantified or nonquantified: How quantification affects consumers' motivation in goal pursuit

Being exposed to more data and devices with tracking functions than ever, quantification is concerned by an increasing number of consumers. The self‐reflection from data may raise consumers' awareness of their own goals to better modify their behaviors. This paper describes consumers' reaction to quantification and confirms its motivational effect in goal pursuit. First, we investigate the motivational effect of quantification and reveal its internal mechanism from the individual–community perspective. Results show that quantification can promote consumers' goal pursuit motivation. A quantified (vs. nonquantified) way to track progress in pursuit of a goal can strengthen consumers' self‐empowerment (individual level) and difference‐insight (community level), thus enhancing the goal pursuit motivation. Second, we explore the moderating effect of some factors on the motivational effect of quantification. Results confirm that self‐empowerment can be enhanced with high data–color consistency, and difference‐insight can be increased with low outcome–process consistency. Third, we identify the validity of various data presentation modes. Using the interactive progress framing (to date with to go) together with the several subunits mode to deliver data in different progress stages is found to be an effective way to promote consumers' goal pursuit motivation.     

Effects of Spikes in the Price of Gasoline on Behavioral Intentions: A Mental Accounting Explanation

In recent years, gasoline prices have spiked in response to world events, only to fall again within weeks or months. Anecdotal evidence suggests that these price fluctuations have a substantial impact on consumers' planned spending and their overall perceptions of financial well‐being. We propose that consumers' behavioral intentions in response to these spikes are driven in part by how consumers mentally account for the fluctuations in gasoline prices. Specifically, we contend that people allocate sharp increases in the price per gallon of gasoline to a comprehensive mental account. As a result, such increases affect consumers' perceptions of their overall cost of living and have far‐reaching effects on their planned spending. These predictions are tested in three experiments. The paper concludes with the discussion of a theoretical and applied implications of the results. Copyright © 2011 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.     

Examining the role of two aspects of eWOM in online repurchase intention: An integrated trust–loyalty perspective

As electronic word‐of‐mouth (eWOM) has become an influential information resource for digital consumers who purchase products, understanding how the 2 ways of eWOM influence consumers' online repurchase intention (ORPI) becomes very pivotal. Despite its importance, there is no study in the literature that examined receiving and participating aspects of eWOM in an integrated perspective. The purpose of this study is to understand how 2 controversial eWOM aspects influence ORPI of consumers. Moreover, this study examines the mediating roles of e‐trust and e‐loyalty in the association between 2 sides of eWOM aspects and ORPI. The results indicated that 2 eWOM receiving factors, eWOM quality and eWOM quantity, have positive influences on e‐trust and ORPI. However, as an eWOM participating factor, the eWOM content has no significant influence on ORPI whereas another participating factor, the eWOM intensity, has the greatest impact on ORPI. Furthermore, the findings illustrate that e‐trust has a complementary mediation effect in the association between 2 receiving eWOM aspects and ORPI; likewise, e‐loyalty has a complementary mediation in the relationship between 2 participating eWOM aspects and ORPI.     

Price fairness,satisfaction, and trust as antecedents of purchase intentions towards organic food

Health and environmental issues are increasingly important in consumers' decision‐making process. Accordingly, demand for organic food is rapidly growing. In this context, the objective of this study is to analyze the relationship between price fairness, satisfaction, trust, and purchase intentions towards organic food. With this aim, empirical data were collected with self‐administrated questionnaires from a convenience sample of consumers from Sakarya, Turkey. Proposed hypotheses were tested with structural equations modeling. The results indicated positive relationships between price fairness, satisfaction, trust, and purchase intentions. At the end of this study, theoretical contributions, managerial implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

The rosy side and the blue side of emotional brand attachment

This paper examines the rosy side (positive emotion) and the blue side (negative emotion) of brand attachment in consumer–brand relationships and their distinct motivational triggers. Adopting attachment theory, self‐determination theory, and the relationship investment model, this paper provides a richer understanding of the positivity and negativity of emotional brand attachment in terms of consequential branding outcomes. Two hierarchical constructs—autonomous and controlled motivations—are proposed and examined using partial least squares path modelling. Data were collected through a 3‐stage survey to gain 507 samples of customers' brand attachments to 9 international car brands. This research reveals that customers' positive‐side (rosy‐side) emotional brand attachments are driven by autonomous motivations including satisfying the intrinsic motivation of pursuing pleasure and fulfilling needs for self‐determination and self‐congruence in the car brand consumption context. Customers' negative‐side (blue‐side) emotional brand attachment reflects feelings of separation distress, anxiety, and sadness that are triggered by their controlled motivations in car brand consumption contexts. The results indicate that positive emotions (the rosy side) of brand attachment are a more effective predictor of brand repurchasing intentions and word‐of‐mouth behaviours than are negative emotions (the blue side) of brand attachment. This study applies Deci and Ryan's autonomous and controlled motivations to explain the positivity and negativity of consumers' emotional brand attachment in brand–consumer relationships.     

Understanding consumer purchase of free‐of cosmetics: A value‐driven TRA approach

This study concerns the free‐of trend on the cosmetics market as expressed by a tendency among consumers to prefer cosmetics that are free of certain ingredients. Combining the Theory of Reasoned Action with a value‐driven approach, this study empirically investigates the association between consumers' personal values and their attitude and behaviour associated with purchasing free‐of cosmetics. A quantitative online survey of 250 Danish female consumers was conducted using self‐administering questionnaires. The findings indicate that consumers' willingness to purchase free‐of cosmetics (R² = .48) is both influenced by attitude (β = .65) and perceived subjective norm (β = .21) with attitude having the largest predictive power. Moreover, consumers' attitude towards willingness to purchase free‐of cosmetics seems to be value driven. Our results indicate that two values, self‐transcendence (β = .28) and self‐enhancement (β = ?.21), significantly influence attitude towards free‐of cosmetics purchase (R² = .10). Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Influence of contextual information and past prices on the willingness to pay and expected quality evaluations

This study conducted two experiments to assess consumers' willingness to pay or the expected quality in response to different levels of contradictory contextual information (regarding price and quality) and the presence of anchors in the form of past price paid. First, the results show that the contextual information was decisive in the formation of reference prices that affect the willingness to pay. Second, the anchors did not influence the evaluation of the willingness to pay and the expected quality. And third, it was observed that the coherence of the contextual information (price–quality correlation) performs a moderating role in the relation between reference prices and expected quality. These results suggest that anchors are less important than contextual information in the evaluation process of the willingness to pay and the expected quality, and that therefore neither an adjustment nor a priming mechanism is activated. We found that the coherence of the contextual information influences how individuals evaluate a service. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Romantic Crushes Promote Variety‐Seeking Behavior

Consumers making repeat consumption choices often need to decide whether to stick to their favorite option or to select something different. Understanding the situational factors that influence their willingness to seek more or less variety in consumption is of both theoretical and practical importance. The current research proposes that a salient relationship state—romantic crush—can increase consumers' variety‐seeking tendency in unrelated consumption situations. Building on the compensatory consumption literature, we suggest that the lack of reciprocal response in the romantic crush experience may lower consumers' sense of control in the romantic relationship. Therefore, they are motivated to restore their sense of control by making more varied choices in consumption domains. Five studies provide support for this hypothesis. In line with our control‐restoration account, the effect disappears when consumers' sense of control is boosted via other means. Moreover, the effect is specific to the experience of a romantic crush and cannot be generalized to other types of romantic relationship (e.g., initial stage of love).     

A comparison of procedures for unpairing conditioned reflexive motivating operations

This study compared the effectiveness of two procedures to reduce behavior evoked by a reflexive conditioned motivating operation (CMO‐R). Task demands were shown to evoke escape‐maintained problem behavior for 4 students with disabilities. Alternative communication responses were taught as an appropriate method to request escape and this treatment combined with extinction for problem behavior led to decreases in problem behavior for all students. A beeping timer was then arranged to temporally precede the task demand to create a CMO‐R that evoked communication responses. When data showed that the sound of the timer was functioning as a CMO‐R, two methods to reduce behavior evoked by a CMO‐R—extinction unpairing and noncontingent unpairing—were evaluated. Results indicated that noncontingent unpairing was an effective method to reduce the evocative effects of the CMO‐R. Extinction produced unsystematic effects across participants. Results are discussed in terms of abolishing CMOs and the implications of CMOs.     

Determinants of brand switching: the role of consumer inferences,brand commitment,and perceived risk

Previous research in the area of price discounts has generated a rich, but diverse and mixed body of literature. This research examines the role of consumer's brand commitment and product category risk in influencing the nature as well as valence of the inferences generated by consumers in response to price discounts. Our results provide insights regarding how consumers' responses to competitor inducements vary depending upon their brand commitment for the incumbent brand and perceived risk. Furthermore, we show that higher commitment consumers could resist an inducement from a competitor when they are able to generate negative, marketer‐related inferences. Our research suggests that consumers' inferences are critical than pure economic benefits in determining the effectiveness of discounts.     

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.     

Are you willing to pay the price? The impact of corporate social (ir)responsibility on consumer behavior towards national and foreign brands

This research examines how the country of origin (national vs. foreign) affects the relation between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and consumers' willingness to pay and purchase intention. In the study, we adopted a first‐price sealed bid auction approach, using money in a “real‐world” setting. The results showed that CSR/corporate social irresponsibility (CSIR) affects consumer behavior and, particularly, consumers' willingness to pay and purchase intention. The study supports both the moderation hypothesis of country of origin in the relationship between CSR/CSIR and willingness to pay and between CSR/CSIR and purchase intention. In the globalization context, these results have important implications for brands' communication and marketing strategy and can stimulate important insights in organizations. Future research directions and limitations are also discussed. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Use does not wear ragged the fabric of friendship: Thinking of objects as alive makes people less willing to replace them

Anthropomorphic beliefs about objects lead people to treat them as if they were alive. Two experiments test how anthropomorphic thought affects consumers' product replacement intentions. Consumers induced to think about their car in anthropomorphic terms (i) were less willing to replace it and (ii) gave less weight to its quality when making replacement decisions. Instead, they (iii) attended to (experimentally induced connotations of) the car's “warmth,” a feature usually considered relevant in the interpersonal domain. While anthropomorphic beliefs about brands are often seen as advantageous by marketers because they increase brand loyalty, similar beliefs about products may be less desirable.     

Original brands and counterfeit brands—do they have anything in common?

• Consumer decisions to purchase fakes instead of originals has developed into a major concern for brand manufacturers worldwide. This research looks at the customers' understanding of the key concepts “original brand” and “counterfeit brand.” Using the theory of social representations helped to gain rich insight into the consumers' perception of counterfeit brands in the light of their counterpart original brands, to determine the main differences and similarities, and to identify core aspects and relative evaluations of these two concepts. Taken collectively, the results indicate that, based on single associations, respondents' mental maps of the two concepts do not overlap. It seems that they have a clear picture of what they get with the purchase of original brands versus counterfeits. Although similar attributes to evaluate “original brand” and “counterfeit brand” were used (quality and price), they contribute differently to the nature of the concepts. The benefits of both categories are strongly related to consumers' norms prevalent in their social environment.

Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.