Influences on the perceived risk of purchasing online

This paper examines whether the perceived risk of online purchasing by consumers varies with the frequency of previous purchases, satisfaction with previous purchase experiences, the good/service orientation of an intended purchase and the level of purchase decision involvement required. No association was found between the frequency of online purchasing and perceived risk, although satisfaction with prior internet purchases was negatively associated with the perceived risk of intended purchases, but only for low‐involvement products. Differences in perceived risk were associated with whether the intended purchase was a good or service and whether it was a high or low‐involvement product. Analysis of consumer perceived risks, disaggregated by type of risk and purchase situation, provides insight into impediments that may hinder the expansion of consumer purchasing using the internet. Copyright © 2004 Henry Stewart Publications.     

Yes,we have no bananas: Consumer responses to restoration of freedom

When stockouts restrict consumers' freedoms, two independent responses can occur: product desirability, or a reactance-based increase in the desire for the unavailable option, and source negativity, or general frustration with the source of the restriction. In four studies, we provide a novel investigation of consumer responses to stockout-restoration and examine how these two forces combine to affect consumer responses after freedoms are restored. To do so, we investigate two moderators that influence the activation and strength of product desirability and source negativity, respectively: trait reactance and attributions. While all consumers experience source negativity in response to stockouts, only consumers high in reactance experience product desirability, leading to differential responses to stockout-restoration. Compared to an in-stock condition, high reactance consumers respond positively to stockout-restoration, while low reactance consumers respond negatively to stockout-restoration, in terms of store and product evaluations and store choice. However, when high reactants attribute a stockout to the store, thereby increasing source negativity relative to product desirability, they respond negatively to stockout-restoration.     

睡眠剥夺与购物后悔：来自大规模个体层面数据的证据

睡眠剥夺正在成为人们面临的一种普遍问题,但是已有研究很少将睡眠剥夺与消费者行为联系起来。本文采用真实购物情境下的大规模消费者个体层面数据(N=1625472),通过建立计量经济学模型来研究睡眠剥夺与购物后悔的关系。结果表明,睡眠剥夺显著地增加了消费者的购物后悔倾向,具体在行为上表现为增加了商品的退货概率和加快了商品的退货速度。此外,商品的价格正向调节了睡眠剥夺对购物后悔的影响,而促销优惠金额的比例则负向调节了睡眠剥夺对购物后悔的影响。     

Satisfaction strength and intention to purchase a new product

This study examines the role of satisfaction strength on the correspondence between reported satisfaction and intention to purchase a new product. The market testing underlying this study analyzes the market opportunities for a novel prototype. The research was conducted at a central location with 239 randomly selected consumers. Results indicate that (un)certainty, ambivalence, and importance cognitions and feelings significantly moderate the relationship between reported satisfaction and individuals' intention to purchase. For example, the association between consumers' reported satisfaction level and purchasing intention of the new product is weaker as uncertainty increases. Significant moderated‐mediation and mediated‐moderation effects were also found with Structural Equation Modelling. Judgments of ambivalence moderate the satisfaction–purchasing intention relationship through the mediating effect of importance. (Un)certainty fully mediates the moderating effect of importance on the satisfaction–purchasing intention link. The research validates the usefulness of assessing the satisfaction strength concept and illustrates its potential as a better predictor of intentions than satisfaction level alone. The study argues on the nomological validity of the satisfaction construct and reveals that assessment of satisfaction strength should support the management goal of identifying truly satisfied customers. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of consumer embarrassment on shopping basket size and value: A study of the millennial consumer

This paper examines how the emotion of embarrassment affects shopping behavior in a retail setting. In a series of three studies, we explore the phenomenon of “masking,” which is defined as a coping strategy used by shoppers when experiencing embarrassment related to a purchase task. Study 1 provides consumer insights into masking behaviors among Millennials. Study 2 empirically examines degrees of anticipated embarrassment associated with purchasing a variety of personal care products and uses a controlled experiment to test the impact of embarrassment on the size of the shopping basket (number of items purchased) and the value of the shopping basket. Study 3 examines basket size and value with respect to complementary and counterbalancing products, and compares Millennial with non‐Millennial consumers. Collectively, this research indicates that both Millennial and non‐Millennials use masking as a coping strategy for a variety of products due to anticipated embarrassment, translating into enhanced basket sizes and values. This effect appears to be moderated by one's innate susceptibility to embarrassment. This study contributes to our understanding of how the emotion of embarrassment influences shopping basket composition in terms of its value and size. It also provides insightful findings relevant to retail practitioners. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

选择集大小对网购决策态度和行为的影响

研究探讨网络购物中选择集大小对决策态度和行为的影响,以及目标确定性和产品类型对该关系的调节作用。采用2(大选择集vs.小选择集)×2(目标明确vs.目标不明确)×2(体验型产品vs.搜索型产品)的组间设计,发现大选择集组选择满意度、自信心更高,但延迟选择更多,出现态度-行为分离。目标不明确时,大选择集组延迟选择更多。     

移动购物更快吗?决策场景与思维模式的相容性

既有文献对消费者延迟选择影响因素的研究, 主要集中于决策复杂度、决策者特质或情绪, 少有对决策场景进行深入探讨。互联网购物时代, PC端与手机端已成为重要的消费场景。针对手机端是否会加快消费者决策过程的问题目前也存在不一致的结论。本文引入决策双系统理论, 力图解释以往看似冲突的结论。消费者的购买决策模式, 不仅会受到决策任务(产品价格)的影响, 还会受到决策场景(购买终端)影响。当场景与决策任务使消费者启动的思维模式相一致时, 会提升决策流畅度, 降低延迟选择。本文发现, 移动端(PC端)与低(高)价格产品更容易激发相容的经验性(理性)思维, 降低延迟选择倾向。反之, 则会同时启动两种相左的决策思维, 增加延迟选择倾向。本文从场景启动与价格启动视角, 将以往消费者单一的决策思维模式, 拓展到多因素启动的思维模式相容性问题; 同时本文通过探究延迟选择问题, 对价格策略与场景化营销带来启示。     

廉价的优越感：社会排斥如何影响新奢侈品的消费

本研究从消费者社会需求层面,探讨在中国新奢侈品会给哪些人带来优越感,什么样的产品可以带来优越感,以及为何会带来优越感等问题。本研究使用一个混合设计的实验,结果发现：（1）相比较非社会排斥状态,社会排斥状态增加了消费者的身份消费需求。（2）在产品炫耀性大时,相比较传统大众产品和奢侈品,社会排斥增加了消费者对新奢侈品的购买意愿。而在产品炫耀性小时,社会排斥的影响不显著;（3）社会排斥、产品种类和产品炫耀性三者的交互作用影响消费者购买意愿的中介变量是消费者感知的产品身份价格比。结论表明,相比较传统大众产品和奢侈品,炫耀性新奢侈品以相对低的价格满足了社会排斥消费者的身份消费需求,为他们提供了一个获得优越感的渠道。     

Designing time-limited cyber promotions: effects of time limit and involvement.

This study found that a longer time limit in cyber promotions results in lower time pressure perceptions by consumers and a greater rate of consumers choosing higher-priced items. Furthermore, products with which consumers are more involved entail higher time pressure, lower consumer satisfaction, and a lower share of consumers using the promotion for that product.     

Consumer Evaluation of Low Price Guarantees: The Moderating Role of Reference Price and Store Image

This article reports the findings of 2 studies that examined the effects of low price guarantees (LPG) in retail advertisements within the framework of signaling theory. Overall, an LPG in an ad resulted in higher value perceptions and shopping intentions. Findings also suggest that the effect of an LPG is likely to be moderated by other price cues such as reference prices and by the price image of the store. An LPG resulted in higher value perception and shopping intention when reference prices were low or absent, but lowered search intention in the presence of a high reference price. Additional findings suggest that intention to search for a better price was lower, particularly when an LPG was offered by a low price image store. For high price image stores, an LPG increased value perceptions and shopping intentions, while also increasing search intentions, indicating the possibility that LPGs can act as a double‐edged sword in certain instances. Managerial and public policy implications are also noted.     

Predicting consumer satisfaction from CD players

This paper explores the relationship between expectations and product satisfaction evaluations in a high‐involvement product category. While doing so, the paper attempts to develop a regression model to predict the overall level of consumer satisfaction derived from CD players, using a number of explanatory variables within an ordinary least squares framework. This regression model links overall satisfaction to confidence in other people's opinions, expectations of product quality, experience with product quality, replacement rate and the importance of price. The model predicts fairly well for cross‐sectional data, with an adjusted R² of 57 per cent, and appears to be robust. Finally, the implications of these results for marketers are discussed. Copyright © 2002 Henry Stewart Publications.     

Mix or Match? Consumer Spending Decisions in Conditional Promotions

Conditional multi‐item promotions are a prevalent marketing tactic whereby consumers have to buy a certain number of products to get a discount. This paper examines how framing a multi‐item promotion in terms of savings on multiple items versus a single item (e.g., “buy two, get X% off on both” vs. “buy two, get 2X% off on the cheaper item”) affects consumers’ decision‐making and product choices. Two laboratory studies and a field study at a boutique clothing store demonstrate that the “2X% on cheaper” framing makes consumers more likely to select similarly priced primary and secondary items. This strategy is driven by increased focus on promotional savings under the “2X% on cheaper” framing, which leads consumers to spend more on their secondary items. Overall, this research shows how a subtle change in the framing of multi‐item promotions changes consumers’ product selection strategies and shopping basket composition.     

Tolerance for Inequity In Buyer-Seller Relationships1

Customers who purchased a household cleaning product from a door-to-door salesman were offered a monetary rebate after the sale. Customers accepted the rebate when it came from a company, but not when it came from the salesman. A second study replicated these findings and also showed that customers were reluctant to accept rebates that came from middlemen (suppliers). It seems likely that customers were more willing to accept money from the company than from other donors becausc they believed the company had higher income.     

Are Two Reasons Better Than One? The Role of Appeal Type in Consumer Responses to Sustainable Products

In the face of the growing prevalence of multiple appeals to sustainable consumption in marketers’ sustainable product communications, we examine the efficacy, in terms of consumer reactions, of adding an extrinsic appeal (e.g., “Purchase this green product to save money!”) to an intrinsic appeal (e.g., “Purchase this green product to save the environment!”) based communication for a sustainable product. Three studies provide support for our basic assertion that, compared to an intrinsic appeal, joint appeals (i.e., an intrinsic and extrinsic appeal together) reduce consumer preference for sustainable products. As well, these studies demonstrate that this adverse effect of joint appeals is based on a lowering of consumers’ attributions of the company's sustainability efforts to intrinsic motives (e.g., to the company's genuine concern for the environment). Finally, not all consumers react adversely to joint appeals; relative to intrinsic appeals, such appeals increase, rather than decrease, the intrinsic attributions and sustainable product preferences for consumers with lower involvement with sustainable consumption.     

The role of exploratory buying behavior tendencies in choices made for others

We examine whether the consumer trait of exploratory buying behavior tendencies (EBBT; Baumgartner, H., and Steenkamp, J.E.M. (1996). Exploratory consumer buying behavior: Conceptualization and measurement. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 13, 121–137.) can influence even choices made for others. The results of three experiments in a gift-giving context show that high (vs. low) EBBT individuals have greater salience of hedonic search motives and consequently form more diverse consideration sets while purchasing a gift. Further, when working with a specific gift budget, high EBBT consumers are more likely to diversify their gift choices by buying a greater number of relatively lower-priced gift items. We also find that the effects of the EBBT trait are significantly attenuated when the regulatory focus of the person making the gift decision is one of prevention rather than promotion. Discussion focuses on implications and future research directions regarding the relationship between exploratory buying behavior tendencies and consumer decision-making.     

The mood effect in relation to impulsive online buying behavior

This article analyzes impulsive buying behavior in scenarios where the consumer's negative or positive mood, oriented by emotional situations, stimulates an uncontrolled instinct in relation to the purchase. Four experimental studies were carried out to evaluate the influence of the mood state on impulsivity in different scenarios of consumption: online versus face-to-face shopping (Study 1); product characteristics – hedonic versus utilitarian product types in online environments (Study 2); the individual characteristic of self-control in relation to the online purchase (Study 3a); and the individual characteristic of social value in relation to online consumption (Study 3b). The results demonstrate that consumers have greater impulsiveness within the online environment when they are in a positive mood, and that the positive mood maintains greater purchasing impulsiveness when the product is utilitarian, and when the consumer has low self-control and/or high social value individually.     

Judgments about judgments: the dissociation of consideration price and transaction commitment judgments

There are many contexts in which people make judgments about prior judgments. For example, Internet shopping bots (e.g., NexTag.com) allow consumers to search for products and, if the price is too high, list a price at which they would consider making the purchase (i.e., base judgment). If the price drops to this level, the vendor generates an e-mail inviting the consumer to execute the transaction at the reduced price (i.e., contingent judgment). The authors show that the consideration price depends on the content of retrieved information, whereas the willingness to execute the transaction at the consideration price depends on the ease-of-retrieving the information. The authors use different offer prices to encourage the consumer to retrieve information consistent with different product quality levels. The authors also select offer prices so that information retrieval is more difficult at moderate offer prices than at high or low offer prices. Accordingly, the authors show that the consideration price increases as the offer price increases, but the willingness to execute the transaction at the consideration price is greater when there are high and low, as opposed to moderate, offer prices.     

Operatic flash mob: Consumer arousal,connectedness and emotion

This study examines the influence of an operatic flash mob on consumer behaviour and consumer experience in a public market. A field experiment was conducted to assess the impact of operatic music on consumers' emotions and connectedness in three conditions: spontaneous live music (flash mob), recorded music, and no music. We analyse audience responses to the shopping experience in all three conditions, with particular focus on temporary group formation and felt emotion. Results show that the flash mob enhanced consumer arousal, connectedness and positive emotions, as well as consumer‐to‐consumer interaction. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Role of Consumption Emotions in the Satisfaction Response

We report 2 studies that served to clarify the role of consumption emotions in the satisfaction response. In the 1st study, we examined the role of consumption emotions within the expectancy‐disconfirmation model of consumer satisfaction and investigated whether consumption emotions are a result of product performance or disconfirmation. The findings show that both positive and negative emotions are primarily a function of product performance and influence satisfaction even when the effects of expectations, performance, and disconfirmation are controlled. In the 2nd study, we proposed and tested an alternative framework for understanding the role of consumption emotions in the satisfaction response for situations in which consumers use more of an experiential perspective to anticipate and experience consumption. According to this model, consumers form affective expectations about how consumption of the product will make them feel, experience positive or negative emotions as a result of these expectations and product consumption, and evaluate the discrepancy between experienced and anticipated emotions. All 3 variables, then, impact satisfaction. The results empirically support many of the relations in the new model of the experiential satisfaction response but also raise several interesting avenues for future research.     

The Long‐Term Predictive Validity of the Consumers’ Need for Uniqueness Scale

This research examines the long‐term ability of the consumers’ need for uniqueness measure to predict consumers’ valued possessions, shopping behaviors, and experiences. Consumers’ need for uniqueness reflects individual differences in counterconformity motivation (i.e., the pursuit of differentness relative to others) that is manifest in consumer responses. This research reports on 2 longitudinal assessments of the scale's predictive validity using data collected at 4 stages from a consumer mail‐survey sample. One year following initial responses to the trait measure, respondents participated in a second survey in which they photographed and rank ordered their valued possessions. In a third survey, the photographs served as cues to obtain responses to ratings of possession benefits and to questions regarding acquisition of the possession. Overall, the results support a number of hypotheses regarding the relation of consumers’ need for uniqueness to salient possession benefits, types of goods comprising consumers’ valued possessions, and shopping behaviors associated with acquiring valued possessions. Two years following initial responses to the trait measure, members of the consumer mail panel completed a fourth survey, indicating their participation in various uniqueness‐enhancing consumer activities. Results support the stability and predictive validity of the measure over the 2‐year period. Because the design of possessions and endorsed uniqueness‐enhancing activities considered in the consumer mail panel studies varied across individuals, an additional study was conducted that demonstrated the scale's ability to predict individuals’ counterconformity responses to the same choice situation.