How product aesthetics cues efficacy beliefs of product performance

Aesthetics of package design is an important consideration when consumers make purchase decisions. We argue that this is particularly the case for purchase decision of products in the beauty category. This paper advances current understanding of the role of packaging in product purchase behavior by identifying heuristic cues exhibited in packaging (i.e., that beautiful packaging is more effective at making the consumer more beautiful). Across a pilot field study and four lab studies, we demonstrate that package aesthetics informs inferences of how well the product can perform, which, in turn, drives purchase decisions. Importantly, we show that in the presence of a diagnostic cue such as a brand name, or an explicit promise (e.g. tagline of an advertisement), this effect is attenuated and rendered irrelevant. Further, we show that this effect is rendered ineffective to a category to which beauty is irrelevant. Hence, by signaling product efficacy, the beauty-in-a-bottle heuristic appears to inform purchase decisions.     

The Perfect Fit: The Moderating Role of Selling Cues on Hedonic and Utilitarian Product Types

With the need among retailers to create effective promotional campaigns, scarcity, and popularity cues are increasingly used. Drawing from regulatory focus and popularity versus scarcity cues literature, this research explores the impact of popularity versus scarcity cues and product types on consumer perceptions of risk, product uniqueness, and purchase intentions. Results from three studies provide primary insights: (1) A utilitarian product aligns with prevention goals and hence the popularity cue will enhance consumers’ purchase intentions, and (2) a hedonic product aligns with promotion goals and hence the scarcity cue will enhance consumers’ purchase intentions. Further, we theorize that perceived risk and perceived product uniqueness will act as psychological mechanisms. We discuss theoretical contributions and strategic insights for retailers and marketers that the findings indicate.     

Investigating Quality Perceptions of International Services by Chinese Consumers

Consumers are known to use the country of origin (COO) of a product to infer the quality of products. Products of technologically advanced countries such as the United States and Germany are known to enjoy positive country‐of‐origin effects. Conversely, products made in the developing countries typically suffer from negative COO effect. While this influence of COO is widely recognized for products, the same cannot be said about services. Only a handful of studies have empirically investigated the relationship between COO and perceived service quality. Additionally, most of these studies in this research paradigm are undertaken in developed markets; hence, their findings cannot be extrapolated to the newly industrialized countries (NICs) that offer tremendous market potential for global services. It has, therefore, become imperative for multinational companies to understand if and how consumers in the major NICs use COO and other cues to infer service quality. This insight is critical in developing effective pricing and promotion strategies for these markets. Using data collected from consumers in Beijing in the People's Republic of China, we demonstrate significant COO effect on two service categories: hotels and restaurants. We also highlight how these research findings will help managerial decisions about pricing and promotion. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Regular Price $299; Pre-order Price $199: Price Promotion for a Pre-ordered Product and the Moderating Role of Temporal Orientation

Retailers typically use the strategy of providing a discount to induce the sale of a new product at a pre-order stage. Despite the prevalence of this strategy, providing discounts might not be effective for all consumers. The present research shows that the positive effect of a discount depends on consumer temporal orientation. Results from four experimental studies reveal that a large discount positively affects present-oriented, but not future-oriented, consumers. The findings suggest that perceived financial risk and perceived product quality sequentially mediate the effect of discount size on value toward the deal and purchase intention. A third-party product quality rating boosts quality perceptions, which in turn reduces perceived financial risk and positively enhances value toward the deal along with purchase intention. Our findings demonstrate that when the brand itself acts as a reliable signal of quality, a discount has its intended effect for both present- and future-oriented consumers. Overall, the findings of this research suggest that a retailer can use quality cues along with a discount, especially for a new brand, to appeal to the broadest group, as it will attract both future- and present-oriented consumers.     

The influence of human crowding and store messiness on consumer purchase intention– the role of contamination and scarcity perceptions

The current research explores how store environmental cues – human crowding and store messiness influence consumer purchase intention across two product type (ingestible and non-ingestible). Importantly, the research also examines the mediating role of contamination perception on these effects. Specifically, for ingested products (e.g., eggs), crowded and messy store environments signal contamination and lead to decrease in purchase intention. However, for non-ingested products (e.g., dishwashing liquid), contamination inferences are observed for store messiness but not for human crowding. Further, role of perceived scarcity is examined which suggests that in ingestible product category perception of scarcity can mitigate the negative effect of contamination on purchase intention.     

Price Consciousness and Purchase Intentions for New Food Products: The Moderating Effect of Product Category Knowledge when Price Is Unknown

This study examines the degree to which consumers' price consciousness affects their purchase intentions for a newly introduced product when the price of the product is unknown. Based on data from 186 consumers exposed to a new product offering, the results show that price consciousness indeed has a negative effect on purchase intentions, but only for consumers with a high level of product category knowledge. Although perceived risk and perceived value are significantly related to purchase intentions in general, price consciousness seems to affect only those consumers who make inferences about price based on their knowledge of the product category. Both theoretical and managerial implications of the findings are offered.     

Do extrinsic cues affect purchase risk at international e-tailers: The mediating effect of perceived e-tailer service quality

The inherent nature of the international e-tailing environment leads to the consideration of purchase risk. In this study, an attempt is made to investigate the effect of three extrinsic cues, e-tailer brand equity, Country-Of-e-tailers (COE) and guarantee quality, within such an environment in Taiwan. The research findings support the proposed hypotheses that these exogenous factors affect a mediator, i.e., perceived e-tailer service quality, which in turn affects purchase risk perceived by online shoppers in a borderless marketplace. In conclusion, managerial implications of the research results as well as future research directions are presented and discussed.     

The effect of naturalness claims on perceptions of food product naturalness in the point of purchase

Recent trends in marketing highlight an increased focus on naturalness claims with the hope of a higher consumer perception of product naturalness, but does this always make sense? This research examines this question in two experiments. Results show that the perception of naturalness depends on the types of points of purchase, those that convey a sense of naturalness, such as traditional markets, leading to more perceived naturalness. Importantly, results show that point of purchase type interacts with naturalness claim salience such that highly salient claims leads to higher perceived naturalness for product being displayed in a point of purchase that conveys a sense of naturalness. Finally, results show that the authority which claims the naturalness of the product is of major importance, brand-independent naturalness claims leading consumers to perceive the claim as more credible and consequently the product as more natural.     

Design of product quality scales for conveying information by infomediaries

Infomediaries, such as movie critics, often evaluate product quality using discrete grades, such as thumbs-up and thumbs-down. Their reports are used by potential consumers to decide whether to purchase the product. Our aim is to examine how the grading can be improved by answering research questions such as: What is the quality cutoff for each grade? How many grades should the grading scale use? How should grading be done for other goals than informativeness, such as maximizing reviewer’s traffic? How should grading be done to encourage producers to improve quality? Using an analytical model, we show that optimal grade cutoffs depend on the distributions of product quality and consumer taste, and the resulting scale may have unequal intervals. As few as five grades can be near-optimal for consumer welfare and grades should be made more difficult to achieve when producers can invest in quality improvement. These results should help improve the design of scales for reporting quality.     

Different Effects of Utilitarian and Hedonic Benefits of Retail Food Packaging on Perceived Product Quality and Purchase Intention

Since consumers primarily make in-store purchase decisions, firms use product packaging to attract potential consumers. Ever-increasing market competition in many food product industries has further fueled this phenomenon in firms. However, the question of how retail food packaging affects consumer processes has received very little attention. This study investigates the benefits of food packaging on consumer responses to hedonic products by comparing different benefits (i.e., utilitarian and hedonic) of food packaging to understand which one has more impact on consumers’ perceived quality and purchase intention. The results show that both utilitarian and hedonic benefits of retail food packaging are critical predictors of consumer evaluations but play different important roles in determining customers’ reactions. Utilitarian benefits of food packaging impact perceived quality more than hedonic benefits do. Compared to utilitarian benefits, hedonic benefits of retail food packaging have more impact on consumer purchase intention.     

The effects of age cues on preferences for organic food: The moderating role of message claim

Organic food, a form of green consumption, is a growing industry, with consumers purchasing for both altruistic and egoistical motives. However, there is limited research into how marketers can develop advertising strategies to promote organic food. The present research examines how age cues influence consumer preferences for organic food. Across two experimental studies, this research demonstrates that consumers exposed to a younger cue show higher preferences for organic fruits when evaluating an altruistic claim. More importantly, this research draws upon psychological reactance theory to test the opposite effect, such that consumers exposed to a younger cue show lower preferences for organic fruits when evaluating an egoistic claim. Further, the emotions of compassion and anger are established as the mediators of the interactive effect between age cue and message claim on consumer preferences for organic food. These findings thus offer theoretical and managerial implications for the use of age cues and motivational claims, specifically in promoting organic food.     

How 3D Virtual Reality Stores Can Shape Consumer Purchase Decisions: The Roles of Informativeness and Playfulness

The recent rise of consumer virtual reality (VR) hardware raises important questions in the field of online marketing: what makes 3D VR more informative and playful than conventional 2D media such as a still image and a video, and how it affects the online purchase decision-making process. In this study, we mainly focus on three interface features—interactivity, visual–spatial cues, and graphics quality. We explore how each of these three interface features enhances playfulness and informativeness of shopping interface and further influences subsequent product evaluation and purchase intention. The results of the study provide two meaningful insights. First, interactivity and visual–spatial cues significantly enhance perceived informativeness and playfulness; however, the role of graphics quality was found to be more critical for 2D displays than for 3D VR environment. Second, informativeness and playfulness influence the purchase decision-making process in distinct ways. More specifically, a playful interface may enhance consumers' preference for hedonic product benefits (e.g., a stylish and attractive design), whereas informativeness is a more important explanatory variable for subsequent purchase intentions. We discuss the theoretical contribution and managerial insights the research provides for online retailers and designers.     

Revisiting attribute diagnosticity in the context of product typicality

This article investigates the categorization of an ambiguous product (i.e., one that may be categorized in multiple ways) by applying insights from recent psychological and artificial-intelligence research on concept representation. In particular, the article introduces a type of prototype representation (attribute-value structure) that utilizes the notion of attribute diagnosticity. Attribute diagnosticity is defined as an attribute's usefulness for distinguishing instances from noninstances of a category and proposed as a determinant of an ambiguous product's typicality as a member of a category. A new measure of attribute diagnosticity is also developed based on a linear combination of cue validity and category validity. Attribute diagnosticity is shown to influence the perceived typicality of an ambiguous product. Several suggestions are provided for future use of attribute diagnosticity in research on product categorization. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

When open-mindedness lowers product evaluations: Influencers to consumers’ response to religious cues in advertising

Prior research has examined response to Christian religious cues used in secular marketing messages but has inadequately explored the underlying reasons for such response as well as why religious cues may negatively influence product evaluations. These limitations are addressed in this research work through three studies utilizing religious cues. In Studies 1a and 1b, ads with a Christian or Muslim religious cue (no religious cue) were found to produce lower (higher) product evaluations. Studies 2–3 then examined why religious cues in ads can produce lower product evaluations to show that open-mindedness moderated this effect (Study 2), and priming open-mindedness also influenced this effect (Study 3). Most interestingly, open-minded consumers were more negative toward religious cues in marketing communications than close-minded consumers, and priming open-mindedness magnified this effect. These novel effects are discussed in relation to the literature on open-mindedness and value-based consumption. Additionally, implications for research and practice are discussed.     

Social selling cues: The dynamics of posting numbers viewed and bought on customers' purchase intentions

Online retailers provide social selling cues, such as “39 customers bought this product” or “156 customers viewed our product per hour”, to encourage sales. Revealing the numbers bought has been shown to increase purchase intentions, but what remains unexplored are the ramifications of posting the number of brand-related views or revealing both numbers bought and viewed so customers can determine the views-to-bought ratio. The number of views is much higher than the numbers bought, which customers may anchor on as a signal for product quality; however, a countervailing force is that views are a more ambiguous, hence a less diagnostic, cue. Five experiments revealed that: (1) showing the number of views or bought can, but does not always, increase purchase intentions; (2) revealing the number bought has a monotonically increasing (at diminishing rate) effect on purchase intentions; and (3) views exhibit a concave curvilinear effect in that, beyond a tipping point, increasing the number of views lowers purchase intentions. Given the anchoring effect of the larger views number, if the number of views or the number bought are relatively low, it is better to show the larger views number, but the reverse is true if the respective numbers are both high. Additional insights reveal that it is only advantageous to reveal both numbers if the views-to-bought ratio is lower than 20:1, which would apply to about the top 25% of brand landing pages. These findings were further validated in a choice experiment. Perceptions of product quality mediate the relationship between these social selling cues and purchase intentions; however, this is not the case for perceived skepticism (lack of trust in the information). Revealing these social selling cues is an online retailer’s prerogative; hence, these insights are theoretically interesting and have practical relevance.     

Should businesses use religious cues in advertising? A comparison of consumer perceptions across Christianity and Islam

While religious cues are used in advertising efforts, research has yet to adequately understand perceived motives behind such religious cue use and how this influences consumers’ evaluations of a brand. Thus, this research addresses this gap through two studies examining cue measures, businesses’ motives for using cues, consumer affect, and brand evaluations. Specifically, Study 1 (an exploratory study) explores evaluations and associations evoked by religious cues representative of Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. Study 2 narrows down the focus to Christianity and Islam to probe the outcome of religious cue use on businesses employing them in their advertisements. Specifically, Study 2 finds that consumers perceive businesses’ motives behind religious cue use as primarily trying to reach a specific target market but also as trying to witness and communicating reverence to God. Surprisingly, religious cue condition (Christian, Muslim, or none) did not directly influence business evaluations. Further analysis revealed that when affect toward the ad with religious cue was included in the model, that Muslim cue condition had a significant influence on affect, and such affect significantly influenced business evaluations. Interestingly, no similar effect could be established for the Christian condition. Discussion builds on the theory of visual rhetoric. Implications for marketing practice are also provided. The studies are limited by data collection only in the United States.     

The decision processes of innovative communicators and other adopters

Based on the nature of their involvement with the target product category three market segments of consumers of fashion innovations are identified. It is hypothesised that each segment of consumers should use a different decision process when adopting an innovation. The major findings of this study are that the more innovative consumers used a less extensive pattern of decision making activity than consumers who were either less involved with the product category or were concerned about how the purchase would effect their perceived social status. These findings suggest that involvement with the category is different to involvement in the decision making process, and that the latter is somewhat contingent on situational factors.Thanks are expressed to John Rossiter, Judy Zaichkowsky, and the editor and reviewers for their comments on an earlier draft.     

品牌来源国和产品制造国对消费者产品质量评价和购买意愿的影响

This research explores the different effects of brand origin country and made-in country on consumers’ product evaluations and purchase intention. It is found that made-in cues have significant impacts on quality evaluation while brand origin cues influence purchase intention more prominently. Product quality is perceived lower when a brand from developed country is manufactured in developing countries, however, this may not affect consumers’ purchase intentions.      

Effectiveness of Marketing Cues on Consumer Perceptions of Quality: The Moderating Roles of Brand Reputation and Third‐Party Information

Consumers usually infer unobservable product quality by processing multiple‐quality cues in the environment. Prior research considering the simultaneous effects of marketing cues on consumer quality perceptions is sparse. Despite the growing importance of third‐party information, research examining its simultaneous effects with marketing cues on consumers’ decision making is especially absent. This research, drawing on cue‐diagnosticity, cue‐consistency, and negativity bias theories, proposes and tests a conceptual framework to reveal interplays among various marketing‐ and nonmarketing‐controlled product cues. The first study examines how two‐ and three‐way interactions of high‐scope (i.e., brand reputation) and low‐scope marketing cues (i.e., price and warranty) affect consumer perceptions. The second study examines a set of interaction effects between third‐party quality ratings and marketing cues (i.e., price and warranty) on consumers’ perceptions. Overall, the results reveal theoretical and managerial implications for processing multiple‐quality cues in consumers’ inference‐making behaviors and suggest that consumers generally aggregate perceptions in more complex ways than suggested in the prior literature when making global product quality evaluations.     

Investigating the Pleasures of Sin: The Contingent Role of Arousal‐Seeking Disposition in Consumers' Evaluations of Vice and Virtue Product Offerings

Mixed bundles of vice and virtue are an increasingly important product category. However, many mixed bundles fail in the marketplace, and so it is important to examine how consumers evaluate such mixed bundles. This paper examines consumers' affective responses and consequent purchase evaluations for a mixed vice‐virtue bundle versus a pure vice product. Results of Study 1 show that purchase intentions are higher for a pure vice product versus a mixed product; also, increased purchase intentions are mediated by differences in arousal. Given that consumers differ in their arousal‐seeking dispositions, results of Studies 2 and 3 show that individual differences in arousal‐seeking moderate the relationship between product type (pure vice product vs. mixed product) and purchase intentions, with arousal‐seeking consumers preferring pure vice bundles, and arousal‐avoidant consumers preferring mixed bundles. This paper contributes to theory on mixed vice‐virtue bundles, and also provides pointers on how to better market mixed bundles.