Influencing Consumer Responses to Highly Aesthetic Products: The Role of Mindsets

Companies often use aesthetics or salient visual attributes to differentiate their products from those of their competitors and to appeal to customers. However, consumers may make unfavorable inferences about highly aesthetic products due to concerns about the products’ functionality. To address the issue of how retailers can most effectively engage in the deployment and promotion of product aesthetics, the present research proposes that consumers will respond more favorably (i.e., enhanced choice of product, enhanced product and advertisement evaluations, and a heightened willingness to pay) to a highly aesthetic product when they are in an abstract, rather than a concrete, mindset. Five studies using multiple product categories and applying various mindset manipulations provide convergent evidence to support the proposed hypothesis. The findings hold true for utilitarian, but not hedonic, products, and the focus of attention on product functionality accounts for the results. With the insight that the mindset consumers are in is critical in determining their response to highly aesthetics products, retailers can capitalize on selected situations in which to promote product aesthetics.     

Beyond “Pink It and Shrink It” Perceived Product Gender,Aesthetics, and Product Evaluation

Marketing research on product personality suggests that products possess gender; however, the process by which a product becomes masculine or feminine is unknown. This research identifies product aesthetics as a source of product masculinity and femininity and investigates the influence of product gender created by aesthetics on consumer behavior. Building on prior work on anthropomorphism and evolutionary psychology (EP), the authors broadly hypothesize that specific physical characteristics identified as representing masculinity and femininity—and thus considered attractive in the mate selection process—will have a similar effect on products. The first study identifies the impact of the aesthetic dimensions of form (proportion, shape, and lines), color (tones, contrast, and reflection), and material (texture, surface, and weight) on defining a product's gender. The second study shows that products that are strongly gendered, particularly those that are strong in both the masculine and feminine dimensions, result in positive affective and behavioral responses. Thus, this research identifies product aesthetics as a significant source of product gender while highlighting the theoretical contribution of EP to consumer behavior. Managerial implications for product design are then discussed, offering guidelines for creating strongly gendered products.     

The biasing effect of evocative attributes at the implicit and explicit level: The tradition halo and the industrial horn in food products evaluations

This contribution investigates the role of food product attributes on consumer choices focusing on different production processes, labeled as ‘traditional’ or ‘industrial’. More specifically, we aim at documenting a novel halo (positive) effect of the Tradition label versus a horn (negative) effect of the Industrial label on the implicit and explicit perceptions of healthiness and tastiness of a food product using an experimental design as well as potential moderation effects of pro-environmental beliefs. In four studies, we manipulated the label of two brands of cheese regarding their production process (Study 1 and Study 2: traditional vs. industrial, Study 3: traditional vs. no label, Study 4: industrial vs. no label) and we measured implicit (with SC-IAT in Study 1, SA-IAT in Study 2, and IAT in Study 3 & 4) and explicit (self-report) perceptions of healthiness and tastiness. Results showed a Tradition halo effect and an Industrial horn effect on explicit perceptions of tastiness and healthiness. Results on implicit perceptions of healthiness seem to depend to some extent on pro-environmental beliefs. Results suggest that tradition-labeled food should be introduced in conventional supermarkets instead of investing in the opening of new specialized stores.     

The Effect of Overconfidence and Underconfidence on Consumer Value

Although the effect of knowledge miscalibration (i.e., the inaccuracy in subjective knowledge relative to objective knowledge) on consumer purchase decisions has been investigated, its effect in the usage stage of consumption is little understood. This paper examines the effect of knowledge miscalibration in terms of both overconfidence (i.e., when subjective knowledge is inflated) and underconfidence (i.e., when subjective knowledge is deflated) on the dimensions of consumer value (i.e., efficiency, excellence, play, and aesthetics). The paper makes the case that overconfidence and underconfidence should be treated separately as they trigger different consumption consequences. Several hypotheses are tested through two studies: a covariance‐based study (Study 1) and an experimental study (Study 2). In Study 1, overconfidence and underconfidence are measured, while in Study 2 they are experimentally manipulated. Findings of both studies show that underconfidence negatively influences efficiency, excellence, and aesthetics, and overconfidence negatively influences play. Also, Study 1 finds a negative effect of underconfidence on play and Study 2 finds a negative effect of overconfidence on excellence and aesthetics. Findings reveal that knowledge miscalibration negatively impacts consumers’ usage experiences. This implies that in designing product or service experiences suppliers benefit from ensuring that consumers achieve a reduced level of knowledge miscalibration.     

Are consumers' perceptions of price–quality relationships well calibrated?

Past research has shown that, to varying degrees, consumers tend to believe price is an indicator of quality, even though there is in fact often very little correlation between objective measures of price and quality (PQ). Moreover, consumers have been observed to be poorly calibrated in their knowledge of precisely which categories exhibit the strongest association between PQ for products. Given the profound changes that have occurred in consumer markets, such as the rise of the Internet and the flood of product quality information now readily available online, the present work seeks to update this line of research. Specifically, it seeks to determine if changes in the marketplace have affected (1) consumers' perceptions of the PQ relationship; and (2) consumers' PQ calibration. Data from two sources were collected and compared: (1) Subjective ratings of the PQ relation for various common products, collected using a questionnaire format in a survey of 313 US consumers; and (2) Objective estimates of the actual PQ association of the same products, gathered from independent third‐party information providers who report both prices and rank‐ordered quality measures for each. Results indicate that consumers today (1) continue to perceive a modest positive relationship between PQ (more so for durables, less for non‐durables); and (2) are modestly calibrated for durable products. But they are much less well calibrated in the realm of non‐durables, where consumers expect a positive link between price and quality in precisely those product categories in which the relationship is actually negative. Relative to past research, the calibration of consumers has apparently ‘flipped’ from non‐durables to durables today. Potential explanations for this result include (1) the rise of the Internet as an information source for quality ratings of durables; (2) a higher level of perceived risk for durable goods purchases; (3) a greater tendency for durables to exhibit a positive correlation between actual quality and price; and (4) the rising quality level of private label brands, which may render prior price–quality perceptions for non‐durables outdated or obsolete.     

Research on the influencing factors of consumers’ green purchase behavior in the post-pandemic era

The severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the world has caused consumers to think about environmental issues. Although green products are very important to environmental sustainability, the factors that influence consumers' purchase behavior of green products is unclear. This study aims to explore the impact mechanism of social media marketing on consumers' green product purchase behavior in the post-pandemic era. Based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), this study constructs an extended TPB model to understand the influencing factors of Chinese consumers' green product purchase behavior in the post-pandemic era. The empirical results of 489 questionnaires show that social media marketing, product knowledge and crisis awareness have a direct or indirect positive influence on purchase intentions. Perceived behavioral control and intentions have positive effects on behavior. The attribution of responsibility facilitates the relationship between intentions and behaviors. The results have important implications for enterprises’ sustainability strategies and provide a framework for investigating green buying behaviors in Chinese culture in the post-pandemic era.     

The Life Cycle of Temporary Cultural Exhibitions: An Empirical Exploration

This paper investigates the product life‐cycle of temporary cultural exhibitions. Using data drawn from 27 exhibitions that took place in Italy in the period 2000–01, we identify two different life‐cycles patterns. For the group of short life exhibitions, except in a few cases of a positive ‘première effect,’ the number of admissions is roughly constant over time and the cycle is linear. For the group of long life exhibitions, the mean number of admissions is subject to a decrease over time and a non‐linear life‐cycle emerges.     

Longing for the past and embracing the new: Does nostalgia increase new product adoption?

Existing research has mostly focused on the salutary impact of nostalgia on nostalgia-related products (e.g., childhood products, classic brands). The current research examines whether this effect can extend to nostalgia-unrelated products: new products. We demonstrate that nostalgia fosters social support, which in turn encourages consumers to adopt new products, and this effect is weakened when individuals have independent self-construal. Three studies provide support for these predictions. Study 1 revealed that nostalgia increases new product adoption. Study 2 demonstrated that this positive effect of nostalgia on new product adoption is mediated by social support. Study 3 showed that this salutary effect occurs only when consumers’ interdependent self is activated. The marketing implications of these findings are discussed.

     

Flag backlash: Why does the presence of the American flag reduce product evaluation?

The American flag is often incorporated into product branding. However, little research has investigated how the use of American flag imagery as a marketing tool for products influences consumer behavior. The present research examines (1) whether the presence of the American flag on a product affects consumers’ evaluation of products and (2) the social cognitive mechanisms underlying the effect of the flag on product‐related judgments. This research provides evidence that the presence of the American flag on a product induces negative product evaluation (Study 1). This negative effect is found to be moderated by participants’ trait level of psychological reactance (Study 2) and mediated by participants’ outrage (Study 3a) and perceived persuasion (Study 3b). When the American flag's link with the product is broken, its negative impact on product evaluation disappears (Study 4).     

Expertise Makes Perfect: How the Variance of a Reviewer's Historical Ratings Influences the Persuasiveness of Online Reviews

Online reviews have become an important source of information for consumers’ purchase decisions. Drawing upon the consumer expertise and persuasion literature, this study proposes that consumers are more willing to accept a reviewer's recommendation when his/her historical ratings in a certain product domain display greater variance. Five experiments provide consistent support for this hypothesis and the underlying process. Study 1 tests the proposed effect of a reviewer's rating variance on consumers’ willingness to accept the reviewer's recommendation. Studies 2 and 3 show that this effect can be attributed to perceptions regarding the reviewer's expertise. Moreover, this “variance-expert inference” effect is attenuated when the consumption experience of the reviewer is limited (Study 4) and when the consumers are familiar with the products (Study 5). The theoretical implications for the online review and persuasion literature and practical implications for online retailers are discussed.     

The Effect of Stylistic Product Information on Consumers’ Aesthetic Responses

This paper investigates the effect of stylistic information about a product, defined as verbal product information aimed at helping consumers to interpret a product's visual design, on consumers’ aesthetic responses. The results of three experimental studies show that for consumers with higher centrality of visual product aesthetics (CVPA), stylistic information positively influences aesthetic responses through perceived meaningfulness of product design (i.e., the extent to which an individual is able to make sense of a product's visual appearance and understands what it represents). Further, these effects translate into consumers’ purchase intentions. For consumers with lower CVPA, stylistic information neither affects aesthetic responses nor perceived meaningfulness of product design. These findings contribute to existing research on consumers’ aesthetic processing by highlighting the importance for consumers to grasp a product's design meaning in order to maximally appreciate its visual appeal.     

Influence of augmented reality product display on consumers’ product attitudes: A product uncertainty reduction perspective

In the online retail market, consumers' uncertainty about products caused by the physical separation between consumers and products has long been an obstacle. In recent years, online retailers have begun to display their products by using augmented reality technology. However, whether and how the features of augmented reality influence consumers’ product uncertainty remains unclear. In this study, we explore the effects of augmented reality features on product uncertainty reduction and product attitude. The results show that augmented reality can reduce product quality and fit uncertainty by increasing perceived informativeness, sense of presence, and mental imagery. The relationship between augmented reality features and product uncertainty reduction are moderated by product involvement, need for sensory richness and self-brand connection. Ultimately, the reduction of product uncertainty leads to positive product attitude.     

The power of plain: Intensifying product experience with neutral aesthetic context

Product packaging aesthetics can be the first observable signal of a product??s underlying traits. Two experimental studies examine the impact of package aesthetics on consumers?? evaluations of sensory hedonic products. The studies show that when paired with inferior or superior product quality, neutral package aesthetics can serve to intensify the negativity or positivity of product experience. Results indicate that surprise and disappointment mediate the relationship between package aesthetics and product evaluation. These findings provide evidence that an aesthetic, which serves to neutralize expectation states and in turn intensifies experience through contrast, may be as important of a contextual factor to consider as aesthetics that bias perceptions via a halo effect.     

Product Differentiation,the Volume of Trade and Profits under Cournot and Bertrand Duopoly

This article analyses how product differentiation affects the volume of trade under duopoly using Shubik-Levitan demand functions rather than the Bowley demand functions used by Bernhofen (2001). The drawback of Bowley demand functions is that an increase in product differentiation increases the size of the market so the increase in the volume of trade may be the result of the increase in the size of the market rather than the increase in product differentiation per se. The Shubik-Levitan demand functions have the advantage that an increase in product differentiation does not increase the size of the market, but consumers still have a ‘love of variety’. It is shown that the volume of trade in terms of quantities falls with increasing product differentiation when the trade cost is relatively low, but rises with increasing product differentiation when the trade cost is relatively high. Among the results, it is shown that the trade liberalisation is more likely to be profitable under Cournot duopoly than under Bertrand duopoly for differentiated products with a positive trade cost.     

The effect of context attractiveness on product attractiveness and product quality: the moderating role of product familiarity

Prior research has investigated a number of drivers of consumers’ perceived product attractiveness, such as a product’s shape and color. The context, in which a product is presented, has so far been largely neglected in examining consumers’ aesthetic appraisal of products. Drawing on social cognition theory, this research investigates how the attractiveness of the visual context (e.g., websites, advertisements) influences consumers’ perceptions of product attractiveness and product quality for familiar versus unfamiliar products. Results of two experimental studies show that consumers perceive unfamiliar products as more attractive and, consequently, of higher quality when products are placed in an attractive context than when they are placed in an unattractive context. No differences in consumers’ perceived product attractiveness and perceived product quality exist for familiar products. The findings extend our theoretical knowledge of product aesthetics and provide managers with insights into the effective communication of their offerings’ attractiveness.     

The role of consumers' construal level in art-infusion-type effect on retail product evaluation

What cognitive characteristic of consumers directs the art-infusion-type effect? This study inspected the impact of art-infusion type on product attitude through aesthetic judgment under different construal levels. This study was underpinned by “construal level theory” and “the model of aesthetic appreciation and aesthetic judgments.” The data were collected from a pretest (N = 280) and an experiment (N = 388). A moderated-mediation analysis displayed that to low-construal consumers, infusing figurative (vs. abstract) artwork into retail products elicits greater aesthetic judgment, leading to more favorable product attitudes. However, to high-construal consumers, such an effect did not occur. These results broaden the past art-infusion research by corroborating the existence of art-infusion-type effect and presenting the construal level as its new boundary condition. Furthermore, our results offer practical insights into utilizing artworks in product promotion.     

Determinants of purchase luxury counterfeit products in social commerce: The mediating role of compulsive internet use

Research on counterfeit purchase intention has attracted enough attention, and a number of studies have investigated various determinants of luxury counterfeit purchase intention in the offline context. However, less attention has focused on the underlying mechanism of the attitude toward luxury counterfeit purchase intention in the social commerce context. Moreover, extant literature has focused on the influence of compulsive internet use (CIU) on psychological well-being. Based on flow theory, this study examines the mediating role of CIU in the relationship between influencing factors (such as materialism, novelty-seeking behavior, and hedonic benefits) and consumers’ attitudes toward luxury counterfeit products. Additionally, the moderating role of product conspicuousness and positive online reviews also examined the direct effects. Data were collected from active online users of Taobao.com. Results show that materialism and novelty-seeking behavior are significantly related to CIU and subsequently influence the attitude toward luxury counterfeit goods. Furthermore, product conspicuousness and positive online reviews have moderated the direct effect of the conceptual framework. Therefore, the current research contributes to the existing literature by addressing the mediating CIU and moderating (product conspicuousness and positive online reviews) factors that played a significant role in promoting counterfeit purchase intention, comparing the direct effect to promote the counterfeit purchase intention. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed in detail.     

Celebrity endorsements: Investigating the interactive effects of internalization,identification and product type on consumers’ attitudes and intentions

In line with Kang and Herr's work (2006), this research questions the ELM's contention that celebrity credibility serves foremost as a peripheral element in a persuasive communication context. Nevertheless, in a different light to the Kang and Herr's ‘either-central-or-peripheral-role’ of a source characteristic, this research advances that celebrity credibility plays concomitantly central and peripheral roles in a persuasive message context depending on product involvement and brand-purchase motive. Particularly, this research uses the notions of ‘source internalization’ and ‘source identification’ (Kelman, 1961) to theorize that source credibility can have a concomitant dual role (peripheral and central) in a persuasion context. More precisely, this research investigates the interactive effects of source identification and internalization with product involvement as well as brand-purchase motives on consumers' attitudes and intentions. Source internalization is predicted to have persuasive effects in the contexts of high-involvement as well as informational products. Source identification is predicted to have persuasive effects in the context of low-involvement as well as transformational products. The findings of two experiments show that celebrity credibility acts through only a single route (i.e., only internalization has persuasive effects) uniformly across different product involvement levels and brand-purchase motive types. We interpret these results with the lens of the ‘match-up’ hypothesis (Kamins, 1990).     

Revisiting food delivery apps during COVID-19 pandemic? Investigating the role of emotions

Food delivery apps (FDAs) have transformed the way consumers order and consume food, especially during the mobility limitations of the COVID-19 pandemic. The hospitality industry, especially restaurants are heavily reliant on mobile technology during the pandemic to strengthen essential online to offline food delivery, helping large number of consumers. This study investigates the role of app aesthetics in evoking emotions which predict continued usage intentions for FDAs using the theoretical lens of the pleasure arousal dominance (PAD) framework. Data was collected from 341 consumers during the pandemic. Findings indicate that app aesthetics generate pleasure, arousal, and dominance emotions among consumers during pandemic where pleasure is the most significant predictor of continued usage intentions followed by dominance. Findings also confirm the mediating effect of arousal on pleasure and pleasure on continued usage intentions. The study has implications for academicians, food delivery companies, app designers and other app-based businesses as it proves the significance of an aesthetic app design in evoking positive PAD emotions in consumers during a crisis and strengthens the explanation of continued usage intentions.