Motivating purchase of private brands: Effects of store image, product signatureness, and quality variation

This study examines the effects of intangible extrinsic cues on consumer quality perception and purchase intention of private brands. We find that store image and product signatureness enhance quality perception and purchase intention of private brands while quality variation reduces both outcomes. All effects of the three extrinsic cues on purchase intention are partially mediated by quality perception. In addition, consumer value consciousness strengthens the relationship between quality perception and purchase intention of private brands.     

Mediated-moderated effects: High and low store image,brand awareness,perceived value from mini and supermarkets retail stores

This paper addresses how different store formats moderate the relationship between store image and purchase intention, mediated by brand awareness and perceived value. Questionnaire data was collected through face-to-face interviews with retail customers on the streets of a city in southern Brazil. Hypotheses testing were performed using the partial least squares structural equation modeling, supported by Smart-PLS and the Bootstrapping procedure run in the Process software. The model's sample included 298 retail customers for each store format (supermarket and mini-market). Results showed that store image positively impacted customer purchase intentions and the mediators, perceived value and brand awareness, which had a distinct effect on the direct relation of store image and purchase intention. Store format presented moderation effects on the relation between store image and brand awareness for both store formats: the higher the perception of store image, the greater the consumer's brand awareness. However, store format did not present a moderating effect on the relationship between brand awareness and purchase intention. Store image was found to be an important independent construct that improves brand awareness and increases perceived value. The number of mini-markets in Brazil is increasing, indicating that they are supplying a need unmet by supermarkets. The study design's implementation in the city streets, respondents were requested to imagine store image, which may have affected some of the parameters. The model integrated store image as an important construct influencing purchase behavior and this study presented a mediated-moderated model with managerial implications.     

Identifying and examining the role of pop-up store design: A mixed-methods study

Pop-up store design has become critical in achieving marketing-motivated and sales-motivated goals. Nevertheless, a lack of holistic and systematic research on pop-up store design prevents retailers from evaluating and leveraging the value of design. This paper uses a mixed-methods investigation combining qualitative and quantitative approaches to classify the pop-up store design factors and examine their effects on consumer behavior. The results suggest that three dimensions of pop-up store design, namely sign, style, and layout elements, positively affect brand attitude and purchase intention through the mediating effect of store image. This research offers theoretical and managerial implications for pop-up retailing.     

Effect of the use of social media in trust,loyalty and purchase intention in physical stores

This research evaluates the effect of the use of social media on consumer trust, loyalty and purchase intention in physical stores. We used six constructs in a structural model: a consumer’s use of social media, company-generated communication in social media, user-generated communication on social media, trust, loyalty and purchase intention. We considered 406 valid respondents in the analysis. The results suggest that the use of social media, company and user-generated communication positively affects trust of the physical store. Trust, in turn, has a direct positive effect on consumer loyalty to the store, and both trust and loyalty have positive impacts on a consumer’s purchase intention. We note the impact of the use of social media on purchase intention in physical stores, through the building of trust and loyalty with the store, as a fundamental element in the definition and implementation of a successful marketing strategy by high street retailers.     

不同心理距离情境下产品属性对购买意向的影响

产品属性有两个维度:享乐维度和实用维度,消费者对于享乐属性和实用属性的偏好是不一样的。通过引入心理距离认为产品属性对购买意向的影响是不一样的,如果消费者处在心理距离的情景,那么产品享乐属性对他们的购买意向有更强烈的影响,如果心理距离的减少,产品实用属性对消费者购买意向有更强烈的影响,并认为消费者心理距离的变化会对产品享乐属性和实用属性的偏好发生逆转。     

Do Consumers Discriminate Against Foreign Companies Even When They are Green?

The international business literature has long investigated the role of corporate environmentalism, or “going green,” in business. However, this research has been limited regarding the dynamics of a firm's eco-friendly image and consumers' intention to purchase the firm's products in light of the consumer's complex social viewpoint and how that eco-friendly image is perceived. This limitation is due in part to the complex nature of the eco-friendly image-purchase intention relationship, especially when taking into account the consumers' identification with the firm, as well as the role of consumer ethnocentrism. Through the use of an experimental survey, we found differences between countries and the role of the firm's eco-friendly image and consumer ethnocentrism. In particular, an eco-friendly image was positively related to identification with the firm in a German company sample. The findings also show that this identification mediates the effect of eco-friendly image on purchase intention. Consumer ethnocentrism significantly moderated the effect of this identification on purchase intention as well in the Chinese company sample. Implications for managers of multinational enterprises are discussed, as are avenues for future research.     

Effects of store image and store brand price-image on store brand purchase intention: Application to an emerging market

Several factors have been underlined to explain store brands' (SBs) purchase behavior. This research investigates jointly the effect of store image perceptions, SB price-image and perceived risk toward SBs on SB purchase intention in the context of an emerging market (Brazil). Data were collected from a consumer survey with 379 respondents randomly selected. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized relationships. Our results show that store image perceptions and SB price-image influence significantly SB purchase intention directly or indirectly via the effect of perceived risk toward SBs. These findings are discussed and their theoretical and managerial implications are provided.     

The small,inventory free retail format: The impact on consumer-based brand equity and purchase behavior

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of brand experience, as conceptualized by Brakus, Schmidt, and Zarantonello’s (2009), in fostering Consumer Based Brand Equity (CBBE) elements associated with the new store format and their impact on consequent purchase intention through multiple retail channels. A survey sent to a national sample of female consumers regarding Nordstrom Local, a small, inventory-free retail store in the U.S., resulted in 406 usable responses. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized relationships among variables where nine of the ten proposed hypotheses were supported. The findings of this study support that the brand experience of a small, inventory-free retail format can be effective in fostering CBBE, which has a positive impact on purchase intention. Furthermore, patronizing a small, inventory-free retail format appears to influence purchase intention consummated through the retailer’s other channels. This appears to be the first empirical study to explore the impact of the small, inventory-free retail format on consumer responses. The findings may aid industry professionals in identifying successful strategies that appeal to changing preferences of today’s consumer.     

Corporate social responsibility: a boon or bane for innovative firms?

In today’s dynamic business landscape, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is considered as an important strategic initiative for attaining sustainable competitive advantage. The present study aims to examine (i) the influence of consumer’s perceived firm innovativeness (CPFI) and consumer trust on perceived CSR activities of the firm and (ii) the mediating role of perceived CSR in the relationship between (iia) consumer’s perceived firm innovativeness and purchase intention (iib) consumer trust and purchase intention. Four hypotheses were tested with the primary data (n = 287) collected through a structured questionnaire. The regression analysis revealed that CPFI and consumer trust have direct positive impacts on the perceived CSR. Further, perceived CSR mediates the relationship between CPFI and purchase intention. However, perceived CSR does not play a mediating role between Consumer Trust and Purchase Intention. Overall, the findings of this study indicate that engagement in the CSR activities tend to reduce the perceived risk associated with innovation and consequently, influence the purchase intention among consumers. Theoretical and managerial implications are further discussed.     

商店忠诚、自有品牌态度及其购买意向的关系研究——消费者交易倾向和产品社会可见性的调节作用

文章探讨商店忠诚、自有品牌知识对自有品牌态度的影响,以及自有品牌态度对购买意向的影响,并考察消费者交易倾向和产品社会可见性对上述关系的调节作用。研究发现,自有品牌知识和商店忠诚对自有品牌态度都有正面作用,交易倾向正向调节自有品牌知识对自有品牌态度的影响,负向调节商店忠诚对自有品牌态度的影响;自有品牌态度对自有品牌购买意向有正面作用,产品的社会可见性负向调节这种影响作用,质量易评估性的调节作用缺乏显著性。     

Examining the relationships between online store atmospheric color,flow experience and consumer behavior

Although atmospherics and flow experience are widely studied, the relationship between online store atmospheric cues and flow experience has received a little attention. Furthermore, there is a lack of published results about the role of atmospheric color in creating flow. Using the Stimulus – Organism – Response model and the theory of optimal experience of flow, this study investigated the impact of online store background color on the achievement of flow and its effects on online consumer behavior. In this study, an online experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of a warm hue – yellow versus a cool hue – blue of the background and used a self-administered online survey for data collection. The results underscore the important role online store color plays in creating the flow experience and revealed that blue hue induces more flow than yellow. The two dimensions of flow (perceived enjoyment and concentration) have direct and mediating effects on purchase intention and revisit intention. Concentration, but not enjoyment, has direct and mediating effects on the number of viewed pages and time spent per visit. This research enhances our understanding of the relationship between online store atmospheric color and flow and highlights the role of flow as an extension of SOR model applied online. Other theoretical and managerial implications of the results are discussed. Finally, suggestions regarding future research are presented.     

Price image and the sugrophobia effect on luxury retail purchase intention

Consumer shopping behavior in luxury retail stores continues to be a subject of interest among marketing researchers. Such a phenomenon has led us to explore how price image and sugrophobia, a psychological feeling of being taken advantage of, would influence consumers' future behavioural intention in the context of luxury retail store. Informed by a survey of 400 consumers, this study adopts the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S–O-R) model to examine how price image triggers consumer perceptions (i.e., perceived value, trust and attitude) and results in behavioral intention. Sugrophobia is included in the S–O-R model to assess its moderating effect. Data analysis using SEM-PLS demonstrates that a retailer's price image has a positive effect on consumers' perceived value, trust, attitude, and future behavioral intention. Sugrophobia, in turn, is found to weaken the relationship between price image and consumer perceptions. The study thus highlights the relevance of sugrophobia among risk-averse consumers and the necessity to manage sugrophobic consumers effectively in the context of a luxury retail store. Implications of the study are discussed.     

With the best of intentions: a large sample test of the intention‐behaviour gap in pro‐environmental consumer behaviour

Many consumers intend to make pro‐environmental purchases; however, this is not always what occurs. A gap exists between consumer intentions to purchase environmentally friendly products and their actual purchase behaviour. The current study uses a large sample of Australian consumers (N = 772) to test Carrington, Neville and Whitwell's (2010) conceptual model of the intention‐behaviour gap. Responses showed that implementation intentions mediated the relationship between intention and pro‐environmental consumer behaviour. Behavioural control and environmental involvement were found to moderate the relationship between implementation intentions and behaviour. Shopping context was found to moderate the relationship between intention and implementation intentions. The findings have theoretical implications for furthering understanding of pro‐environmental consumer behaviour, and practical implications regarding how to generate socially beneficial behaviours.     

Examining shopping mall consumer decision-making styles,satisfaction and purchase intention

Understanding consumer decision-making (CDM) styles is essential for market segmentation, positioning and crafting marketing strategies within a market. Few studies have examined the structural relationship among decision-making styles that consumers exhibit during mall shopping, level of satisfaction and purchase intention. The purpose of this study was to examine CDM styles as the antecedents and predictors of level of satisfaction and purchase intention. Based on the Consumer Styles Inventory, eight CDM styles that individual exhibit during shopping mall activities are proposed in terms of utilitarian and hedonic perspectives. We hypothesize these eight CDM styles as a set of predictors of customer satisfaction and purchase intention. A total of 327 valid paper-and-pencil questionnaires were collected from several shopping malls in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Partial least squares (PLS) path modelling approach, a structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) technique was performed to test the proposed structural relationships. The empirical assessment supports that hedonic shopping styles consumers that exhibit high level of habitual, brand consciousness, fashion consciosness, recreational conscious style have lower levels of satisfaction and purchase intention during mall shopping while novelty and fashion conscious style consumers have lower level of satisfaction but do not unveil lower purchase intention. Utilitarian shopping styles consumers that exhibit high level of price conscious, confused by overchoice and high-quality conscious style have higher levels of satisfaction while impulsive/careless shoppers do not; and while price conscious, impulsive/careless, confused by overchoice consumers have higher levels of purchase intention but the high-quality conscious consumers do not unveil higher purchase intention. Further, there is a positive relationship between satisfaction and purchase intention. The practical and managerial implications are discussed.     

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.     

Share of wallet in retailing: the effects of customer satisfaction, loyalty cards and shopper characteristics

In retailing, consumers typically patronize multiple outlets. Thus, an important issue is why consumers vary in how they divide their purchases across outlets and how outlets can get a greater share of consumer expenditures. Two potential avenues for increasing customer share are to raise customer satisfaction, and increase repeat purchase through loyalty cards. This study examines the effects of customer satisfaction and loyalty cards as well as consumer characteristics on customer share spent on the primary grocery store. The findings suggest that customer satisfaction has a positive, albeit modest, effect on share while consumer economic shopping orientation has a negative direct effect on share. The economic orientation of shoppers, their felt importance of a personal relationship with store personnel, and the level of their aggregate purchase volume moderate the effect of satisfaction on customer share. Finally, the results provide mixed support for the impact of loyalty cards on customer behavior.     

基于Fishbein合理行为模型的国家形象对中国消费者购买意向影响研究——以美、德、日、韩四国国家形象为例

This study finds that Chinese consumers’ perception of country image can be divided into four dimensions: appraisal of the relationship with China, degree of country development, general product appraisal, and general people appraisal. The items in these four dimensions vary for different countries. The study incorporates country image into the Fishbein’s model, and finds good fitness between the model and data, which suggests that the Fishbein’s model has good generalizability and cross-culture adaptability. Results show that country image has no direct impact on purchase intention; instead, it impacts on consumers’ purchase intention indirectly through the effects on functional appraisal and symbolic appraisal, brand attitude and subjective norm. The effect of country image on purchase intention varies for different products. Specifically, the effect of country image on purchase intention of apparel is greater than that of cell phone, and that on purchase intention of car is the lowest.     

The unexpected effect of frugality on green purchase intention

Frugality is frequently associated with sustainable consumer behavior which contributes to a growing resource saving. In this study, we challenge the prevailing view. Compared to the positive effects of frugality, little work has focused on its negative effects. Thus, this study presents a research model which explores whether and how frugality influence green purchase intention. With data collected from 369 participants, the results report that frugality has a negative effect on green purchase intention. It is significantly mediated by motivation to save. In addition, green concern negatively moderates the relationship between frugality and purchase intention, and that between motivation to save and purchase intention. The study provides a deeper understanding of frugality, and develops an avenue to promote sustainable consumption.     

An innovation resistance theory perspective on purchase of eco-friendly cosmetics

This study investigates the reasons for consumer resistance towards purchase of eco-friendly cosmetic products using the innovation resistance theory. Thus we extend the theory by exploring the moderating roles of environmental concern and health concern. An online survey method was used to collect the data from 350 consumers through Amazon Mechanical Turk. The findings reveal that all the barriers are significant inhibitors towards adoption of eco-friendly cosmetic products. Among these barriers, tradition and image barriers have the strongest inhibitory force on consumers' purchase intentions. However, environmental concern among consumers indicates that the negative influence of value and image barriers reduce consumers’ intention to purchase eco-friendly items, while health concern reduces the influence of tradition and risk barriers. The study findings have far reaching implications for scholars, cosmetic manufacturers, and retailers.     

Buying while expecting to sell: The economic psychology of online resale

Consumer online resale is becoming increasingly common for transactions of secondhand goods. However, when accompanied by a preconceived intention to resell a product after using it, the initial consumer purchasing decision for self-use is complicated by the estimated resale value of that good. We applied the principles of mental accounting to develop and evaluate a new concept that may influence consumer resale and purchase intention: external resale reference price (ERRP). The study examines how online consumer sellers' economic psychology of buying affected their expectation of future online resale outcome. The results indicate that (1) consumers' awareness of future online resale potential can influence their purchasing decisions; (2) ERRP, which is mediated by the estimated resale return, can increase purchase intention; and (3) the effects of ERRP on purchase intention are moderated by online resale likelihood, but are minimal when consumers are aware that resale possibility is extremely low.