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.     

零售业态均衡与创新的要素分析——基于零售业态价格梯度模型的研究

文章提出了一个业态价格梯度模型,该模型将价格梯度与业态竞争分布相联系,通过引入"消费者偏好"概念,较好地刻画了零售业态中服务、价格、成本三者之间关系,在此基础上验证并发展了"技术边界线"理论,提出业态取得竞争优势的关键因素是技术进步、满足消费者偏好以及管理创新带来的成本下降,我国家电零售业态历史发展变化情况也在一定程度上验证了模型的有效性。模型为今后同类研究提供量化分析工具的同时,也为进一步完善业态进化理论提供了新的研究视角。     

Hedonic and utilitarian use of user-generated content on online shopping websites

The Internet has made it possible for consumers to share reviews, opinions, and thoughts about products and services on online shopping websites. This user-generated content (UGC), which can be considered to be part of social commerce, is likely to influence other consumers’ attitudes toward a product and subsequent purchase intentions. The purpose of this study was to investigate two major uses of UGC: hedonic and utilitarian, and how they impact purchase intentions, along with users’ trust for different types of comments and reviews. Also investigated are associations between hedonic use, utilitarian use, and trust, with purchase behavior at online shopping websites. Results of this study will add to the domain knowledge related to marketing and how it impacts consumer psychology and behavior. From a practitioner perspective, marketers need to understand the impact of UGC so they can monitor this method of marketing communication as it can impact trust and purchase intentions.     

Structural or Cultural: An Exploration into Influences on Consumers' Shopping Behavior of Country Specific Factors versus Retailing Formats

Abstract

This paper examines shoppers' behavior at regional shopping malls and neighborhood centers in two countries. Although some universal behavior patterns exist, shoppers' motivation, selection criteria and purchase behaviors were found to vary across cultures, and/or the type of shopping facilities. More importantly, the impact of the type of shopping facility on purchase and on shopping selection criteria, such as convenience, were found to be moderated by country factor, thus showing significant interactions of culture with types of shopping places.     

Exploring Perceived Channel Price,Quality, and Value as Antecedents of Channel Choice and Usage in Multichannel Shopping

This study investigates consumer perceptions of price-quality-value based on shopping channel attributes as antecedents of channel choice and usage in multichannel shopping environments. Findings indicate that channel usage intention is directly influenced by consumer perceptions of channel value and indirectly by consumer perceptions of channel quality and channel price. Consumer perceptions of channel attributes most important to channel usage intention include utilitarian and hedonic value, service and merchandise quality, and monetary and non-monetary price. Managerial implications for retailers suggest a need for strategic management and differentiation of channel attributes to enhance channel value perceptions and increase channel usage intention.     

Role of Shopping Values and Web Atmospherics in E-Satisfaction and Repurchase Intention

Expected to touch US$55 billion in 2016, the e-commerce market in India presents an unprecedented growth opportunity for retailers. Existing studies have identified factors influencing shoppers’ online behaviour pertaining to the developed economies. Hence, it becomes pertinent to validate these antecedents for the economies like India. The article addresses this gap by examining the role of shopping values and web atmospherics, on e-satisfaction of Indian shoppers. Using multiple regression analysis, it also examines the influence of e-satisfaction on repurchase intention. The findings suggest that effectiveness of information content has the most significant impact on e-satisfaction. Web entertainment, utilitarian values and web informativeness are the other influencing factors. Contrary to the earlier studies, this study didn’t find any influence of hedonic shopping values on shoppers’ satisfaction. Also, e-satisfaction was found to have a positive influence on repurchase intention of e-shoppers. The article suggests select strategies that can be adopted by e-retailers.     

Adventures,auctions and aspirations: Illuminating shifts,tensions and contradictions in consumers' leisure shopping experiences

Drawing upon the work of Simmel ([1907–1911] 1971) and other socioculturally oriented theoreticians (e.g. Campbell 1987; Thompson et al. 1994), this paper illuminates the composite and dynamic character of leisure shopping. Using three overarching themes – the adventure, the auction and the aspiration – the paper illustrates that leisure shopping experiences comprise a synthesis of opposites, involving dynamic shifts between for example spontaneity and control, delight and disappointment, dreams and fantasies as well as rational calculations and purposive planning. Leisure shopping is thus described as a form of rational recreation (Lash and Urry 2002), where consumers seek pleasure in highly rationalized ways.     

Consumer Shopping Styles and Online Shopping: An Empirical Study of Indian Consumers

ABSTRACT

The generalizability and applicability of the Consumer Shopping Inventory (CSI) scale on Indian sample in predicting online shopping behavior was examined. CSI scale has been adapted by researchers to validate its applicability in different countries. Results revealed new factors and different segments of consumers were identified by factor analysis. The findings posit that the original U.S. eight-factor model could not be confirmed completely on Indian sample. However, the study found support for five factors: quality-conscious shopper, fashion-conscious shopper, uninterested shopper, impulsive shopper, and brand-conscious shopper. Online shopping behavior was categorized under convenience, information availability, and cost factors. Demographic factors do not influence consumers' decision to shop online. Consumers shopping online frequently and Impulsive shoppers are likely to look at convenience factor of online shopping. Information availability was important for fashion-conscious shoppers, consumers frequently shopping online, and impulsive shoppers. Brand-conscious shoppers and quality-conscious shoppers were not likely to purchase online.     

Affect and Retail Shopping Behavior: Understanding the Role of Mood Regulation and Regulatory Focus

Two studies investigate the relationship between promotion and prevention focus, mood regulation, and retail marketplace evaluations and behaviors. Study 1, a laboratory experiment, finds that individuals high in promotion focus regulate their moods more than individuals low in promotion focus. Study 2, a field study, investigates the relationships between retail outcomes, regulatory focus, and the three core mood regulation constructs of mood monitoring, mood clarity, and mood repair. Results suggest that mood regulation is closely related to promotion and prevention focus, having both a direct influence on retail outcomes as well as mediating the influence of regulatory focus. Implications for theory and practice, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.     

Information Search,Alternatives Evaluation,and Coping Mechanisms of Functionally Illiterate Consumers in Retail Settings: A Developing Economy Context

Little research has been carried out with regard to marketing to functionally illiterate consumers, despite the size and purchasing power of this market segment. This qualitative study examined the decision-making processes and coping mechanisms of functionally illiterate consumers in the South African grocery shopping environment. The findings provide insights that have important theoretical and practical implications for marketers, retailers, and policy makers. For functionally illiterate consumers, the information-search stage of the consumer decision-making process is either nonexistent or limited to a few trusted sources, such as friends and family, which often occurs only after a purchase has been made. Furthermore, these consumers face difficulties in a grocery store environment but have developed several coping mechanisms to compensate for their limited literacy skills.     

Relationship Commitment and Ethical Consumer Behavior in a Retail Setting: The Case of Receiving Too Much Change at the Checkout

In this study, we conducted two experiments to examine the effect of relationship commitment on the reaction of shoppers to receiving too much change, controlling for the amount of excess change. Hypotheses based on equity theory, opportunism and guilt were set up and tested. The first study showed that, when the less committed consumer is confronted with a large excess of change, he/she is less likely to report this mistake, compared with a small excess. Conversely, consumers with a high commitment towards the retailer are more likely to tell when they receive too much change, especially when the amount is large. The second experiment provided an explanation for these findings: the less committed consumer is driven by opportunism, whereas guilt-related feelings play an important role in a high commitment relationship. These results have several implications for both retail management and future research.     

Considering Technological Impacts When Selecting Food Suppliers: Comparing Retailers' Buying Behavior in the United States and Europe

Purpose: The research investigates the impact of emergent technologies, specifically supply-chain technology and food-production technology (i.e., genetically modified organisms [GMO]), on global food retailers' supplier decisions.

Methodology/approach: Qualitative research is conducted to examine technology-related vendor selection criteria of food retailers in 5 European countries comparing to those in the US.

Findings: Our findings show that global food retailers view supply-chain technology as a competitive advantage and is integrated as an important selection criteria; however, selection criteria differ for food-production technology between the United States and the European countries. European food retailers explicitly oppose food-production technology (GMO), while U.S. food retailers implicitly accept food-production technology. Emerging from this opposing view, global food retailers establish similar criteria for organic food (non-GMO) supplier selection: reliability, distance, consistent quality, and relationships with suppliers.

Research implications: Applying the supplier choice criteria framework (Lehmann and O'Shaughnessy 1982 Lehmann, D. R. and 'Shaughnessy, J. O. 1982. Decision criteria used in buying different categories of products. Journal of Purchasing and Materials Management, 18: 9–14.  [Google Scholar]) to further analyze organic food suppliers, we find that reliability (adaptive criterion), distance (integrative criterion), consistent quality (performance criterion), and relationships with suppliers (economic criterion) are essential, but price is not.

Practical implications: This study suggests that to sustain competitiveness in the global food market, food suppliers not only need to ensure technological compatibility in supply-chain, but also adapt to the local food-production restriction (GMO) and organic food selection criteria preferences.

Originality/value/contribution: Supply-chain technology is strategically important and is adopted by global food retailers for competitive advantage; yet, there are dramatic differences regarding the acceptance of food production technology. This research contributes to the better understanding of how technologies exert significant and strategic weight in the food supplier selection process.