Understanding consumers’ paths to webrooming: A complexity approach

Webrooming (practice whereby products are researched online before making an offline purchase) has been recognized as a prevalent form of cross-channel shopping behavior. Grounded in complexity and configuration theories, this study examines how different causal conditions determine webrooming intention. Required data was obtained from a purposive sample through paper surveys, and was analyzed using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). The findings reveal three configurations in which different combinations of product, consumer, and channel factors may interact in different ways to explain high webrooming intention. Notably, product involvement was identified as the core condition in all configuration paths. This study enriches the theoretical foundations of webrooming behavior, and the findings yielded are expected to assist retailers in developing better-targeted strategies in dealing with this increasingly prevalent cross-channel behavior.     

Impacts of product,store and retailer perceptions on consumers’ relationship to terroir store brand

This research shows that consumers’ relationship to terroir store brand, measured through attachment and two facets of brand loyalty (attitudinal and behavioral) is respectively influenced by their perceptions of the product, retailer and store. More specifically, the perceived authenticity of the products of the terroir store brand and its perceived value have a positive and significant influence on the attachment and behavioral loyalty of the regular buyers of this store brand and a positive and significant influence on the attachment of its occasional buyers. Trust in the retailer has a positive and significant impact on the behavioral loyalty of the regular buyers of this terroir store brand while perceived image of the store has only a positive and significant impact on the attitudinal loyalty of its occasional buyers.     

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.     

How consumers’ perceptions differ towards the design features of mobile live streaming shopping platform: A mixed-method investigation of respondents from Taobao Live

Mobile Live Streaming Shopping (MLSS) has become the most rapidly growing e-commerce business. However, there is a dearth of theoretical concern on the MLSS platform designing issue - the key factor affecting business success. Based on the axiomatic design theory, a systematic view of design features of MLSS platform is given, and a three-layer model including thirteen design features is built. The perceived differences of consumers across design features and individual characteristics, as well as the prioritization strategies of MLSS platform are derived with a mixed-method schema. The study provides fine-grained insights for enhancing the differentiated consumer experience by optimizing and improving the design of MLSS platforms.     

How anticipated regret influences the effect of economic animosity on consumers’ reactions towards a foreign product

We use regret theory to explain the negative effect of economic animosity on consumers’ reactions towards a foreign product (i.e., product judgment and reluctant to buy). We conduct our study in Taiwan by collecting data via an online survey. Our results show that consumers’ economic animosity increases their anticipated regret towards purchasing a foreign product originating from a target market of animosity. Specifically, anticipated regret is found to mediate the link between economic animosity and foreign product judgment, which in turns affects consumers’ reluctance to buy. Our study is the first to consider the role of anticipated regret in explaining the negative effect of economic animosity on consumers’ reactions towards a foreign product. We also contribute to research by introducing two antecedents of economic animosity: perceived economic competition and consumer ethnocentrism.     

Factors affecting luxury consumers’ webrooming intention: A moderated-mediation approach

The aim of this study to investigate factors affecting luxury consumers’ webrooming intention using a moderated mediation framework. The study also investigates the mediating effects of perceived hedonic value and perceived utilitarian value and how these mediating effects are moderated by online risk perceptions. Data were collected using offline survey from 374 luxury consumers in India, using systematic sampling. The results indicated that perceived usefulness of online search, need for touch and socialization have significant impact on webrooming intention. Perceived hedonic value and perceived utilitarian value mediate the effect of variables on webrooming intention and mediation effect of perceived utilitarian value varied between high and low levels of online risk perceptions. Findings of this study will help luxury retailers in managing consumer channel switching behaviour. The study enriches luxury marketing literature by examining emerging webrooming, channel switching phenomenon.     

What do consumers want? A methodological framework to identify determinant product attributes from consumers’ online questions

Determinant attributes play an important role in consumers’ purchase decisions. Firms rely on them to differentiate their products. Determinant attributes are typically identified using direct methods or indirect methods. However, the voice of the customer online can also provide key insights regarding attributes that are part of the consumers’ pre-purchase search process. The purpose of this study is to propose a framework to identify determinant attributes from online consumer questions. Our method uses semi-supervised Latent Dirichlet Allocation to identify product attributes initially. This is followed by the application of sequence pattern mining to identify temporal sequences of determinant attributes. Finally, hierarchical time series is used to forecast consumer interest in determinant attributes over time. The results show that our study can be used to identify determinant attributes of competing brands and can also be used to forecast consumer interest in these attributes. Brands can use this framework to have a pulse on what consumers look for before purchase. This will aid their decisions related to promotion as well as product development processes.     

Examining consumers’ sensory experiences with color: A consumer neuroscience approach

This research advances neuroscience as a tool with which to study consumers’ visual mental imagery. Applying these methods, we suggest that the presence or absence of color is a critical dimension along which consumers’ visualizations can vary, and explore when and why color of visual mental imagery becomes more prominent. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we find neural evidence for distinguishing black-and-white (BW) versus color visualization, and that visual mental imagery becomes increasingly monochrome (vs. colorful) when consumers imagine distant (vs. near) future events. Our neural evidence further suggests construal level as the underlying mechanism of this effect, showing common regions of activation for imagining distant future events, engaging in high-level construal, and forming BW mental imagery. We discuss the implication of these findings and the benefits of fMRI techniques for marketing in general.     

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.     

Examining the role of receptivity to green communication,altruism and openness to change on young consumers’ intention to purchase green apparel: A multi-analytical approach

The current study aims to examine the impact of receptivity to green communication, altruism and openness to change on young consumers' purchase intention towards green apparel in India. Using a two stage approach, the research model is assessed with data collected through an online survey from a sample of 549 young consumers. In the first step, structural equation modeling (SEM) is used to determine the linear relationship among factors in the theoretical model. In the second step, artificial neural network (ANN) analysis is used to determine the predictive accuracy of the significant factors obtained from the SEM. The results from the SEM analysis reveal that receptivity to green communication, altruism and openness to change, along with the three predictors of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) significantly affect consumers’ purchase intention towards green apparel. Further, there is an indirect effect of altruism and openness to change on purchase intention through attitude supporting the value-attitude-behavior cognitive hierarchy (VABH). Besides, perceived behavioral control is found to mediate the impact of openness to change on intention to purchase green apparel. The root mean square of error (RMSE) values obtained from the ANN analysis suggest that the models show good predictive accuracy. The study contributes to the existing literature by confirming the applicability of the TPB and the VABH as well as suggesting a robust predictive framework by using ANN for green apparel purchase intention.     

A ‘glocalization’ approach to the internationalizing of crisis communication

This article focuses on the field of international crisis communication, whereby multinationals and their expatriate staff respond to crisis events in international and/or multicultural contexts. The field of international crisis communication is at or near a state of crisis due to lack of research and, more importantly, methods useful for practitioners. ‘Glocalization’—which is used successfully in fields as diverse as marketing, education, theology, and others as an effective and expedient way of leveraging global capabilities to meet local demands—is proposed as one method for addressing this need pragmatically. Using glocalization for the internationalizing of crisis communication benefits practitioners and researchers alike in a way that avoids imposing Western frameworks and interpretations onto non-Western crisis situations. We demonstrate the approach with a case study involving multinational McDonald’s Corporation and its foreign subsidiary, McDonald’s Japan.     

Whether to trust chatbots: Applying the event-related approach to understand consumers’ emotional experiences in interactions with chatbots in e-commerce

Chatbots can be used in marketing services to substantially improve the consumer experience. Based on cognitive appraisal theory, this study applied an event-related potential (ERP) approach to investigate consumers’ emotional experiences and consumer trust in passive interaction with chatbots versus humans, taking into account objective or subjective tasks in e-commerce. The results showed that chatbot (vs. human) service interactions automatically drew more consumer attention at the subconscious stage (i.e., a larger P2); consumers purposefully allocated more resources to regulate the negative emotions elicited by chatbots at the conscious stage (i.e., a larger LPP); and there was a lower trust in chatbots than in humans. Moreover, under subjective tasks, the differences between chatbots and human agents in emotional experience (as reflected by LPP) and trust were amplified. The findings will encourage e-retailers to improve the emotional service experience of their chatbots and prioritize the application of chatbots for objective tasks in customer service.     

How money priming affects consumers in an advertising context: the role of product conspicuousness and consumers’ signalling needs

ABSTRACT

Effects of money priming on basic psychological processes are well established in the literature. However, research that investigates money priming in an advertising context is scarce. This article presents two empirical studies examining consumer reactions after being primed with money and exposed to advertisements presenting either conspicuous or non-conspicuous products. Consumer reactions were investigated with respect to their attitude towards the ad, product evaluation and signalling needs. The findings indicate that the evaluation of a conspicuous product, and the respective ad promoting it, benefit from money priming while the evaluation of a non-conspicuous product is not affected. Moreover, money priming elicits signalling needs in situations where consumers are confronted with conspicuous products. Our moderated mediation models show that these signalling needs mediate the positive effects of money priming in conspicuous situations.     

Go green: how to influence the perceived effectiveness of a green product?

Across two studies, this research elucidates on which green messages in advertising are most effective in influencing the perceived effectiveness of green products by examining the moderating role of environmental consciousness. This study further considers a mechanism underlying the interaction between green messages and environmental consciousness on brand attitude with the perceived effectiveness of green products. The results show that when environmentally conscious individuals are exposed to abstract and distant temporal messages, they will report greater perceptions of a green product's effectiveness and brand attitude than for concrete and proximal temporal messages. In contrast, less environmentally conscious respondents will not have different responses to the abstract/concrete and distant/proximal temporal messages. Furthermore, the perceived effectiveness of a green product mediates the interaction between green messages and environmental consciousness for predicting brand attitudes. With an understanding of how environmentally conscious individuals evaluate green advertising, marketers can better understand how to promote their green products more effectively.     

Adoption of augmented reality in online retailing and consumers’ product attitude: A cognitive perspective

With the application of augmented reality (AR) technology by online retailers to improve online services, the impact of AR adoption on consumer behavior has attracted attention both in academic and in practical circles. Based on the cognitive perspective of information processing and from the two aspects of cognitive load and cognitive fluency, this study discusses the influence of AR adoption on online consumers' product attitudes. The results of the experimental study show that two AR characteristics—environmental embedding and simulated physical control—can reduce consumers’ cognitive load, enhance their cognitive fluency, and improve their product attitude. Furthermore, product type can moderate the influence of AR environmental embedding and simulated physical control on cognitive fluency.     

Social bundling: A novel method to enhance consumers’ intention to purchase online bundles

Bundling in retail has been argued to improve sales volume and speed, which can improve retailers’ operation performance. However, recent research finds that the purchase quantity requirement in traditional bundling deters non-buyers from becoming buyers. This paper proposes “social bundling,” as a novel method that alleviates the quantity requirement while satisfying the bundling benefits for consumers and retailers. We empirically test a theoretical model that explains the advantages and disadvantages of social bundling vis-à-vis traditional bundling in influencing consumers’ intentions to purchase in bundles. We conclude that social bundling outperforms traditional bundling in driving intention to purchase in bundles.     

Do consumers still believe what is said in online product reviews? A persuasion knowledge approach

The objective of this paper is to examine the effects of knowledge about manipulated online product reviews on the effectiveness of such reviews in influencing consumers' product evaluations. The results of two empirical studies show that consumers clearly differ with regard to their knowledge that product reviews can be manipulated and that consumers who have such knowledge are less influenced in their product evaluations by reviews, specifically by negative ones. Furthermore, the effects of negative reviews are even weaker when consumers acquire their knowledge through a highly credible source (compared to a less credible source).     

Integrating consumers’ motives with suppliers’ solutions to combat Shanzhai: A phenomenon beyond counterfeit

Imitation goods are widely spread throughout the global business world. Shanzhai imitation (

) represents a type of imitation that mimics the original brand through surface or functional similarities but often provides enhanced or innovative features adapted to local market needs. Although both practitioners and academics have studied and provided solutions to combat counterfeits, solutions for original brand manufacturers to address threats from Shanzhai products are lacking. In this article, we first differentiate Shanzhai products from counterfeits. Using a mixed-method approach that combines interviews and laboratory experiment results, we then identify social, individual, functional, and financial (SIFF) factors as driving forces behind consumers’ purchasing of Shanzhai products. Shanzhai buyers place more weight on functional value and price/quality ratio than do counterfeit buyers, who in turn favor social value and materialism more than Shanzhai buyers. Finally, we provide several recommendations to original manufacturers from both the demand and supply sides.     

Factors influencing Generation Y consumers’ perceptions of eWOM credibility: a study of the fast-food industry

eWOM communication is certainly one of the most influential drivers of purchase decisions. However, little knowledge is available on the factors that influence the trustworthiness and credibility of eWOM communication. To address this research gap, the study aimed to assess whether the three independent variables (homophily, authority and interestingness) have a significant positive indirect effect on eWOM credibility, as mediated by source trustworthiness. The context of the study was fast-food retailers. A cross-sectional survey was conducted and the target population included all Generation Y consumers that visited the fast-food market leaders in Gauteng province, the economic hub of South Africa. Lisrel version 8.8 was used to analyse the results obtained from a realised sample of 362 respondents and to compile the structural equation model. The findings of the study support the research hypotheses formulated and offer a theoretical contribution by enhancing knowledge of the relationships between the variables investigated as well as the factors that could influence eWOM credibility. The study also has meaning to fast-food retailers, as the model could be applied to formulate appropriate strategies and influence the online conversations and perceptions of consumers.     

Touch vs. click: how computer interfaces polarize consumers’ evaluations

Marketing Letters - Increasingly powerful computer technologies have enabled the development and widespread growth of touchscreen devices such as computers, tablets, and smartphones in...