Extending the concept of shopping: An investigation of browsing activity

In many previous studies of consumer behavior, shopping has been equated with buying. This research examines the concept of browsing—the examination of a retailer’s merchandise without a current intent to buy. Results indicate that for the product classes of clothing and personal computers, browsing is related to perceptions of relevant dimensions of the retail environment. In addition, heavy browsers are more involved with the product, are more knowledgeable, and are more likely to be opinion leaders than are other consumers. Suggestions for future research are also noted.     

The moderating effects of insupplier/outsupplier status on organizational buyer attitudes

A conceptual model of the relationships among buyers’ perceptions of and attitudes toward elements of a vendor company’s marketing mix is developed and tested, and the moderating effects of insupplier/outsupplier status are assessed. Attitude centrality and self-perception theories predict that buyer perceptions of and attitudes toward the company, the salesperson, and the product will be more closely interlinked for insuppliers than for outsuppliers. Theory regarding category-based affect and attitude accessibility predicts that buyers will use extrinsic cues to a greater extent when making judgments about outsupplier as compared with insupplier salespeople. The results indicated significant moderating effects of insupplier/outsupplier status and generally validated predictions made on the basis of attitude theory. Perceived company reputation was more strongly related to salesperson and product attitudes for insuppliers than for outsuppliers. Extrinsic cues were used to a greater extent by buyers evaluating outsuppliers. Implications of the findings for management and a more complete understanding of organizational buying are discussed. His research interests include attitudinal influences on consumer and organizational buying behavior, sales force motivation, and job attitudes. His research has been published in theJournal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, andJournal of Advertising Research, as well asJournal of the Academy of Marketing Science.     

“Add-on” purchasing: Consumer behavior in the trial of new products

The research reported here examines consumer behavior in the trial of new consumer packaged goods. Panel data tracking purchase patterns over the first two years of introduction for seven low-priced consumer goods was utilized to study both the timing and quantity of individual household new product trials. A behavior termed “add-on” purchasing (buying trial brands in addition to regularly purchased brands) was exhibited across all seven new products. Implications of this “add on” behavior are discussed.     

Effects of sales presentation topic on cognitive responses in industrial buying groups

This article presents results of an experiment which tested the effects of sales messages on cognitive responses in industrial buying groups. Results suggest that matching sales presentations to buyers’ job responsibilities leads not only to higher levels of message involvement and attention, but also to increases in arousal and greater extremity in buyers’ evaluations of the sales presentation, the salesperson, and the represented vendor. Implications of these results for practitioners and researchers are discussed.     

New dimensions in unhidden persuasion

Two potent promotional forces have been operating in the marketing environment. One utilizes direct persuasion techniques. The other attempts to obtain a positive consumer response through hidden persuasion. Today’s shoppers, however, are better educated and are less influenced by hidden persuasion methods. Studies indicate that impulse buying has increased and that consumers want to make their “own” buying decisions. Point-of-purchase advertising is one method of meeting today’s environmental needs. Space is limited and the advertiser must be forthright and precise in his persuasive techniques. In spite of the many constraints imposed on point-of-purchase advertising it has proven to be a powerful persuader, because it is the only medium that can employ the full range of perceptual devices which are so vital to the communication process. Lever Brothers Company, Inc.     

Using the analytic hierarchy process to assess gender differences in the evaluation of microcomputer vendors

The influence of the decision maker’s sex on the choice process in specific business buying situations is not well-established. Within an organizational buying context, this study compares men’s and women’s evaluations of decision criteria and examines whether they form different preferences in the selection of microcomputer vendors. Expert Choice, a microcomputer software package for performing the analytic hierarchy process methodology, served as the decision support tool to structure the decision process, to collect the data, to derive the importance weights for the decision criteria, and to synthesize them with the vendor preferences. The results of a multivariate analysis of the experimental data indicate that men and women do not differ in weighting the importance of decision criteria nor in forming preferences for alternative PC vendors. Instead, the type of organization employing the subjects and the influence of their boss’s decision rules were found to significantly affect the vendor evaluation process.     

Antecedents and consequences of adaptive selling confidence and behavior: a dyadic analysis of salespeople and their customers

Personal selling is thought to be a very effective marketing vehicle. The notion of adaptive selling suggests that it should work better than any other means of communication because salespeople are able to develop a unique message for each customer. This research proposes a model of key antecedents and consequences of adaptive selling. In particular, we distinguish, measure, and model the attitudinal and behavioral aspects of adaptive selling, something that is encouraged but not thoroughly examined in the literature. Hypotheses are tested using data from 210 salesperson-customer dyads. The results indicate that a salesperson’s perception of the firm’s customer orientation has an effect on adaptive selling behavior through the salesperson’s adaptive selling confidence, role ambiguity, intrinsic motivation and customer-qualification skills. Adaptive selling behavior increases salesperson’s outcome performance, customers’ evaluations of satisfaction with the product and with the salesperson, which enhance customers’ anticipation of future interactions with the salesperson. The implications for management and theory are discussed.     

Effects of accountability on symbolic information search and information analysis by organizational buyers

Most studies of the organizational buying process assume that buyers acquire and use information “prosocially”—to make better decisions and promote their company’s welfare. The authors propose, however, that demands to account for their behavior causes organizational buyers to also gather and use information for political purposes—to protect their own self-interest. The authors present the results of an empirical study that investigates the extent to which four types of accountability—informal, official, process, and decision accountability—result in political (or symbolic) information search and prosocial information analysis by organizational buyers. Study findings suggest that buyers accountable to superiors and those accountable to subordinates or peers engage in more symbolic information search. Buyers accountable for their decision-making process analyze information more extensively. Surprisingly, buyers accountable for decision outcomes neither search for symbolic information nor analyze information more extensively. She received her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research interests include industrial buying behavior, business-to-business relationships, and international marketing. She has published articles in theJournal of International Marketing and theJournal of Macromarketing, as well as various conference proceedings. He received his Ph.D. from Northwestern University. His research interests are in the marketing strategy and public policy areas. His work has been published inJournal of Marketing, Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, Journal of Advertising Research, and several other journals.     

An investigation of path-goal leadership theory and its impact on intrachannel conflict and satisfaction

This path-analytic study examined the relationships among channel members’ perceptions of dimensions representing channel leader behavior, channel conflict and satisfaction. In doing so, the path-goal theory of leadership is tested in a franchise channel of distribution. The results indicate that both the consideration and the initiating structure dimensions of leader behavior significantly influence franchisees’ satisfaction with the franchise arrangement. As defined in the theory, these relationships were found to be mediated by the existing level of conflict being experienced by franchisees. Causal linkages are also found between intrachannel conflict and satisfaction. Specific recommendations are provided to franchisors and other channel leaders.     

特色农产品的网络团购模式研究

目前有自发行为的农产品网络团购、职业团购、销售商组织的团购三种农产品网络团购模式。通过网络团购,能够扩大农产品市场、缩短流通时间、获得价格优势、促进农产品产销、方便公共安全监督。在发展网络团购时,需要解决产品可信度、消费者资金安全、物流配送及售后服务的问题。为保障农产品网络团购,需要提供信息保障、人才保障及政府支持。     

Heterogeneity in sales districts: Beyond individual-level predictors of satisfaction and performance

This article examines the influence of heterogeneity within a sales unit on the unit’s satisfaction and performance.Sales unit refers to a set of salespersons working out of the same office and for the same supervisor, andheterogenity refers to salespersons’ dispersion or variance on key dimensions. Specifically, drawing on theories in social psychology, the authors study the influence of sales unit heterogeneity in terms of (1) demographic characteristics (e.g., gender dispersion), (2) skills and rewards (e.g., reward dispersion), and (3) goal orientations (e.g., learning orientation dispersion) on a sales unit’s performance and job satisfaction levels. The hypotheses developed are tested using data from a study involving 476 salespeople belonging to 105 sales units in a large organization. The authors find that the focal heterogeneity variables account for nearly 25 percent of the total variance explained by the full set of independent variables included in the model. R. Venkatesh is an assistant professor of business administration at the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz Graduate School of Business. His articles on product bundling, cobranding and sales force management have appeared or are forthcoming in theInternational Journal of Research in Marketing, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Business, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, andMarketing Science. Goutam Challagalla is an associate marketing professor at Georgia Tech. He received his Ph.D. in marketing from the University of Texas at Austin, where he won the Outstanding Dissertation Award. He has published articles on sales management and marketing theory in marketing and psychology journals. Ajay K. Kohli is Isaac Stiles Hopkins professor of marketing at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. During 2000–2001, he is on leave from Emory and working at the Monitor Company. He has published in several journals on market orientation, sales management, and organizational buying behavior.     

Listening to your customers: The impact of perceived salesperson listening behavior on relationship outcomes

A thorough understanding of how businesses gain and maintain long-term relationships with clients is critical in today’s environment. This study develops a scale for salesperson listening behavior and investigates the impact of customers’ perceptions of salespeople’s listening behavior on trust, satisfaction, and anticipation of future interaction. A structural equations model is developed and empirically tested using a sample of new car buyers. The research results suggest that listening is a higher-order construct composed of three dimensions: (a) sensing, (b) evaluating, and (c) responding. When customers perceive a high level of listening behavior by a salesperson, it enhances their trust in the salesperson and leads to greater anticipation of future interaction. Implications and future research issues are discussed. Her research interests include measurement issues, buyer-seller relationships, sales technology, and creativity. She has published inJournal of Retailing, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, and various other journals and proceedings. His research interests include issues in personal selling, sales management, and channels of distribution. He has published inEuropean Journal of Marketing, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Macromarketing, Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, Journal of Retailing, Psychology and Marketing, and various conference proceedings.     

Social class and consumer behavior: A review for the 70's

Stratification of American society creates social classes— large groups of people sharing approximately the same life styles who are ranked according to social prestige. Class membership is determined on the basis of occupation, artifacts, association, and influence. Classes themselves are measured empirically through reputational, subjective, and objective techniques. The most popular models of American class structure provide for five or six distinct social strata. In recent years, however, divisions have become somewhat blurred by the spread of affluence and rapid social change. Social class appears to determine buying behavior for some products and services, and may be useful as a basis for market segmentation. School of Business, C. W. Post Center, L.I.U. Rapp & Collins A Division of Doyle, Dane Bernbach Advertising     

How culture matters in children’s purchase influence: a multi-level investigation

Children’s purchase influence (CPI) is an important factor in understanding family consumption behavior. The present study investigated the effects of cultural adaptation, including the role of acculturation and ethnic-identification, on children’s role in family purchase decisions. By conceiving of CPI as a family context-dependent phenomenon, we hypothesized that parent–child cultural dissonance/consonance within the family influences CPI through a cross-level process. The hypotheses were tested on data collected from 99 Hong Kong Chinese immigrant family triads, i.e., father, mother, and a teenage child. The results showed that: (1) acculturation positively and ethnic-identification negatively influenced CPI for most products, (2) the interaction between acculturation and ethnic-identification had a positive influence on CPI, and (3) generational dissonance/consonance had significant moderating effects on CPI through a cross-level route.     

Satisfying customer expectations: The effect on conflict and repurchase intentions in industrial marketing channels

The article investigates how the marketer’s fulfillment of middleman expectations impacts upon conflict and repurchase intentions in industrial channels. The nature and key determinants of expectations in industrial buyer behavior are examined. Discrepancy theory is used to assess the (dis)confirmation of expectations process. A series of hypotheses are developed and tested in a large manufacturing and distribution network engaged in the marketing of fluid power products. Results suggest a direct causal effect of (dis) confirmed expectations on repurchase intentions and on conflict, and that the effect of expectations on repurchase intentions is not modified by the creation of conflict. Managerial implications are drawn.     

Grocery retail loyalty program effects: self-selection or purchase behavior change?

In the retail sector, consumers typically patronize multiple outlets for a variety of products, which raises the important issue of how outlets can gain a greater share of consumer expenditures. One such way is to increase repeat purchases through loyalty programs. This article examines the impact of loyalty programs, which target existing customers, on repurchase behavior in grocery stores. It finds that heavier, more frequent customers of a store enroll in the loyalty program earlier; that buying behavior changes only slightly after buyers join the program; and that small changes in loyalty appear to erode 6–9 months after buyers join.     

Trying to prosume: toward a theory of consumers as co-creators of value

One important aspect in the service-dominant logic in marketing is the role of customers as co-creators of value. This role typically involves producing products for own consumption, i.e. what Toffler referred to as “prosumption.” This study explores the motivational mechanisms underlying people’s prosumption propensity. A theoretical framework that incorporates ideas from value research and attitude theory, specifically the “theory of trying” (Bagozzi and Warshaw in Journal of Consumer Research 17:127–140, 1990), is developed and tested in the empirical context of food prosumption. The results based on a survey of 380 households show that global values influence domain-specific values in food prosumption, and domain-specific values then affect attitudes, self-efficacy, and on-going behavior before ultimately shaping intentions to engage in prosumption in the future.     

Sellers and buyers on the boundary: Potential moderators of role stress-job outcome relationships

Despite intense research interest in the role stress phenomenon in marketing over the last decade, there have been few attempts to explain the sometimes discrepant findings. This study investigated the influence of three potential moderators (education, job tenure, and work group cohesion) on role stress-job outcome relationships. Hypotheses were developed and tested in two work contexts of interest to marketers: industrial selling and purchasing. Findings point to some interesting moderating effects in the two samples. Work group cohesion reduced the dysfunctional effect of role stress on organizational commitment among industrial buyers. However, a more cohesive sales group experienced stronger dysfunctional effects from role stress on organizational commitment. Level of education buffered the role stress-organizational commitment link but only among industrial sales representatives. Managerial and research implications are also discussed. His research interests are in the areas of job satisfaction, performance, and motivation issues in personal selling and organizational buying. Michaels’ research has appeared in theJournal of Marketing Research, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Business Research, andIndustrial Marketing Management. She received her M.B.A. degree in marketing from Boston University. Dixon’s research has appeared in theJournal of Consumer Satisfaction/Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior and AMA’sEnhancing Knowledge Development in Marketing. She is a member of the Academy of Marketing Science, the American Marketing Association, and the Association for Consumer Research. Her current research interests include personal selling, sales management, and services marketing.     

Assessing the predictive validity of two methods of measuring self-image congruence

The predictive validity of two measurement methods of self-image congruence—traditional versus new—were compared in six studies involving different consumer populations, products, consumption settings, and dependent variables (brand preference, preference for product form, consumer satisfaction/dissatisfaction, brand attitude, and program choice). The traditional method is based on tapping the subject’s perception of product-user image and the subject’s perception of his/her self-image along a predetermined set of image attributes and adding the self-congruity scores across all image dimensions. Three problems were identified and discussed in relation to the traditional method: (1) the use of discrepancy scores, (2) the possible use of irrelevant images, and (3) the use of the compensatory decision rule. The new method is based on tapping the psychological experience of self-congruity directly and globally. The findings demonstrated the predictive validity of the new method over and beyond the traditional method. His research interests are mostly in self-concept, quality of life, and systems theory. His research interests are mostly in pricing and product quality. Her research interests are primarily in family decision making. Her research interests focus on the social psychology of clothing and patronage of clothing retailers. His research interests are mainly in the social psychology of travel and leisure behavior. His research interests are mainly focused on self-concept, quality of life, environmental marketing, and sports marketing. His research interests are mainly in self-concept and value-expressive advertising. He is the Academy of Marketing Science Distinguished Professor of Business and is the founder of the Academy of Marketing Science. He currently serves as the organization’s executive director. His research interests are mostly in consumer behavior and advertising.