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This study examines perceived transparency of direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing communication and measures its impact on consumers' trust, attitudes, and the intention to recommend the test to others.

An online survey of US–based adults (over 18 years of age) (N = 271) was administered by the online panel company Qualtrics Panels. The sample consisted of participants who have taken a DTC genetic test previously because only existing consumers could provide insight into companies' transparency about the entire genetic testing process (including the communication before, during, and after) as they experienced it. Participants were asked questions that measured intention to recommend DTC genetic tests to others, trust, attitude toward the DTC testing, and perceptions of transparency of the DTC companies' communication.

Results indicated that consumers who perceive DTC genetic testing companies to be transparent in their communication tend to trust the genetic testing process more, have more positive attitudes toward DTC genetic tests, and are more likely to recommend the tests to others.

This study integrates corporate communication and science communication through the theoretical framework of transparency. It empirically demonstrates that message transparency is key to increasing the publics' trust, attitude and behavioral intentions toward companies that involve sensitive health information or online privacy.

This paper answers previous calls to explore the organizational approach of science communication in the context of the under-examined companies in the science and health sectors, specifically the DTC genetic testing industry.

The purpose of this research is to investigate how the consumer’s trusting mechanism influences their behavioral adoption intention in the context of genetic testing.

Based on the technology acceptance theory and trust formation theory, the research posits and develops a comprehensive trust model by integrating trust-related factors that correlate to the consumer’s trusting beliefs and trusting intention. Survey data with 525 respondents allow to test and validate the model.

The tested model shows that technology institutional trust base, end-user’s cognitive trust base and social influence are significant determinants of trusting beliefs. The findings also reveal that mediation effects of performance expectancy and perceived risks exist in the relationship between trusting beliefs and trusting intention.

The foreseeable positive impact and rapid market growth of emerging healthcare technologies necessitate the strong need to study user acceptance. However, there is a lack of research on how consumers trust and their adoption intention of such innovations. Prior empirical evidence from different contexts and perspectives also show contradictory findings. This research extends the existing technology acceptance literature to a healthcare context, provides an improved generalized understanding of the consumer’s trusting mechanism in emerging biotechnology and discusses practical insights for regulatory authorities, healthcare institutes and medical professionals.

Consumer responses of attribute liking and intensity as well as overall liking of commercial chocolate were evaluated in four types of testing situations (central location, in‐home, teaching laboratory and formal sensory laboratory). The aim was to determine if there were differences in these responses based on testing situation. This was also an attempt to evaluate and validate the use of in‐home testing for product development samples. Perceptions of certain attributes were found to differ in different testing situations but liking scores of these attributes did not. Consumers were more critical of attributes when tested in a formal sensory laboratory. All four locations tested gave similar results, meaning that, conducting sensory panels at home is as valid a method of collecting consumer opinion as traditional locations. It should be noted that the use of a formal sensory laboratory might have an impact on cost effectiveness of new product development. Results are more likely to indicate the need to continue formulation in order to perfect attribute scores, although this may not actually improve consumer‐liking scores. This continued product development only serves to increase the costs and slow the speed to market.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of innovativeness, change seeking and cognitive effort on consumer responses to traditional versus virtual testing environment.

The empirical study collects concept evaluations of five heterogeneous consumer appliances, from 400 members of an online panel. Generalizability theory (hereafter G theory) is used to assess the psychometric quality of the evaluation data in different testing environments.

The results show that subjects with high innovativeness and change seeking report significantly more favorable concept evaluations and generate better quality data. However, the effect of innovativeness on testing outcomes and data quality would be reduced in virtual testing environment.

The results indicate that using firm or industry norms to interpret the testing outcome will be biased unless it accounts for whether the screening processes result in equally innovative or variety seeking samples of respondents.

Managerially, the current results indicate that a product manager wanting to concept test a pool of appliance concepts can benefit from screening for the respondents, who will provide higher quality concept testing data in a traditional testing environment. However, the effects of traits on data quality are mitigated in a virtual testing environment. The findings provide a surprising insight that subject selection is not a more critical issue in virtual testing.

Examines the influence on post‐war development of the consumer movement that ‘Which?’ magazine, the Consumers' Association organ has had. Considers factors which determined its introduction, examining promotional and testing methods, influence on manufacturers and purchasing habits of shoppers. Emphasizes that a consumer association seeks to redress the balance between manufacturers and retailers on the one hand, and the consumer on the other. Presents details of ‘Shoppers Guide’ in addition to ‘Which?’, even though this ceased publishing in 1963, and gives full information of the highs and lows of both. States that ‘Which?’ shot ahead of ‘Shoppers Guide’ when it decided to promote itself with sales promotion and press advertising. Concludes that the Consumers' Association remains the valuable supplementary source of information, advice and guidance which complements that available from manufacturers, retailers, neighbours, relations, and, on a more extreme scale, the media.

Concept development, evaluation and testing in the new (food) product development situation are reviewed. An analysis is made of why, how and when to concept test, based on previous authors' work and various pre‐product launch situations. Emphasis is made of concept testing's validity and its use as an aid in successful product development. The use of concept testing during the reformulation of existing products is considered in depth — an area which has previously lacked adequate appraisal. The flexibility of concept testing is highlighted in particular case study examples, reflecting a feeling that concept testing should not be isolated within the new product development process.

The frequency and sophistication of consumer boycotts continue to increase from already high levels. Surprisingly, only limited research in marketing has investigated this topic. The purpose of this paper is to provide a strategic analysis of an actual consumer protest with implications for better managerial decisions.

The animosity model of consumer purchase behavior was employed in two longitudinal studies to investigate an ongoing marketplace protest – Australian consumers' boycott of French products. Study 1 was carried out while France was engaged in nuclear testing in the South Pacific. Study 2 was carried out 1 year after the resolution of the conflict.

Results from Study 1 show that Australian consumers' animosity toward France was negatively related to their willingness to purchase French products. Consistent with a key prediction from the animosity model, this effect was independent of evaluations of French product quality. The findings from Study 2 show that, a year after the cessation of nuclear testing, Australian consumers continue to have strong negative affect toward France, which in turn, had negative marketplace consequences for French products.

While the results from Study 1 show that consumer anger over nuclear testing did not necessarily lead to the denigration of the quality of French goods, the second study indicates that, beyond the duration of the official protest, there may be repercussions for products associated with the offending party. Accordingly, managers should consider implementing communications programs which, over time, effectively reinforce the quality of their products in the minds of protesting consumers.

The topic of “low‐cost product use testing for R&D guidance and early market evaluation” entails four different business concepts. It implies that the most successful path to total new product development incorporates testing that (1) is centered around human use evaluation, (2) is designed primarily to guide R&D scientists and engineers, (3) provides some early marketing strategy development for the brand manager before the product is fully developed, and (4) is inexpensive. That has been precisely the case at Gillette for the past 18 years.

There is an apparent lack of research investigating how different test conditions influence or bias consumer sensory evaluation of food. The aim of the present pilot study was to determine if testing conditions had any effect on responses of an untrained panel to a novel chicken product. Assessments of flavour, texture and overall liking of corn‐fed chicken were made across three different testing conditions (laboratory‐based under normal lighting; laboratory‐based under controlled lighting; and, home testing). Least favourable evaluations occurred under laboratory‐based conditions irrespective of what lighting was used. Consumers perceived the product more favourably in terms of flavour (p < 0.001), texture (p < 0.001) and overall preference (p < 0.001) when evaluated in the familiar setting of the home. Home testing produced more consistent assessments than under either of the two laboratory‐based test conditions. The results imply that home evaluation should be undertaken routinely in new food product development.