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1 – 10 of 636
Article
Publication date: 13 November 2018

Peter J. Boyle, Hyoshin Kim and E. Scott Lathrop

This paper aims to investigate price and objective-quality in durable product categories containing national and private-label (PL) brands.

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate price and objective-quality in durable product categories containing national and private-label (PL) brands.

Design/methodology/approach

Using data from consumer reports objective-test results of 14,476 durable products available in the US the authors identified product categories containing both national and PL brands; constructed relative price- and quality-indices for each category; calculated price and quality differentials for each category then modeled the relationship between them; estimated the price premium associated with national brands (NBs); and computed price–quality (PQ) correlations for each category. The authors also analyzed the same relationships using subjective brand-perception data collected from 240 consumers.

Findings

Overall the price of NBs in durable products was substantially higher than the price of PL brands despite there being little to no difference in quality levels overall, with the proportion of categories having higher PL quality nearly equaling that of categories having superior NB quality. Correlation between price and quality was moderate. Accuracy of consumer perceptions varied depending on the importance of brand in the purchase decisions for particular product categories.

Originality/value

This paper uses a large objective dataset spanning a period of more than eight years to assess price and quality for durable goods in categories offering PL brands. It addresses an under-studied area, that of PL brands for higher-priced, longer-lasting products. The findings contribute to an existing understanding of PLs, especially in the domain of durable-goods, as well as to the body of research in the area of PQ relationships. It also adds to our understanding of consumers’ perceptions of brand as a factor in durable product decisions and how the market aligns with those perceptions.

Details

Journal of Product & Brand Management, vol. 27 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1061-0421

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 January 2015

Shimiao Jiang, Shuqin Cai, Georges Olle Olle and Zhiyong Qin

More and more e-commerce web sites are using online customer reviews (OCRs) for customer segmentation. However, for durable products, customer purchases, and reviews only once for…

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Abstract

Purpose

More and more e-commerce web sites are using online customer reviews (OCRs) for customer segmentation. However, for durable products, customer purchases, and reviews only once for a long time, as while the product review score may highly affected by service factors or be “gently” evaluated. Existing regression or machine learning-based methods suffer from low accuracy when applied to the OCRs of durable products on e-commerce web sites. The purpose of this paper is to propose a new approach for customer segment analysis base on OCRs of durable products.

Design/methodology/approach

The research proposes a two-stage approach that employs latent class analysis (LCA): the feature-mention matrix construction stage and the LCA-based customer segmentation stage. The approach considers reviewers’ mention on product features, and the probability-based LCA method is adopted upon the characteristics of online reviews, to effectively cluster reviewers into specified segmentations.

Findings

The research finding is that, using feature-mention instead of feature-opinion records makes segment analysis more effective. The research also finds that, LCA method can better explain the characteristics of the OCR data of durable products for customer segmentation.

Practical implications

The research proposes a new approach to durable product review mining for customer segmentation analysis. The segment analysis result can provide supports for new product design and development, repositioning of existing products, marketing strategy development and product differentiation.

Originality/value

A new approach for customer segmentation analysis base on OCRs of durable products is proposed.

Details

Kybernetes, vol. 44 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0368-492X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 January 2024

Ramesh Roshan Das Guru, Marcel Paulssen and Arnold Japutra

This study aims to extend research in marketing on two important relational constructs, customer satisfaction and brand attachment, by comparing their long-term effects on…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to extend research in marketing on two important relational constructs, customer satisfaction and brand attachment, by comparing their long-term effects on customer behaviors with different levels of performance difficulty in a relatively understudied domain of durable products.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a two-stage quantitative study with US customers from five durable product categories, the authors first explored the hierarchy of customers’ loyalty behaviors based on increasing effort in a pretest study (N = 675). Then, the authors tested the effectiveness of satisfaction and brand attachment for customers’ loyalty behaviors over a nine-month period in a longitudinal study (N = 2,284) with customers from the same product categories.

Findings

Compared to satisfaction, brand attachment emerges as a stronger long-term predictor of customer behaviors. The performance difficulty of customer behaviors positively moderates the impact of brand attachment and negatively moderates the impact of customer satisfaction. Brand attachment is particularly effective in predicting difficult-to-perform customer behaviors, which require customers to expend resources such as time and money. Customer satisfaction is mainly effective for predicting easy-to-perform behaviors, but its long-term impact is significantly lower for easy-to-perform behaviors than brand attachment.

Research limitations/implications

The use of consumer durables in the study and samples from only one country restricts the generalizability of the findings.

Practical implications

The complementary roles of customer satisfaction and brand attachment are highlighted. Only satisfying customers is not enough to engage customers in behaviors that require resources such as money, time and energy for the brand.

Originality/value

A comparative study on the long-term effectiveness of two established relational metrics in explaining different customer behaviors varying in their performance difficulty in an understudied domain of durable products.

Details

European Journal of Marketing, vol. 58 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0566

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 May 1993

Richard Alan Kustin

A limited number of tests have been made on the potential of globalproducts and fewer still on cross‐cultural comparisons. The presentstudy empirically tested consumer perception…

Abstract

A limited number of tests have been made on the potential of global products and fewer still on cross‐cultural comparisons. The present study empirically tested consumer perception of a non‐durable product in two markets: Israel and Australia. The study does not support several aspects of globalization theory, but does consider the possibility of a global product. The results indicate there are considerable differences in international consumer perceptions.

Details

International Marketing Review, vol. 10 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-1335

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 2005

D.P.S. Verma and Soma Sen Gupta

This paper is based on a study conducted to examine the influence of the store image on the buyers’ perception of quality for durable, semi‐durable and non‐durable products. The…

Abstract

This paper is based on a study conducted to examine the influence of the store image on the buyers’ perception of quality for durable, semi‐durable and non‐durable products. The study has revealed that for a durable product, like colour television, although the reputation of the brand and price are more important considerations, the buyer does pay attention to the store image as well. This is done to reduce their perceived risk and in expectation of getting good after‐sale services. He perceives a significant difference in the quality of the product sold at different stores. However, people prefer to buy from a reputed store located at a nearby area. Moreover, the buyers generally make up thei rmind about thee brand to be purchased before selecting the store. Therefore, they either look for the exclusive showroom dealing in their preferred brand or a reputed store selling that brand along with others. Buyers prefer to buy branded T‐shirts either from an exclusive showroom or a departmental store. For local brands, they take little care about the store image. Moreover, they select the store with which they had a good previous experience. A store located in a posh market is generally perceived to be carrying superior quality T‐shirts. While purchasing toothpaste, buyers pay least attention to the store image, and do not perceive a significant difference in the quality of the toothpaste sold at different types of stores. They do not believe that the more reputed the store, the better will be the quality of the toothpaste sold. They, generally, buy from the same store again and again, without taking any notice of the store reputation. The proximity of the store was found to be the most important factor influencing the store selection.

Details

Journal of Advances in Management Research, vol. 2 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0972-7981

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 November 2022

Aidin Namin and Seth Ketron

While prior research has investigated factors that predict consumers’ information search behaviors as they relate to automobiles, such studies were conducted prior to the COVID-19…

Abstract

Purpose

While prior research has investigated factors that predict consumers’ information search behaviors as they relate to automobiles, such studies were conducted prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Given that the pandemic has necessitated lockdowns, social distancing, business closures and other disruptions to normal shopping activities, consumer information search behaviors have also been substantially altered as the psychological distance between consumers and marketers has increased. Thus, this study aims to examine these changes and identify patterns of search behavior for a major durable product: automobiles.

Design/methodology/approach

Using survey data from before and during the pandemic, the study implements Finite Mixture Modeling to unveil latent segments of U.S. consumers’ search behaviors and choices for Japanese automobiles. This analytic method enables capturing consumer unobserved heterogeneity through mixing probabilities guided by individual characteristics. These segments are determined based on consumers’ information search for online and offline marketer-controlled and nonmarketer-controlled sources.

Findings

The study identifies that two segments of consumers emerge both prior to the pandemic and during the pandemic. These empirically validated findings indicate that the pandemic has led to shifts in consumers’ information search behaviors for Japanese automobiles by relying more on nonmarketer-controlled sources of information.

Originality/value

This work is among the first comprehensive empirical analyses of consumer search for a major durable product by comparing pre- and during pandemic patterns. Using analytics and econometrics, the first-hand analysis findings offer meaningful implications for marketers and product managers in the automotive industry.

Details

Journal of Product & Brand Management, vol. 32 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1061-0421

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 August 2011

Richard L. Flight, Giles D'Souza and Arthur W. Allaway

The aim of this paper is to develop a measurement scale that encompasses a wide array of product characteristics. In addition, a comprehensive model is developed and tested…

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Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to develop a measurement scale that encompasses a wide array of product characteristics. In addition, a comprehensive model is developed and tested illustrating the relationship among product characteristics and with adoption.

Design/methodology/approach

Utilizing 628 respondents, a measurement scale is developed and a structural equation model is tested through a multi‐stage series of surveys. The scope of the research is consumer durable products.

Findings

This paper is successful in developing a 43‐item scale that measures 15 unique innovation characteristics. This scale is then used to test a second order model illustrating the relationships innovation characteristics have with each other and ultimately innovation adoption.

Research limitations/implications

The major limitation this research suffers from is its lack of variety in products under analysis. For the four consumer durable products studied, the research finds significant results. However, these findings would have greater impact if they reflected a broader array of products and product classes.

Originality/value

To date there have been very few attempts to model and test in an exhaustive fashion the role innovation characteristics play during the adoption process. This current research advances Holak and Lehmann and empirically tests first and second order characteristics within the context of a structural equation model.

Details

Journal of Product & Brand Management, vol. 20 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1061-0421

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 September 2023

Luping Sun, Xiaona Zheng, Luluo Peng and Yujie Cai

In marketing, most research on intention–behavior consistency (IBC) is dedicated to improving the predictive ability of stated intentions for future behaviors, with relatively…

Abstract

Purpose

In marketing, most research on intention–behavior consistency (IBC) is dedicated to improving the predictive ability of stated intentions for future behaviors, with relatively less exploration into the precursors of IBC, especially those linked to regular durable goods void of ethical consumption characteristics. This study aims to focus on the antecedents of IBC for such products, specifically examining category-level and product-level IBC in light of consumer knowledge.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a two-round survey to collect 3,560 Chinese consumers' vehicle purchase intentions and behaviors. The authors have also leveraged a large vehicle database (containing detailed vehicle attribute information) to measure consumer product knowledge (i.e. product judgment accuracy). A trivariate probit model was proposed to account for the potential selection bias arising from sample attrition while examining the effects of consumer knowledge on category- and product-level intention-behavior consistency.

Findings

Findings reveal that 47% of the participants displayed category-level IBC, and within this group, a further 39% exhibited product-level IBC. Notably, product knowledge, manifested as accurate product judgment, correlates negatively with category-level IBC but positively with product-level IBC. Intriguingly, the negative association between inaccurate judgment and product-level IBC is less pronounced for consumers overestimating the target product than for those underestimating it. Furthermore, consumers with direct experience are less prone to show category-level IBC, but are more inclined to display product-level IBC.

Practical implications

Vehicle marketers should prioritize consumers who show interest in their products but possess inaccurate knowledge, to retain whom companies can nurture their product knowledge. As for consumers with accurate knowledge, companies should try to expedite their purchase. Vehicle marketers also need to devise suitable advertising strategies to prevent consumers from undervaluing their products. For those overestimating competitors' products, companies can provide information to correct their overestimation and draw attention to possible confirmation biases. Vehicle marketers should encourage potential buyers who have shown interest in their product to participate in test-drive events, exhibitions, and other direct experience opportunities. Yet, for consumers still in the “whether-to-buy” decision-making phase, companies should not rush them into a test drive.

Social implications

In the policy-making realm, governmental administrators can implement extensive consumer education programs, with a focus on the importance of product knowledge. This may involve providing consumers with accurate information and buying guides through various channels, which can help consumers make informed purchase decisions. Moreover, to foster healthy competition among vehicle companies, governmental administrators can establish regulations that require vehicle companies and other relevant industries to provide accurate and transparent product information, including performance, safety, and environmental aspects. Finally, in order to protect consumer rights, governmental administrators can also strengthen regulations to ensure fair treatment and safeguards for consumers throughout the purchasing process. This includes cracking down on false advertising and fraudulent practices, maintaining market order, and enhancing consumer confidence and purchase consistency.

Originality/value

This study is among the first attempts to examine the relationship between consumer knowledge and intention-behavior consistency, especially for regular durable products void of ethical consumption characteristics. Responding to the call of previous literature (e.g. Morwitz, 1997), the authors distinguish between and examine two forms of intention-behavior consistency simultaneously (using a sample selection model) and obtain more reliable conclusions. Moreover, the study's large-scale two-round survey had obtained individual-level purchase behavioral outcomes, which allowed the authors to measure each consumer's IBC at both category and product levels. More importantly, the authors show the opposite effects of consumer knowledge on the two forms of intention-behavior consistency.

Details

Marketing Intelligence & Planning, vol. 41 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-4503

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 August 2023

Agnieszka Izabela Baruk

The aim of the article is identifying the hierarchy of products that final purchasers are ready to co-create with offerors and defining the place that food products occupy in this…

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of the article is identifying the hierarchy of products that final purchasers are ready to co-create with offerors and defining the place that food products occupy in this hierarchy in the context of the preferred environment for cooperation.

Design/methodology/approach

Striving to fill the cognitive and research gap identified during the analysis of the world literature was the basis for the survey, which included 1,196 representatives of adult final purchasers in Poland. The primary data collected were subjected to statistical analysis using the following methods: average grade analysis, comparative analysis, exploratory factor analysis and the Kruskal–Wallis (KW) test.

Findings

This study found that the respondents would like to co-create food products which ranked third among the analyzed groups of products with offerors. Most respondents preferred the parallel use of the online and offline environments as places of cooperation with offerors. Among the total of respondents and the respondents who preferred the internet as an environment for cooperation, a group of people willing to participate in the creation of food products was identified. In both cases, these groups were characterized by the fact that their members were not ready to co-create other groups of products at the same time. Food products were one of the two groups of products for which the preferred environment for cooperation turned out to be a statistically significant feature differentiating the responses regarding what products the respondents would like to co-create with offerors.

Originality/value

The scope and the approach proposed in this article testify to its originality. So far, the preferences of final purchasers regarding (1) product groups, including food, that they would like to co-create with offerors and (2) the environment for cooperation with offerors have not been studied. Ipso facto, the significance of this environment for preferences related to products that purchasers would be ready to co-create has not been investigated. Conclusions drawn on the basis of the results of the research constitute a valuable contribution to the theory of marketing and the theory of behavior, related especially to the joint creation of food products. The results are characterized by high application value, making it easier for offerors to take actions better suited to the preferences of active final purchasers.

Details

Journal of Contemporary Marketing Science, vol. 6 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2516-7480

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 1968

A.S.C. Ehrenberg and G.J. Goodhardt

Discusses repeat‐buying in terms of a case history of a non‐durable product. Measures the repeat‐buying behaviour by means of a survey carried out for the Market Analysis and…

Abstract

Discusses repeat‐buying in terms of a case history of a non‐durable product. Measures the repeat‐buying behaviour by means of a survey carried out for the Market Analysis and Evaluation Grant, Unilever. Reveals how repeat‐buying of a new brand soon reaches a par with its competitors.

Details

European Journal of Marketing, vol. 2 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0566

Keywords

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