Search results
1 – 10 of over 6000Usha L. Pappu, Peter T.L. Popkowski Leszczyc, Ravi Pappu and Neal M. Ashkanasy
This research aims to examine the conditions under which individuals’ olfaction is actively engaged in purchase decisions. Consequently, it introduces the concept of need for smell…
Abstract
Purpose
This research aims to examine the conditions under which individuals’ olfaction is actively engaged in purchase decisions. Consequently, it introduces the concept of need for smell (NFS) to measure differential motivation for the extraction and use of odor information in buying contexts. A ten-item NFS scale was developed that consists of hedonic and utilitarian dimensions.
Design/methodology/approach
The scale’s dimensionality and construct validity were examined in five studies. The moderating role of NFS and the mediating role of emotions in the relationship between odor perception and consumer responses were examined. The data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analyses and customized PROCESS models.
Findings
The results show that NFS is a two-dimensional construct. The results further support the scale’s internal structure as well as its reliability, convergent, discriminant and nomological validity. NFS moderates the relationship between odor perception and consumer responses, and emotions mediate this relationship. While hedonic NFS strengthens the impact of odor perception on consumer responses, utilitarian NFS weakens this effect.
Research limitations/implications
The present research extends Krishna’s sensory marketing framework, De Luca and Botelho’s scent research framework and Herz et al.’s scent benefits framework, by introducing the concept of NFS into these frameworks. The study demonstrates the relevance and functionality of NFS construct and NFS scale. The study extends the consumer scent research by introducing NFS and illustrating the interplay of odor perception and NFS on consumer responses to scent stimuli.
Practical implications
The NFS scale used in this study adds to the genre of individual difference scales such as need for cognition and need for touch. Given its smell-specific focus, it has applications in a range of consumption contexts. Using NFS, marketers could effectively identify low and high hedonic and utilitarian NFS consumers and position product or ambient scents to serve these segments better. The NFS scale also has implications for the areas of product and service design and development, consumer information search, brand judgments and choice preferences in both scented and non-scented environments.
Originality/value
This work is one of the first attempts, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, to explain motivational differences in active engagement of olfaction, especially in purchase decisions. As a critical step in exploring olfactory information processing, the study demonstrates the relevance and functionality of NFS construct and NFS scale. The study extends the consumer scent research by introducing NFS and illustrating the interplay of odor perception and NFS on consumer responses to scent stimuli.
Details
Keywords
Subhadip Roy and Priyanka Singh
Measurement scales for sensory experience in retailing exist for sight, touch and sound. In the present study, the authors aim to develop the olfactory experience (OEX) scale in…
Abstract
Purpose
Measurement scales for sensory experience in retailing exist for sight, touch and sound. In the present study, the authors aim to develop the olfactory experience (OEX) scale in the context of retailing.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on literature review and six studies that follow standard scale development protocols (combined n = 1,203), the authors develop and validate a three-dimensional OEX scale. The scale is further validated in the final study in a different market set-up than the first five.
Findings
The authors found the three dimensions of OEX as (scent) company, congeniality and congruity. The OEX scale is found to be generalizable and valid across different cultural and market set-ups. In addition, the OEX (i.e. the scale) was found to effect psychological and behavioral outcomes of the consumer in a significant manner.
Research limitations/implications
The present study contributes to the domain of sensory experience in retailing with the OEX scale and provides three new dimensions of OEX for the academicians to further explore.
Practical implications
The OEX scale provides a ready to use tool for the retailer to gauge the level of OEX in the store and to predict consumer attitudes and behavior.
Originality/value
The study is the first to develop a scale for OEX in retailing or for that matter in consumer behavior.
Details
Keywords
Lawrence Hoc Nang Fong, Soey Sut Ieng Lei, Cheris W.C. Chow and Long W. Lam
Through a critical synthesis and reflection on the theoretical foundations and empirical evidence related to sensory marketing, this study aims to offer meaningful insights for…
Abstract
Purpose
Through a critical synthesis and reflection on the theoretical foundations and empirical evidence related to sensory marketing, this study aims to offer meaningful insights for hospitality operators and provides future research directions on sensory marketing in hospitality.
Design/methodology/approach
Building on an extensive review of sensory marketing studies across disciplines, this paper presents critical discussions of the theories and findings on the five senses in the context of hospitality.
Findings
The critical synthesis and discussion indicate that sensory marketing is highly relevant and applicable to operations in various hospitality sectors such as hotels and restaurants. Still, empirical evidence is required to lend support to the discussions. Although scholarly interest in sensory marketing has surged in the past decade, some research streams, such as sensory incongruence, cross-modal correspondence and sensory intensity, have yet to be extended. These under-researched areas provide directions for future hospitality research.
Practical implications
Through discussions of empirical evidence related to the five senses, mental simulation, cross-modal correspondence and sensory congruence, this paper provides implications for managing customers’ sensory experiences and behavior in hospitality settings.
Originality/value
Despite the increase of research on sensory marketing in the past decade, its full implications in the context of hospitality remain unknown. Through a critical synthesis and reflection on the hospitality literature, this paper offers research directions for a systematic expansion of sensory marketing.
Details
Keywords
Investigates the interpretation and the body of literature surrounding the British prehistory era defined as 500 000 BC to 43 AD. Looks at how and by whom the past has been…
Abstract
Investigates the interpretation and the body of literature surrounding the British prehistory era defined as 500 000 BC to 43 AD. Looks at how and by whom the past has been constructed, who has the power of information and interpretation. Questions whether this interpretation is objective and the way the subject is covered in education together with the lack of women within the process. Argues a case for using the material to enhance pupils’ abilities to evaluate information and draw conclusions.
Details
Keywords
Stuti Tandon, Vijay Kumar and V.B. Singh
Code smells indicate deep software issues. They have been studied by researchers with different perspectives. The need to study code smells was felt from the perspective of…
Abstract
Purpose
Code smells indicate deep software issues. They have been studied by researchers with different perspectives. The need to study code smells was felt from the perspective of software industry. The authors aim to evaluate the code smells on the basis of their scope of impact on widely used open-source software (OSS) projects.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors have proposed a methodology to identify and rank the smells in the source code of 16 versions of Apache Tomcat Software. Further, the authors have analyzed the categorized smells by calculating the weight of the smells using constant weights as well as Best Worst Method (BWM). Consequently, the authors have used Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) to determine the rank of versions using constant weights as well as BWM.
Findings
Version 1 of Apache Tomcat has least smell, and version 8 is reported to contain the maximum code smells. Notable differences in both the cases during the trend analysis are reported by the study. The findings also show that increase is observed in the number of code smells with the release of newer versions. This increment is observed till version 8, followed by a subtle marked depreciation in the number of code smells in further releases.
Originality/value
The focus is to analyze smells and rank several versions of Apache Tomcat, one of the most widely used software for code smell study. This study will act as a significant one for the researchers as it prioritizes the versions and will help in narrowing down the options of the software used to study code smell.
Details
Keywords
Adarsh Anand, Priyanka Gupta, Yoshinobu Tamura and Ljubisa Papic
The relationship between the various existing smell taxonomies and the smell impacting factors has been established. The ideology is to identify the most critical smell…
Abstract
Purpose
The relationship between the various existing smell taxonomies and the smell impacting factors has been established. The ideology is to identify the most critical smell influencing factors in the vicinity of various software development environments.
Design/methodology/approach
To fulfill the said task, the utilization of the amalgamation of two multicriteria decision-making techniques, namely, Entropy method and CODAS method, is presented.
Findings
Through this article, the most critical smell impacting criteria with respect to the smell taxonomies is identified. Furthermore, the behaviour of 4 software development principles was then analysed, and their working state has been successfully assessed.
Originality/value
The ideology to study design-related smells in the software system has been studied by a lot of researchers. Some of them have worked upon their detection and the corresponding refactoration process with the help of several algorithms like machine learning and artificial intelligence. But how and to what extent these design-related smells impact the software development environment has remained out of the limelight till now. Through this article, this research gap has been identified, and an attempt to fill it has been made.
Details
Keywords
Samantha N. N. Cross, Meng-Hsien (Jenny) Lin and Terry L. Childers
The authors broaden the scope of consumer identity by introducing individuals’ olfactory abilities and discussing its impact on perception of the self, consumption behaviors, and…
Abstract
Purpose
The authors broaden the scope of consumer identity by introducing individuals’ olfactory abilities and discussing its impact on perception of the self, consumption behaviors, and consumer well-being.
Methodology/approach
The authors took a mixed-method approach by embedding smell tests during in-depth interviews. A total of 36 interviews were conducted, involving individuals with varying olfactory sensitivity levels, from decreased sensitivity, normal sensitivity, to heightened sensitivity to smell.
Findings
Emergent themes from the interviews include compensation, perception of self and control under three key areas: levels of olfactory sensitivity, the impact of olfactory sensitivity, and the coping strategies used by participants and their families. These findings show that olfactory sensitivity can either enhance or detract from the consumption experience or trigger memories of people, locations or experiences, indirectly affecting consumer well-being and quality of life.
Practical/social implications
Findings reveal that olfactory abilities not only shape and form an individual’s identity but also have a profound impact on (1) consumption behavior: time spent browsing or lingering, purchase order, product choice, or shopping venue which has immense practical implications for marketers; and (2) consumer well-being: developing coping strategies at both the individual and family level to mitigate the issues faced in consumption.
Originality/value
Unlike the other senses, olfactory abilities are often overseen and neglected. The authors show that olfactory abilities are both relevant and salient. The paper is forefront in demonstrating how sensory abilities shape individuals’ identities and in turn influence consumption practices and experiences.
Details
Keywords
Hua (Meg) Meng, César Zamudio and Robert D. Jewell
This paper aims to examine how olfactory imagery, triggered by scent brand names prior to smelling, influences scented-product purchase intention.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine how olfactory imagery, triggered by scent brand names prior to smelling, influences scented-product purchase intention.
Design/methodology/approach
Five studies were conducted. Logistic regression analysis was used to predict likelihood of olfactory imagery formation. ANOVA and t-test analyses were used for scent brand name group comparisons, and serial mediation analysis was used to test how scent brand names impact purchase intention through olfactory imagery vividness and the (dis)confirmation between imagined (i.e. expected) and experienced scents.
Findings
Scent name familiarity stimulates olfactory imagery formation. Scent brand name specificity (e.g. “Lavender Bouquet” vs. “Floral Bouquet”) influences purchase intention, with specific names leading to lower purchase intention, because they generate vivid olfactory imagery and induce a disconfirmation between imagined and experienced scents.
Practical implications
Branding scents on products should be a strategic product design decision. Surprisingly, although specific scent brand names trigger vivid olfactory imagery and precise scent expectations, they mitigate purchase intention and thus are riskier. General scent brand names are safer.
Originality/value
This research contributes by extending the literature on the effect of verbal cues on scent perception by considering the role of scent brand name specificity on purchase intent. It also adds to work on how olfactory imagery influences purchase intention by incorporating olfactory imagery vividness. Finally, it proposes and tests an underlying cognitive mechanism to explain the relationship between scent brand names and purchase intention.
Details
Keywords
This research aims to uncover consumers' deeply hidden thoughts and feelings about store scent and its effects on shopping experiences.
Abstract
Purpose
This research aims to uncover consumers' deeply hidden thoughts and feelings about store scent and its effects on shopping experiences.
Design/methodology/approach
Following a qualitative approach, this research uses Zaltman metaphor elicitation technique (ZMET). All the steps of the ZMET have been performed, and important constructs and contents have been explored.
Findings
Ultimately, a hierarchical value map was presented. Accordingly, the naturalness and intensity of the scent played a prominent part in its effectiveness. The pleasantness and complexity of the scent, the malodor, congruity and incongruity of the scent, as well as nostalgia, were seen as the predominant originator constructs that resulted in approach or avoidance reactions.
Research limitations/implications
These findings have practical implications for managers seeking to design a store atmospherics making way for consumers to engage with the store and the brand. The cultural milieu in which the study was performed could be seen as a possible limitation of the study. This cultural angle should also be taken into consideration while the findings were considered.
Originality/value
Using ZMET as an innovative research method makes the study significant. By doing so, the metaphors of consumption are extended to the sensory marketing field to provide a more comprehensive understanding on the effects of store scent. Moreover, the study contributes to the existing literature of smell marketing.
Details