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Consumers’ product evaluations are often influenced by information contained in their memories. Prior to product evaluations, consumers are often exposed to data that permits them to judge the covariation relationships among different product attributes. However, these attribute covariance perceptions may lead to biased product evaluations. Using an experimental design, this study examines the accuracy of consumers’ product attribute covariance beliefs as a function of their product experience and the relevancy of product information to which they are exposed prior to evaluating product performances. The results indicate that even limited product information affects consumers’ beliefs about product performances on attributes for which no information is available. In other words, specific product information may serve as a cue or indicator for other product characteristics via attribute covariance inferences. The accuracy of these inferences appears to be, at least partly, the function of the consumers’ product experience. Consumers with high levels of product experience are more effective at encoding and retrieving product attribute performance information. Implications of the findings are discussed and suggestions for future research are provided.

Employing means‐end theory, this paper seeks to examine the influence of specific types of product attributes upon desired consumption consequences and the mediating impact of desired consequences upon purchase frequency.

The research employed means‐end interviews to generate specific attribute and consequence measures. These measures were then administered in a survey instrument within the context of a fashion product. Partial least squares was used for testing the measurement validity of the survey instrument and testing the structural model and related hypotheses.

Style attributes significantly related to desired psychological and social consequences but did not significantly relate to functional consequences. Quality significantly related to functional consequences and social consequences but not psychological consequences. Price significantly related to all consequences. Psychological consequences were the strongest predictor of purchase frequency followed by functional consequences. Finally, desired consequences played a mediating role between product attributes and purchase frequency, with no direct influence of attributes upon purchase frequency.

The findings demonstrate the value of understanding the consumption consequences that consumers desire for products, especially after initial purchase. In doing so, the findings also provide some evidence that consequences may be better predictors of behavioral outcomes than product attributes.

This study demonstrates that the consumer means‐end value hierarchy can be used as a tool for understanding the meanings that consumers construct around products and services. Moreover, it indicates that marketers should consider customer value analysis as a segmentation tool.

This paper represents one of the few to test the chain of cause‐and‐effect relationships of the means‐end hierarchy within an integrated framework. It is original in that it specifically tests the relationships between major attributes (i.e. style, quality, and price) and particular consequence types (i.e. psychological, social, and functional).

The growing volume of consumer transactions in used products markets has given rise to strategic decisions made by sellers in the amount of information disclosed on usage‐based attributes – product attributes that quantify the degree by which a product has been used. This paper seeks to address this issue. Based on the phenomenon referred to as the dilution effect, it is proposed that sellers would have less desire to disclose usage‐based attribute information in product advertisements for older products. The effects of usage‐based attributes on asking prices of used products are also examined and profiled across time and contrasted across three countries: Britain, Canada, and the USA.

Used product advertisements were obtained for 1995 (USA) and 2010 (USA, Canada, and Britain). The ratio of ad content dedicated to usage‐based attributes was then computed and profiled across various conditions, and variations were tested using statistical methods.

The results indicate that a dilution‐based strategy, whereby usage‐based product information is less likely to be disclosed for older products, was evident in 1995 as it was in 2010. Furthermore, cross‐country variations were observed in the use of this strategy.

The research presented can be expanded to cover other product categories where used products are exchanged and usage‐based attributes constitute a fundamental consumer consideration in such exchanges. The research can also be extended to cover a wider range of countries for analysis.

This paper extends traditional pricing theory to consider the effects of usage‐based attributes on used product prices and associated consumer communications. Given the growth in the volume of consumer transactions in used product markets, this line of inquiry is relevant not only from an academic perspective but can also inform public policy and potential regulatory measures.

Product performance measurements have been used to explain other business performance variables. The purpose of this paper is to propose that, regarding Mexican consumers, the “comparison-based perceived attribute performance” (CAP) approach is a better predictor of outcomes, such as satisfaction, value and loyalty, compared with the traditional measurement of “non-comparison-based perceived attribute performance” (NCAP). These two forms of assessing attribute-level performance may be considered as different constructs.

Using these two approaches, empirical tests were performed to attribute performance measurement and were conducted on products from two different categories: tequila and liquid dishwashing detergent. Regression analyses were performed using Mexican consumer samples of n=295 and n=239, respectively.

As opposed to NCAP, CAP measurements yielded higher statistical levels of satisfaction, value and loyalty for both product categories. In the case of tequila, factor analysis indicated a clear separation between the two types of measurements, suggesting that they should be considered distinct constructs. However, this was not found for the other product category.

CAP, which has better potential to predict outcomes than NCAP, could have relevant implications in brand positioning assessment and importance-performance analyses.

This paper aims to examine to what extent congruity between ethical attributes (i.e. product attributes with positive implications for the environment, human rights, social issues and animal welfare) and brand concept (i.e. the unique meaning associated with a brand in consumers’ minds) influences consumers’ evaluations of brands offering ethical attributes.

Four studies involving North American consumers empirically tested the moderation effect of brand concept on consumer evaluations of ethical attributes and the mediating role of perceived congruity.

This research finds an interactive effect of ethical attribute type and brand concept on brand evaluations, such that congruent ethical attribute–brand concept pairings (i.e. a utilitarian [symbolic] ethical attribute offered by a brand with a utilitarian [symbolic] brand concept) result in more favorable brand evaluations (Studies 1, 2, 3 and 4). Consumers’ perceptions of congruity between ethical attributes and brand concepts mediate this interactive effect (Studies 2 and 3). Moreover, a positive congruity effect of ethical attributes and brand concepts emerges at higher levels of conspicuous brand consumption (Study 4).

It is important to acknowledge that the current research did not specifically consider the case of utilitarian and symbolic ethical attribute offerings by luxury brands. This is a question that is left to future investigations.

For marketing managers, findings indicate that brands gain from ethical attribute introductions only when these attributes are congruent with the brand concept. In addition, brands benefit to a greater extent from offering congruent ethical attributes when brand consumption is conspicuous.

The findings of this research contribute to the literature on the effect of ethical attributes on consumers’ responses to brands and highlight the importance of brands’ choice of ethical attributes.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the attribute preferences of buyers of branded pulses and to study the differences in preferences between consumers who purchase from traditional retail stores and those who purchase from modern retail stores.

A total of 300 respondents (150 respondents from traditional and 150 respondents from modern retail outlet) participated in the study. Conjoint analysis was used to assess the consumers’ attribute preferences for branded pulses.

For both traditional and modern retail outlets, profile with highest utility was the profile with established brand, low price, high quality and normal packaging.

Shoppers of traditional and modern retail outlets have similar attribute preferences for branded pulses. Hence, it can be concluded that the purchase point makes no difference in consumer attribute preferences.

Results indicate that in both traditional and modern retail outlet customers prefer the same profile of attributes. Two important attributes determining their purchase are also the same. Hence a company entering into the sale of branded pulses will have to focus on these two important attributes irrespective of the purchase point.

The topic is relatively less researched in emerging markets especially where both branded pulses and organized retail are in their nascent stages.

Many on‐farm‐processed products frequently command a premium price, characterised as they are by unique sensory properties and image. Examines the nature of consumer judgements about product quality for farmhouse Cheddar cheeses based on utilities derived from the product attributes, and the trade‐off against price. Determines key Cheddar cheese attributes through in‐depth interviews with specialist cheese consumers and employs conjoint analysis to estimate the utilities associated with these attributes based on a wider choice‐experiment survey of farmhouse Cheddar consumers. A “price sensitivity meter” technique was used to establish acceptable price ranges as perceived by the latter group. Results from market simulations suggest that the consumer price sensitivity for farmhouse cheese is likely to be low. The analysis also revealed that those attributes associated with the traditional characteristics of farmhouse Cheddar have the highest utilities and that any characteristics similar to industrial Cheddar were largely unattractive to the consumers of farmhouse cheese.

This purpose of this study is to examine the impacts of trivial attribute and product involvement on product evaluation in different product‐line extensions.

In this study, a 2×2×2 between‐subjects experiment was conducted.

It was found that the product with trivial attributes has a higher evaluation than those without trivial attributes in the upward extension situation. The highly involved product with trivial attributes is more positively evaluated than those without trivial attributes.

During the experimental process, the subjects read only the product information described in words and photographs.

Firms can differentiate their products by trivial attributes to create implied benefits. However, a trivial attribute does not always function well for all products, and positive evaluation is associated with trivial attributes coupled with price.

The paper examines the interaction effect among trivial attributes, product involvement and product‐line extension strategy.

In recent years, the updating speed of products has been significantly accelerated, which not only provides diversified styles for consumers to select from but also makes consumers face selection problems sometimes. In addition, a large number of online reviews for products emerge on many e-commerce websites and influence consumers’ purchasing decisions. The purpose of this study is to propose a method for product selection considering consumer’s expectations and online reviews to support consumers’ purchasing decisions.

The product attributes are divided into two categories, i.e. demand attributes and word-of-mouth (WOM) attributes. For the demand attributes, for which the consumers can give specific quantified expectations, the value function of prospect theory is used to determine the consumer’s perceived values to the alternative products according to consumers’ expectations for these attributes and products’ specifications. For the WOM attributes, for which the consumers cannot give specific quantified expectations, the sentiment analysis method is used to identify the sentiment strengths for these attributes in the online reviews, and then the consumer’s perceived values to the alternative products are determined. On this basis, the product selection methods for single consumers and group consumers are given respectively.

Finally, taking the data of JD.com (https://www.jd.com/) as an example, the practicability and rationality of the method proposed in this paper is validated.

First, a new product selection problem considering consumer’s expectations and online reviews is extracted. Second, the product attributes are considered more comprehensively and are classified into two main categories. Third, the bounded rationality of the consumers in the decision-making process is described more reasonably. Fourth, the sentiment dictionaries for each WOM attribute are constructed and the algorithm step of identifying the sentiment strengths is designed, which can help to identify the sentiment strengths in the online reviews more accurately. Fifth, the situation that a group plans to purchase the same products and the members have inconsistent expectations for the product attributes is considered.

Despite significant business spending in areas such as personalization tools and add-on options representing levels of product attributes, most marketers do not know the amount of value that is directly attributable to their e-customization strategies. This study aims to offer an in-depth investigation of consumers' value perceptions of e-customization and their relationship with perceived sufficiency of information and cognitive cost. The context effects on value perception in e-customization are studied together with antecedent constructs.

The research consists of a 2×2 between-subjects factorial design. The full model is tested using multiple-group structural equation modeling analysis to verify the significance of the inter-relationships between constructs, as well as the main and the interaction effects of two experimental factors (product information framing and product type).

The experimental results showed that perceived e-customization value does not simply stem from the ability to “narrow-cast” content more specifically related to a shopper's interests (i.e. anticipated fulfillment value). Rather, this value also stems from the dynamic flexibility of the information system and its ability to entertain and educate during the information dissemination process (i.e. process value and knowledge value). Furthermore, when the customization framing features are better matched with product type characteristics, e-customization seemed to increase value in ways that are difficult to achieve in conventional shopping environments.

By testing the proposed structural model simultaneously with two experimental factors of product type and information framing, this work is the first to address the question of context effects on value creation in an area of increasing substantive importance.