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1 – 10 of over 11000The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which consumer self-concept (self-esteem) and product involvement influences the wine purchase decision at the retail level…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which consumer self-concept (self-esteem) and product involvement influences the wine purchase decision at the retail level given the anticipated consumption occasion. The predictive effects of self-concept on this interaction were also explored.
Design/methodology/approach
Data collection was in the independent specialist fine wine store environment in Sydney, Australia. Central to the study was the development of a 33-item multi-dimensional fine wine involvement scale (Cronbach’s α =0.846 for 26 final items) for measuring consumers’ involvement.
Findings
Wine product involvement deepens with age but low involvement consumers perceiving risk in making the wrong product choice may well purchase fine wines for situations where self-concept is a moderating factor. In the case of low involvement wine consumers a positive association exists between situational wine choice and self-concept but no significant differences exist for self-concept across any of the consumption occasions. Age and self-concept were both confirmed as linked to levels of consumption. The findings support the notion that wine consumers aged 45 years and older are significantly more disposed to purchase fine wine products.
Practical implications
For self-concept to be relevant to purchase it follows that the wine consumption occasion must be conspicuous.
Originality/value
This study is the first to examine the extent to which consumer self-concept and product involvement influences the wine purchase decision at the retail level given the anticipated consumption occasion.
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This paper aims to provide an adequate instrument to measure involvement, its antecedents and its impact on behaviours relating to ethical product consumption, using the case of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to provide an adequate instrument to measure involvement, its antecedents and its impact on behaviours relating to ethical product consumption, using the case of fair trade.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on an in‐depth analysis of the involvement literature and the specificities of ethical products, a model is derived using a hypothetico‐deductive approach. It is then analysed using structural equation modelling.
Findings
The new construct specific to ethical products is a strong predictor of involvement. In addition, the involvement in the ethical aspect of products is much stronger than the involvement in the product category to explain selected consumer behaviours.
Research limitations/implications
It is likely that highly involved consumers are more prone to participate in such a survey, which limits the representativeness of the sample.
Practical implications
Beyond the theoretical contribution for ethical consumption analysis, practical implications for fair trade marketing can be derived. A section of the article discusses how to improve fair trade products' communication, how to make those products more competitive, and who should distribute them.
Originality/value
Current generic involvement models are insufficient to apprehend ethical consumers, who constitute a market in constant expansion. This research fills this gap by providing an original instrument which distinguishes the product‐specific involvement from the involvement in the ethical values carried by the product.
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Hans Vermaak and Léon de Caluwé
The colors of change is an overview of change paradigms, created about two decades ago, that has been intensively used, tested, refined, shared, and elaborated by practitioners…
Abstract
The colors of change is an overview of change paradigms, created about two decades ago, that has been intensively used, tested, refined, shared, and elaborated by practitioners and academics alike. Here, the “color theory” is presented as it is now, and is situated within the literature. Its four main applications are described as well as rules of thumb that have been derived from reflective practice. This chapter illustrates that the color theory is clearly not one thing to all people, as it is understood in very different ways, both in terms of its theoretical foundations as well as the complexity of its applications. This probably adds to the versatility of the theory. Bringing together key insights about the color theory for academics and practitioners, this chapter strives both to give a concise overview and to explore its richness.
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The purpose of this paper is to investigate the moderating role of product involvement in predicting the effects of self‐concept and consumption situation on consumers' situational…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the moderating role of product involvement in predicting the effects of self‐concept and consumption situation on consumers' situational decision making.
Design/methodology/approach
An experiment was conducted based on a two (self‐concept) × two (consumption situation) between group design. Participants' product involvement was treated as a covariate in repeated measures test to analyze the relationships between product involvement, self‐concept and consumption situation.
Findings
Results suggested that, for consumers who were highly involved with the product, self‐concept and consumption situation were both determinant factors in a situational brand choice. For consumers who were not highly involved with the product, however, their situational brand choice was based solely on the situational factor, not their self‐concept.
Research limitation/implications
Participants' pre‐existing attitude towards the brands might have influenced their answers. Only a single product category was used. The findings of this study can help us understand the underlying mechanism for the impact of self‐congruity and situational congruity. From a marketer's perspective, it seems logical to assume that both self‐concept and consumption situation are influential factors for those who find the product personally relevant, while only consumption situation is influential for those who are not.
Originality/value
The paper examines the interaction effect between self‐concept and consumption situation. It introduces a new variable, product involvement, to self‐concept research to extend our understanding of when self/situation congruity effects occur.
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Vartika Chaudhary, Dinesh Sharma, Anish Nagpal and Arti D. Kalro
This paper aims to examine the effect of three types of health-related claims (health, nutrition and ingredient) and product healthiness on situational skepticism toward the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the effect of three types of health-related claims (health, nutrition and ingredient) and product healthiness on situational skepticism toward the claims that appear on the front-of-package of food products. The effect of situational skepticism on the purchase intention of the product is further examined.
Design/methodology/approach
Two experimental studies were conducted with a 3 (health-related claims: health claim vs nutrition claim vs ingredient claim) × 2 (product healthiness: healthy vs unhealthy) between-subjects factorial design. Study 1 investigates the effects within a single product category (Biscuits) and Study 2 the effects across product categories (Salad and Pizza).
Findings
The results demonstrate that situational skepticism is the highest for health claims, followed by nutrition claims and the least for ingredient claims. In addition, situational skepticism is higher for claims appearing on unhealthy products vis-à-vis healthy ones. Finally, situational skepticism mediates the relationship between claim type, product healthiness and product purchase intention.
Research limitations/implications
This study contributes to the field of nutrition labeling by advancing research on information processing of nutrition labels through the lens of the persuasion knowledge model (Friestad and Wright, 1994). Specifically, this study contributes to a nuanced understanding of claim formats on how the language properties of the claim – its vagueness, specificity and verifiability – can affect consumer perception. This study finds that higher specificity, verifiability and lower vagueness of ingredient claims lead to lower skepticism and hence higher purchase intention.
Practical implications
Furthermore, this study incrementally contributes to the ongoing discussion about the claim–carrier combination by showing that health-related claims are better perceived on healthy compared to unhealthy products. Hence, managers should avoid health washing, as this can backfire and cause harm to the reputation of the firm.
Social implications
From a public policy point of view, this study makes a case for strong monitoring and regulations of ingredient claims, as consumers believe these claims easily and hence can be misled by false ingredient claims made by unethical marketers.
Originality/value
The scope of research on skepticism has largely been limited to examining a general individual tendency of being suspicious (i.e. dispositional skepticism) in health-related claims as well as other areas of marketing. In this research, the authors extend the scope by examining how specific types of claims (health vs nutrition vs ingredient) and product healthiness jointly impact consumer skepticism, i.e. situational skepticism.
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Cheng Wang, Jennifer Harris and Paul G. Patterson
The purpose of this paper is to explore situational influences on customers' actual choice between self‐service and personal service and to examine the impact of past experiences…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore situational influences on customers' actual choice between self‐service and personal service and to examine the impact of past experiences on self‐service technology (SST) attitudes and behavior.
Design/methodology/approach
A supermarket self‐checkout machine is the SST under investigation. A mixed qualitative research design was used and a total of 209 observations and 47 interviews were obtained from customers in five supermarket stores in Australia.
Findings
Perceived waiting time, perceived task complexity, and companion influence are the three situational factors that impact on a customer's actual choice between self‐service and personal service. Past experiences influence SST attitudes and behavior in a more complex manner than SST characteristics and other individual difference variables.
Research limitations/implications
The findings may not be generalizable to internet‐ or telephone‐based SST contexts.
Practical implications
By understanding what factors affect a customer's choice, better strategies can be developed to manage and coordinate multiple service delivery options. The findings also highlight the importance of preventing frequent failure and providing speedy recovery in the SST context.
Originality/value
This paper goes beyond SST attitudes/intentions and focuses on the moderating effect of situational factors on a customer's actual SST behavior. It also examines the impact of focal product and product‐norm experiences on SST attitudes and behavior.
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Kenneth C. Gehrt and Ruoh‐Nan Yan
Most research related to consumer choice of retailers emphasizes retailer attributes and/or consumer characteristics. Since many retail formats, including online retailing, have…
Abstract
Most research related to consumer choice of retailers emphasizes retailer attributes and/or consumer characteristics. Since many retail formats, including online retailing, have emerged in recent years, knowledge of how consumers select retail formats must be updated. A source of influence that has been examined to a very limited extent for store retailers but not for emerging retail formats is situational influence. From a modern interactionism perspective, this study investigates the influence of situational as well as consumer and retailer factors on preference for online, catalog, and store formats. Key results show that situational factors have significant influence on online and catalog format selection and perceptions of attributes that are crucial to that selection.
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Margaret K. Hogg, Alastair J. Cox and Kathy Keeling
The relationship between self‐image and product/brand imagery remains an important area of concern in marketing research and marketing practice because of its impact on product…
Abstract
The relationship between self‐image and product/brand imagery remains an important area of concern in marketing research and marketing practice because of its impact on product/brand evaluation and choice; however many studies report inconclusive findings about this relationship. A conceptual model is developed which links a function of attitudes – as the pursuit and maintenance of self‐esteem and self‐identity – to the public and private contexts of self‐concepts; and the subsequent intrinsic and extrinsic congruence between brand evaluation and choice. In this exploratory study the Self‐Monitoring Scale is used to explore the link between the social and psychological determinants of self‐presentation in the pursuit of self‐esteem and maintenance of self‐identity, and to inform the examination of the relationship between self‐concept and product symbolism. Findings from the qualitative and quantitative stages of a study of the UK alcoholic soft drinks market are presented. There were distinct differences between the self‐monitoring groups when the interpretation of specific brand images was investigated. The results provided empirical support for viewing the self as a divisible entity. The implications for marketing practice are discussed.
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Hsing-Hua Stella Chang, Cher-Min Fong and I-Hung Chen
This study aims to investigate the role of interpersonal influence on consumer purchase decisions regarding foreign products, specifically by exploring consumers’ social reaction…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the role of interpersonal influence on consumer purchase decisions regarding foreign products, specifically by exploring consumers’ social reaction styles (acquisitive and protective) when confronted with normative pressures and their subsequent impact on consumers’ purchase behavior in the context of situational animosity.
Design/methodology/approach
Three studies were conducted in China to empirically examine the proposed research model. The US–China Chip War of 2022 was used as the research context for situational animosity, while the Japan–China relationship representing a stable animosity condition was used for contrast.
Findings
This study establishes the mediating role of perceived normative pressure in linking animosity attitudes to purchase avoidance in situational animosity. It also validates that consumers’ social reaction styles (acquisitive and protective) help predict distinct behavioral outcomes, holding significant implications for advancing research in the field of product and brand consumption.
Originality/value
This research provides a novel perspective by exploring consumers’ social reaction styles when dealing with normative pressure in situational animosity. The distinction between acquisitive and protective reaction styles adds depth and originality to the study. Moreover, this study examines consumer behavior in two distinct consumption contexts: switching intentions to local products and purchase intentions for products from offending countries in hidden consumption situations. This dual perspective offers a comprehensive exploration of consumers’ purchase behavior under normative pressure, contributing to the novelty of this research.
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Kenneth C. Gehrt and Soyeon Shim
The study demonstrates the viability of situational segmentation in a market outside the USA. A number of situational segmentation studies in the USA have examined the snacking…
Abstract
The study demonstrates the viability of situational segmentation in a market outside the USA. A number of situational segmentation studies in the USA have examined the snacking market. This study examines situational segmentation opportunities in the context of the Japanese snacking market. The study attempts to delineate a situationally‐defined market structure for a broadly defined array of snack products. This is done by characterizing 18 snacks in terms of pertinent situational factors via dummy variable regression analysis; and grouping the snacks in terms of the similarity of their situational characterizations via cluster analysis. The study reveals four multi‐product snack segments, including solitary snacking cluster, socializing ensemble cluster, high gravity socialization cluster, and morning home snack. The results show that situational segmentation is as effective in complementing more traditional segmentation approaches in Japan as it is in the USA.
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