Consumer Responses to Elements of Visual Esthetics on a Brand’s Instagram Page

Abstract

The current study investigates the influence of visual complexity and color harmony, two important aspects of visual esthetics in the online context, on customer engagement and word-of-mouth (WOM) transmission. We further examine whether consumer expectations and self-concept congruence operate as critical boundary conditions for the effect of these esthetic factors. The study uses an experimental design in which 402 respondents viewed researcher manipulated Instagram brand pages with varying levels of visual complexity and color combinations. The results show that independently, high levels of visual complexity, and complementary color combinations evoked greater consumer engagement and positive WOM intentions. Engagement levels declined when analogous color combinations were used on Instagram pages with high visual complexity and complementary colors on low visual complexity pages. Additionally, consumer engagement mediated the relationship between the visual esthetic elements and WOM transmission. Consumer expectations emerged as an important moderator of the effect of visual complexity on engagement but our prediction regarding the moderating effect of self-concept congruence was not supported. The results of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of the underlying process by which visual esthetic elements on image-centric platforms, like Instagram, interact to influence customer engagement and WOM.