Uncovering hidden retail attributes through consumer emotions: a ZMET-based qualitative study

PurposeThis paper aims to explore how the Zaltman metaphor elicitation technique (ZMET) can be adopted in services marketing to provide deeper customer experience insights.Design/methodology/approachThis paper explores how ZMET interviews, which use images selected by the participant to facilitate discussion, can be used by researchers. This paper draws upon a study of 24 student experiences at a UK university.FindingsAdopting this qualitative method for services marketing can counter depth deficit when compared to other qualitative approaches, because it is participant led. However, the method requires competent interview skills and time for the interview and analysis. We find that ZMET has not been widely adopted in academia because of its commercial licenced use. The paper illustrates how to use the ZMET process step-by-step.Research limitations/implicationsFindings are limited to student experiences. Further research is necessary to understand how researchers could use ZMET in other areas of services marketing.Practical implicationsThis paper provides guidance to researchers on how to use ZMET as a methodological tool. ZMET facilitates a deeper understanding of service experiences through using participant chosen images and thus enabling researchers to uncover subconscious hidden perceptions that other methods may not find.Originality/valueZMET has been used commercially to gain market insights but has had limited application in service research. Existing studies fail to provide details of how ZMET can be used to access the consumer subconscious. This paper makes a methodological contribution by providing step-by-step guidance on how to apply ZMET to services marketing.

This paper examines the work done by tourism researchers to understand why tourists make travel decisions that lead to high levels of greenhouse gas emissions and find it difficult to change their transport mode and destination choice towards more sustainable outcomes. It notes the growing recognition of an understanding of the psychological factors underlying tourist behaviour and the growing use of photography and photo elicitation in tourism research. It makes a case for using the Zaltman metaphor elicitation technique (ZMET) to develop a deeper understanding of the reluctance of consumers to choose environmentally friendly transport modes. ZMET is a technique for eliciting inter-related notions that influence thought and behaviour. Derived from Freudian psychology, ZMET is a projective technique based on the notion of unconscious and repressed thoughts – thoughts that patients were unwilling or unable to reveal to their psychologists. It uses respondents’ pictures as entry points to understanding the respondents’ actions. The ten steps used by ZMET are described. An evaluation of the technique's use in non-tourism research is given, along with a discussion about why ZMET has rarely been used in many academic studies.

Purpose This paper aims to shed light on the demand side of sustainability, that is, on its perceived meaning. The goal is to understand how people think of sustainability, the concepts they evoke when they talk of sustainability and the images and symbols they use to explain these concepts. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a mixed method. First, ten individuals are interviewed using the Zaltman metaphor elicitation technique (ZMET), a protocol developed by Gerald Zaltman in the early 1990s. The concepts and categories emerging from the ZMET have been analyzed, integrated and classified to identify key dimensions. Findings Ten concepts related to sustainability are the most recurring in the ZMET: problems and solutions, individual behavior, environment and ecosystem, technologies and innovations, social fairness, food and nutrition, mobility, education and mindfulness, sustainable development and utopia/ideal world. Research limitations/implications Ten interviews is a small number to provide a comprehensive analysis of all the meanings of sustainability. To obtain a more complete picture, the number of interviews may need to be increased to 15–20. Practical implications The fact that the two concepts appearing with the highest frequency in the ZMETs are “problems and solutions” and “individual behavior” signals that though people understand that there are many problems to be solved in the world as it is now, even the single individual can contribute with his/her behavior. Social implications Sustainability is an issue that involves society as a whole; hence, its improvement requires concerted political action coordinated at the national and local levels. The key point of this action is education of people, to make them aware of what sustainability really is. Originality/value Although the literature on sustainability is rather abundant, extant literature has mainly focused on the supply/managerial side such as sustainable and responsible companies, corporate social responsibility and also sustainable tourism. This paper sheds some light on the more neglected side of the demand perspective.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to conceptualize and develop a scale to measure consumer experience at the retail context. Design/methodology/approach: A questionnaire survey was conducted with a sample of 164 undergraduates of one of the state universities in Sri Lanka. Five dimensions of the consumer experience were identified by the exploratory factor analysis conducted with 21 measurement indicators. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted with the five-factor measurement model and resulted in a five-dimensional structure for consumer experience with 14 measurement indicators. Findings: The study concluded that the consumer experience was a multidimensional construct, comprising the dimensions of virtue, equanimous, amusement, rapture, and strange. The multidimensional nature of consumer experience which was explored will help marketers to focus on the areas in which consumer experience enhancement is required and consumer experience strategies also can be designed according to the multidimensional aspects of consumer experience. Originality: The study developed a Consumer Experience scale (ConEx scale) which can be used to examine the consumer experience in the retail context. The multidimensional structure of ConEx also concerns the hedonistic perspective of consumer experience. Implications: The customer experience in retail sector can be addressed through customer emotions. The explored dimensions of customer experience provide important implications for practitioners by offering new ways to explore customer emotions in retail setting. Keywords: Consumer emotions, consumer experience, experience marketing, retailing, ConEx Scale

In the last several years, there has been significant research on how cross-cultural perceptions affect brand experience and purchase intention. With an emphasis on the drivers, dynamics, and management methods involved, this systematic literature review attempts to provide an overview of the existing literature on customer experience and its impact on purchase intention. This review examines the influence of brand experience on purchase intention or willingness to buy in cross-country contexts. It focuses on the relationship between brand experience and purchase intention, exploring the factors that shape this relationship and the mechanisms through which it operates. The goal of this study is to provide an exhaustive analysis and synthesis of the academic literature on brand experience. To accomplish this, the researchers conduct a systematic review, finding and evaluating 73 appropriate articles from 38 journals. The analysis covers significant information concerning empirical versus conceptual studies, industry focus, country of study, research design, data analysis methods, and characteristics of respondents. Our understanding of the connection between brand experience and purchase intention in cross-country scenarios is enhanced by the findings of these studies. They highlight the complex nature of the 'country image' concept and the importance of considering both cognitive and emotive factors when shaping consumer perceptions and beliefs. Overall, this systematic evaluation of the literature provides insights into how brand experience influences consumers' propensity or intention to make global purchases. The results emphasize the critical importance of understanding the complex relationship between country image and consumer behavior. These insights can assist firms in customizing their brand experiences to various cultural contexts and in informing marketing strategies.

This research promotes an innovative qualitative methodology, the Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET), for sport and tourism research. ZMET has been applied mainly in marketing research (e.g., advertising) for major companies. This study adopts ZMET because of its sophisticated imaging techniques in eliciting both consumers' spoken and tacit thoughts and feelings (e.g., more valid, more reliable) in a way that traditional methods do not. Furthermore, the powerful data elicitation technology available through ZMET enhances not only the data collection process, but also the interpretation of that data and the study's trustworthiness (i.e., validity, reliability, and credibility). The study findings suggest a conceptual model that combines exchange theories with essential and necessary dispositional variables to explain sport tourists' loyalty development processes. The model contains four antecedents of loyalty with ‘exchange-relationships’ as the moderator and ‘trust’ as a precursor. The concept of social and resource exchanges reflecting the long-term nature of consumer consumption processes enables this model to capture the complex and dynamic relationships in the loyalty development processes. This model also rises to the marketing challenge of building long-term consumer relationships. Sport tourists' loyalty, therefore, might be strengthened or retained by maximizing trust and several or all of these antecedents through customer relationship building with social and resource exchanges.

Psychological and neuroscientific research reveals that individuals perceive the external world through two distinct systems: the conscious rational system and the unconscious experiential system. This paper examines the formation of customer experiences in theme hotels from both conscious and unconscious perspectives, aiming to foster innovation and sustainable development in the hospitality industry by enhancing the emotional connection between customers and theme hotels. Employing a dual-perspective framework, the study utilizes semi-structured in-depth interviews to investigate the conscious perspective and the Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET) for the unconscious perspective. This paper selected five mid-to-high-end theme hotels located in first-tier cities in China and interviewed 20 guests who had stayed at these hotels. Findings indicate that while both perspectives initiate from the same triggering process, they differ significantly in their modes of information processing and experiential manifestations. Key differences between the two perspectives are evident in three main areas: the malleability of memory, the complexity of emotions, and the directionality of behavior. These insights not only broaden the theoretical understanding of customer experience but also contribute to the sustainable growth of the hotel sector by proposing innovative approaches to enhance customer experience.

We describe three ways that customer experience has been conceptualized and measured. “True experience” is a customer's personal interpretation of “what happened.” Because significant aspects of customers' interpretations are unconscious, they cannot be revealed by traditional measures. The Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET) is capable of uncovering the unconscious interpretations of customers. We provide a brief example of the deeper and rich understanding of customer experience that a ZMET analysis can provide.

A metaphoric analysis using the Zaltman metaphor elicitation technique: consumption experience as escape

Sensory marketing plays a significant role in providing consumers with experiential marketing experiences. It involves engaging consumers through their senses of sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste. By appealing to these senses, marketers can effectively reach out to consumers and create memorable experiences. The stimuli generated by marketing efforts are first received by the sense organs, leading to the interpretation of sensations. This perception process ultimately determines whether a person will be satisfied or dissatisfied with the experience. Perception refers to the act of comprehending one's environment through the use of the five senses. Sense organs can be described as tools that gather information from our surroundings. In fact, consumers have a desire to visually inspect, touch, hear, smell, or taste a product before making a purchase. This desire stems from the need to minimize perceived risk and find the best solution to fulfill their needs. Once a person is exposed to stimuli, they begin the process of perception, taking into account their expectations, past experiences, and motives. These stimuli can include images, sounds, tastes, smells, and tactile sensations, as well as personal factors like expectations, motives, and past experiences. Products, brands, packaging, advertisements, and store designs are all examples of stimuli. When consumers physically interact with these stimuli, they are exposed to them. Sense organs play a vital role in mediating this exposure and creating sensations. As a result of this process, consumers focus their attention on the stimuli created by their surroundings, taking into consideration individual factors and the nature of the stimuli. They then interpret and respond to these stimuli accordingly. Personal factors such as past experiences and motives shape the perception process, while the nature of the stimuli influences the level of attention given to them, indirectly affecting the consumer's perception. Sensory marketing is a powerful tool utilized by sellers to impact consumption habits through sensory and emotional appeals to customers. In today's competitive retail landscape, where retailers are vying for the same customers and selling similar products at similar prices, the concept of retail convergence has intensified competition. This has led retailers to differentiate themselves by incorporating sensory marketing strategies. Factors influencing sensory marketing can be categorized as external and internal, shedding light on the rationale behind its implementation. While senses can pose challenges for marketing, they also serve as drivers of the purchasing process in sensory marketing. One key external factor driving the adoption of sensory marketing is the evolving consumer behavior, which is increasingly influenced by emotions, fantasies, and entertainment. With the rise of online shopping due to technological advancements, retailers are compelled to leverage sensory marketing to attract customers to physical stores. Additionally, sales tactics like contests and games are commonly employed to enhance customer experiences and promote sensory marketing practices in the competitive retail environment. On the other hand, the primary internal factor impacting sensory marketing practices is the positive effect on consumer perceptions of product quality and value. For instance, consumers may perceive a product in a glass bottle to be of higher quality compared to the same product in a plastic bottle, leading them to be willing to pay a premium. As a result, sensory marketing plays a crucial role in shaping consumer perceptions and influencing their purchasing decisions. The scope of the study will be restricted to rural and urban areas of Odisha. In the context approximately 400 responses will be collected in the study areas. A casual research approach will be utilized in this study to analyze the influence of factors on the five senses of consumers when selecting a high-end restaurant. The primary data was collected through a survey method. The survey will consist of two sections, with the first focusing on demographic aspects and the second on variables related to the five senses and their impact on restaurant selection. Participants were asked to identify factors affecting their decision-making process when choosing a restaurant and to indicate their agreement with the findings. The impact of sight will be assessed through the atmosphere, smell through the food served, hearing through the music genre and volume, taste through the flavor of food and drinks, and touch through the comfort, softness, and size of seats. A 5-point Likert scale was used for measurement (Strongly Agree = 5, Strongly Disagree = 1).

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine consumers’ perception of food safety for vegetables at traditional urban market outlets in a developing country context and test whether curiosity-motivated information acquisition and personal control over choice of stimuli influence consumer involvement, resulting in more differentiated mental models. Design/methodology/approach – The Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET) in standard and modified form was used to develop consumers’ mental models for food safety. Findings – The cognitive content and structure of aggregated consumers’ mental models were identified and mapped. The maps included negative and positive meanings, indicating a need to tackle the hygiene problems prevailing in most traditional markets. ZMET generated a more differentiated map when people were empowered with a camera to collect stimuli. Research limitations/implications – Using ZMET to understand food safety perceptions avoids consumers being led in their responses, views and feelings about food safety. Practical implications – Policy, regulatory frameworks and marketing actions by value chain actors in the fresh vegetable subsector should give priority to tackling the hygiene problem prevalent in most traditional markets in developing countries. Originality/value – This paper provides novel needs-driven theoretical and practical insights into the actual meaning representation of food safety, which actually drives consumer thoughts and behaviour. Making use of a camera in the collection of self-provided images for the ZMET interview led to higher levels of involvement and further differentiation of mental models.

PurposeThis research aims to uncover consumers' deeply hidden thoughts and feelings about store scent and its effects on shopping experiences.Design/methodology/approachFollowing 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.FindingsUltimately, 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/implicationsThese 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/valueUsing 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.

PurposeTo define the similarities and differences in perceptions that mobile consumers in culturally distinct markets hold towards the mobile internet.Design/methodology/approachUsing the Zaltman metaphor elicitation technique (ZMET), mental maps between consumers from Indonesia and Japan were developed and compared.FindingsResults showed clear structural similarities between aggregate maps, while differences were found in experiential factors such as technical infrastructure or the underlying business model. The main barriers to widespread consumer adoption of the mobile internet were not found in cognitive structures unique to individual markets, but appeared instead to be caused by inefficiencies within the wireless ecosystem.Research limitations/implicationsThese results identified factors from a number of pre‐existing theories relevant to the mobile platform, suggesting the need to develop a new, more inclusive theory of mobile consumer behavior. ZMET was also shown to be an effective comparative analysis tool applicable to cross‐cultural research.Practical implicationsMarketers can establish sustainable competitive advantage by effectively addressing the many negative aspects consumers raised about the MobileNet. Additionally, these results suggest that the mobile platform can serve as the foundation for truly co‐creative marketing initiatives.Originality/valueThis is the first paper to explore the cognitive structure and content of consumer perceptions of the mobile internet. This study was also the first to apply ZMET as a comparative tool, as well as the first to extend ZMET to include composite weights of construct dyads.

This paper is aimed at academic researchers considering the adoption of the Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET) as a qualitative data collection method. It is meant to warn about the practical difficulties and challenges that the inexperienced ZMET researcher might face on the field. It argues that while the use of ZMET can allow for a deeper exploration of issues with participants, there could be potential challenges and issues that a novice ZMET researcher could face. Several recommendations are provided on potential adaptions to the technique based on the author’s own experience.

This study explores the food perception of young Taiwanese consumers, a growing market segment in the restaurant industry. An innovative qualitative tool known as the Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET) was employed to elicit deeper thoughts and emotions of young consumers. Twelve Taiwanese from Generation Y were invited to participate in a ZMET interview where they expressed their perceptions concerning food and eating through self-collected images. The data were analyzed using constant comparative method and charted on a consensus map. Five themes have evolved from the consensus map: health, trying new food, sharing, enhancing knowledge, and happiness. Findings reveal that young Taiwanese consumers are health-conscious and have high acceptance of novel food. They perceive food as a means of enjoyment and fostering social relationships. This study has contributed additional perspectives to existing literature by revealing the function of food in enhancing knowledge, as well as unveiling the deep-seated meanings of food associated with consumer's personal relevance values. Marketing implications for the restaurant industry targeting young Taiwanese consumers are proposed.