Consumer Traits Research Articles

Differences in willingness to pay for various types of carbon-labeled products: A dynamic perspective

Carbon labeling (CL) is a carbon reduction policy with development potential that has not yet been widely promoted worldwide. This study explores the trend of consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) for different types of carbon-labeled products from a dynamic perspective, to provide a reference for future pilot projects. The research team collected 3788 valid questionnaires from China's first-tier cities spanning a five-year period and used interval regression to analyze the impact and change of consumer traits on WTP for the four types of carbon-labeled products in 2019 and 2024. The bootstrap method was further used to examine the impact mechanisms to explore ways to improve the current situation. This study found that (1) WTP for food, textiles, electronics, and other household products with CL generally decreased from 2019 to 2024. Textiles and electronics experienced a smaller decline, while food and other household products witnessed larger decreases. (2) The effect of consumer characteristics on WTP changes from 2019 to 2024. Consumers' frequency of low-carbon behaviors no longer significantly affects WTP across all product categories, while attitudes toward CL only affect textiles and electronics. (3) Consumers' perceived environmental value is the mechanism by which personal traits affect WTP. Finally, based on the findings, this study suggests that the selection of textiles and electronics as a pilot product is more likely to be accepted by consumers and that emphasis should be placed on the promotion of the environmental values of CL.

The Application of Digital Marketing in the Operation and Development of Pet Stores in China

Pet stores have both opportunities and challenges as a result of the notable rise of the pet sector in China in recent years. Pet stores are increasingly using digital marketing techniques to successfully navigate this changing environment. The development and functioning of pet stores in China heavily depend on the use and impact of internet marketing. Pet stores can obtain a competitive edge in a highly competitive industry by studying digital marketing methods that will improve their brand awareness, customer engagement, sales growth, and operational efficiency. This study examines the use of digital marketing and its effects on the growth and operation of pet stores in China, analyzing and summarizing the body of prior research in the field. It studies at different consumer traits, profitability tactics, and operational methods. The effectiveness of several digital marketing techniques, such as content, display, search, and social media marketing, is also examined in this article. The study found that pet stores can improve their operational efficiency and brand awareness, customer engagement, and sales by implementing digital marketing methods. Social media marketing, search marketing, display marketing, and content marketing all demonstrate high effectiveness in achieving business objectives. All things considered, internet marketing gives pet stores the vital resources and techniques they need to overcome market obstacles.

Psychological Changes in Green Food Consumption in the Digital Context: Exploring the Role of Green Online Interactions from a Comprehensive Perspective.

The advent of the digital economy has brought new opportunities to food marketing. In China, many food businesses have begun to use interactions under specific social media topics to open up new sales channels. Green food, as a representative of environmentally related topics, is increasingly influencing consumer choices through online interactions. In light of this, this study collected data from a large group of participants engaged in online green interactions to explore the psychological mechanisms behind consumers' choices of green food in an online context. The findings indicate that online green interactions positively influence the willingness to purchase green food, with environmental self-efficacy and flow experience serving as mediators in this relationship. Information trust and consumer traits act as boundary conditions. This study not only deepens the understanding of food consumer behavior in the digital context, but also provides important references for food companies on how to more effectively utilize online interaction to promote the market expansion of green food.

What motivates consumers to adopt controversial green mobility innovations? The case of shared e-bikes and e-scooters

Green innovations sometimes have a debatable environmental impact, which could be related to how their adopters use them. This paper examines five factors encompassing a consumer trait of being innovative and various motivations that could help further understand the adoption of controversial green innovations. Mainly, this paper examines the use decision and users' behavioral intentions in two green innovations that have received mixed opinions – shared e-bikes and e-scooters, and how they are related to a consumer trait (eco-innovativeness) and consumer motivations (instrumental, environmental, hedonic, and symbolic). We surveyed shared e-bike and e-scooter users (n = 337) and non-users (n = 1001) in Sweden and applied structural equation modeling to test the relationship between the factors and adoption. Results show that eco-innovativeness and motivations affect use decisions and behavioral intentions differently. Specifically, environmental motivations negatively affect use decisions but are positively significant in future behavioral intentions. Hedonic motivations have the strongest effects, which could help explain the controversy surrounding shared e-bikes and e-scooters. Theoretically, we contribute to understanding how traits and motivations are significant in the diffusion of green innovations. The paper shows that despite being mainly promoted as good for the environment, other motivations could significantly drive the adoption of novel green products. Practically, this indicates that promotion and public policies surrounding green innovations should not be limited to communicating their functional and pro-environmental attributes.

The development of consumer preferences for electric vehicle charging infrastructure in China: Evidence from a questionnaire survey with a four-year interval

Consumer preferences are important in guiding the development of electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Chen and Lin (2022) examined the factors influencing consumer preference for charging infrastructure (CPCI) with data from 2019. Four years later, the research team conducted a new questionnaire survey for comparative analysis. Using a total of 3,778 questionnaires, the authors explored the differences in consumer traits and CPCI at various periods and regions. The potential role of CPCI in promoting electric vehicles was also further analyzed. The main findings include (1) Consumers’ charging habits have changed in the last four years, favoring the use of private charging infrastructure and nighttime charging. (2) Consumers in first-tier cities prefer to use public charging infrastructure than those in non-first-tier cities. (3) Owning private charging infrastructures contributes to consumer satisfaction, which in turn promotes the re-purchase and recommendation of electric vehicles. Preferences for private charging infrastructure strengthen this effect. Finally, the authors provide targeted policy recommendations.

Impact of Social Media advertisement and influencers on Compulsive Buying Mediated by Materialism: The Moderating Role of Narcissism

Purpose – This paper aims to: (1) examine the effect of social media advertisement and influencers on Compulsive buying, (2) investigate the role of materialism as a mediator and narcissism as a moderator on the relationship between social media advertisement and influencers on Compulsive Buying. Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on 300 responses. Data of the responses was used for statistical analysis and hypothesis testing. The study uses Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to test all hypotheses. Findings – The study revealed insignificant relationships between social media advertisements and influencers, and compulsive buying. The findings provided evidence that materialism mediates the relationship between social media advertisements and compulsive buying. In contrast, materialism does not mediate the relationship between social media influencers and compulsive buying. The study failed to reveal a moderating role of narcissism on the relationship between materialism and compulsive buying. Research implications – Recommendations for marketing managers, scholars, and policymakers have been given adopting the marketing orientation that puts the consumers’ satisfaction of needs and wants first, based on the researchers’ faith that compulsive buying is not a virtue for consumers by all means. Originality/value – This paper investigates one of the most pressing issues regarding consumer behaviour in social media, consumer traits, and compulsive buying.

Scarcity effect in collaborative fashion consumption via the C2C online platform: moderating effect of consumer price sensitivity and gender

ABSTRACT This study investigates the effect of scarcity on purchase intention in a collaborative fashion consumption situation using a C2C platform. Furthermore, it examines the moderating effect of consumer price sensitivity and gender. A mixed experimental design method of 2 (scarcity level: high vs. low) × 2 (consumer price sensitivity: high vs. low) × 2 (gender: male vs. female) was applied. This study found that although the scarcity level did not directly affect purchase intention, the effect was moderated by price sensitivity. Consumers with high price sensitivity show greater purchase intention under low scarcity, whereas consumers with low price sensitivity show greater purchase intention under high scarcity. Moreover, the interaction effect of scarcity level and price sensitivity on purchase intention significantly differed for women, but not for men. This study provides insights for C2C platform marketers to devise marketing strategies considering the scarcity of second-hand fashion products and consumer traits.

Translating virtual product scarcity in gaming to real‐world brand value

AbstractThis study explores how the scarcity of virtual products in virtual gaming spaces influences brand evaluation in the real world. While previous studies suggest that scarcity in virtual spaces can enhance brand value, the mechanisms and conditions under which this effect occurs (e.g., the characteristics of virtual spaces, consumer traits, and stimulus). Drawing on insights from scarcity research on physical products, we propose that the effects of scarcity may stem from the expectation of impression management. We developed a model that incorporates insights from physical product scarcity research with the unique aspects of virtual spaces and consumer characteristics. Through four studies, we discovered that the effect of supply scarcity in enhancing brand evaluation is pronounced when the space is online and when consumers have a high level of social presence. Furthermore, in cases where social presence is not high, encounters with others wearing scarce products were found to enhance the scarcity effect. Companies can enhance brand evaluation by strategically using virtual product scarcity in online gaming, particularly when targeting consumers with high social presence or creating opportunities for players to interact with others wearing scarce items.

Competition between mixo‐ and heterotrophic ciliates under dynamic resource supply

AbstractThe outcome of species competition strongly depends on the traits of the competitors and associated trade‐offs, as well as on environmental variability. Here, we investigate the relevance of consumer trait variation for species coexistence in a ciliate consumer–microalgal prey system under fluctuating regimes of resource supply. We focus on consumer competition and feeding traits, and specifically on the consumer's ability to overcome periods of resource limitation by mixotrophy, that is, the ability of photosynthetic carbon fixation via algal symbionts in addition to phagotrophy. In a 48‐day chemostat experiment, we investigated competitive interactions of different heterotrophic and mixotrophic ciliates of the genera Euplotes and Coleps under different resource regimes, providing prey either continuously or in pulses under constant or fluctuating light, entailing periods of resource depletion in fluctuating environments, but overall providing the same amount of prey and light. Although ultimate competition results remained unaffected, population dynamics of mixotrophic and heterotrophic ciliates were significantly altered by resource supply mode. However, the effects differed among species combinations and changed over time. Whether mixotrophs or heterotrophs dominated in competition strongly depended on the genera of the competing species and thus, species‐specific differences in the minimum resource requirements that are associated with feeding on shared prey, nutrient uptake, light harvesting, and access to additional resources such as bacteria. Potential differences in the curvature of the species' resource‐dependent growth functions may have further mediated the species‐specific responses to the different resource supply modes. Overall, our study demonstrates that genus‐ or species‐specific traits other than that related to nutritional mode may override the relevance of acquired phototrophy by heterotrophs in competitive interactions, and that the potential advantage of photosynthetic carbon fixation of symbiont‐bearing mixotrophs in competition with pure heterotrophs may differ greatly among different mixotrophs, playing out under different environmental conditions and depending on the specific requirements of the species. Complex trophic interactions determine the outcome of competition, which can only be understood by taking on a multidimensional trait perspective.

Profiling culinary properties of East African highland cooking bananas to enhance hybrid selection efficiency

In many tropical households, the East African Highland Cooking Bananas (EAHCB) referred to as “Matooke” in Uganda are a staple food. Despite its importance, the crop is faced with numerous challenges such as drought, soil fertility, pests, and diseases that threaten its production and productivity. To curb this, banana breeding was developed as one of the strategies to avert the depletion of these bananas through the development of not only pests and disease resistant cultivars but also drought tolerant and high yielding cultivars. The pressure to satisfy the growing global population is also mounting, hence the need to increase production for food security. Breeding has proven to be an approach by which food production is boosted through the development of high yielding and fast-growing varieties. Unfortunately, not so many cooking banana hybrids that have been developed and released are cultivated by farmers as most are rejected as a result of consumer perception of them. The hybrids sometimes possess culinary properties considered inferior. Consumer demands are pertinent in any product development. This review aimed to determine the key factors that influenced consumer perception and acceptability of improved cooking banana hybrids. The data sources used for this study were Google Scholar, PubMed, AgEcon, Sciencedirect.com, CABI Abstracts, and organizational websites (FAO, RTBFoods, and CGIAR). The keywords and search terms used were “East African Highland cooking bananas”, “consumer acceptability”, “sensory attributes”, “culinary properties,” “hybrid selection”, and “banana breeding”. This article presents a summary of banana production and its challenges, banana breeding and its successes, consumer perception, and acceptability of banana hybrids, and profiles the consumer traits responsible for the acceptance or rejection of new hybrids. Overall, the most important culinary properties for both preference and acceptance of new hybrids were the perceived deep yellow color of the cooked matooke, soft texture, smooth mouthfeel, “matooke” aroma, and non-astringent taste, all summed up as “tookeness”. Attributes for rejection included possession of mixed colors of the cooked matooke, absence of deep yellow color, lack of “matooke” aroma, hard placentas, and hard texture. Knowledge of product attributes that lead to the acceptance of new products is vital for breeders and this information could guide them during the development and selection of hybrids for release. Key words: Consumer acceptability, improved traits, new varieties, perception, quality, sensory attributes

Uncorking the virtual frontier of wine experiences: interest drivers and potential consumers’ profile

PurposeVirtual wine experiences (VWEs) replaced in-person wine experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic and continue to be offered by some actors. This study aims to investigate the factors driving interest in VWEs and identify relevant traits of potential consumers to help assess VWEs long-term potential.Design/methodology/approachA representative sample of 399 Oregon and California wine consumers answered a structured online survey. The authors combine ordered logistic regression and qualitative techniques to analyze the data.FindingsVWEs may effectively attract potential wine consumers and tourists. High interest in VWEs is associated with strong wine involvement and intentions to visit wine regions. Digitization, aversion to travel-related risk and convenience are other relevant drivers of VWE interest. The segmentation analysis revealed that consumers with a potentially higher interest in VWE have distinct traits.Practical implicationsWineries and wine tourism destinations could leverage VWEs to attract wine tourists and consumers. The authors discuss specific characteristics of high-interest consumers.Originality/valueParticipants in VWEs interact with hosts and explore products in real time. This engagement has long-term marketing potential for attracting them as customers or visitors. The study provides strategic information for practitioners and academics on VWE interest drivers and potential demand, which is currently missing from the literature.

Product Customization and Returns: The Moderating Role of National Culture

Product customization enables consumers to tailor products to their individual preferences. One benefit of customization is its lower volume of returns. By customizing, consumers learn about their product preferences and develop a sense of attachment to the products they help “create.” As a result, they are less likely to return the purchased items. The effect of product customization on returns may depend on cultural traits of consumers, such as the extent to which they would avoid uncertainty or the degree to which they would feel “subordinate” to authority. Hence, this article studies how national culture moderates the negative relationship between customization and returns. Our investigation analyzes a unique dataset from a leading global luxury brand manufacturer that offers both standard and customized versions of a product across more than 20 countries. We find that the disparity in return rates between standard (higher rate) and customized products (lower rate) depends on the cultural dimensions originally introduced by Hofstede. This gap widens with masculinity and uncertainty avoidance but narrows with power distance and individualism. Therefore, multinational firms should weigh these aspects of national cultures when designing both customization and return policies.

Secondhand consumption: A systematic literature review and future research agenda

AbstractSecondhand purchasing, once associated primarily with financially marginalized individuals driven by economic necessity, has now emerged as a popular choice even among affluent consumers with sustainability concerns. This significant shift in consumer behavior underscores the urgent need for a comprehensive review that consolidates the fragmented literature on secondhand consumption, integrating its theoretical foundations and intellectual structure. In response to this imperative, our research, utilizing a theory‐context‐characteristics‐methodology framework, fills this critical gap and sets a pioneering precedent as the first systematic literature review on this topic. Through a content analysis of 105 publications from 59 journals spanning over three decades, our findings unveil more than 70 influential factors shaping secondhand purchases and consumptions. Moreover, our research illuminates noteworthy trends in theories, contextual considerations, consumer traits, and methodological approaches, offering a holistic view of the past, present, and future thematic developments in secondhand consumption research. Scholars will find these insights invaluable for positioning their future studies. Furthermore, we outline compelling directions for future research, proposing a deeper exploration of consumer values, social influences, advertising appeals, religiosity, and green consumerism to unlock novel avenues for understanding and strengthening consumer motivations for secondhand products. By shedding light on this vibrant and evolving field, our research not only fills a critical void but also paves the way for meaningful contributions to the expanding realm of secondhand consumption.

The impact of live background visual complexity on consumer purchase intention: an eye-tracking study

PurposeBased on sensory marketing theory and cognitive appraisal theory, this study investigates whether and how the background visual complexity of live-streaming affects consumers' purchase intention and reveals the underlying mechanisms through which background visual complexity influences consumers' purchase decisions.Design/methodology/approachThe experiment was conducted with 180 college students, using eye-tracking technology to explore the impact mechanism of live background visual complexity on consumers' purchase intention, considering three types of background visual complexity (high vs medium vs low) and two levels of need for cognitive closure (high vs low).FindingsFirstly, the background visual complexity of live-streaming positively influences consumers' purchase intention by eliciting positive emotions (pleasure and arousal), and the relationship between consumer emotions and purchase intention is nonlinear. Secondly, need for cognitive closure to significantly moderate the influence of background visual complexity on purchase intention.Research limitations/implicationsThe limited sample size makes it difficult to generalize to other consumer groups. Also, the study only focuses on one visual factor, lacking comprehensive analysis from multiple perspectives.Practical implicationsIt is recommended that live e-commerce companies optimize the visual design of live-streaming backgrounds and identify consumer traits to match the visual complexity with consumers' level of need for cognitive closure, thereby stimulating positive emotions and facilitating more satisfactory shopping decisions.Originality/valueThis paper addresses an interesting and practical issue related to the effects of live background visual complexity on consumers' purchase intention.

Understanding Indian ride-sharing consumers: the role of psychographics and perceived value

PurposeThis study aims to explain the influence of four socio-psychological variables: social comparison orientation, face saving (FS), status consumption (STC) and frugality (FGL) on consumers’ value perception toward ride-sharing services – one of the most widely used collaborative consumption models. Furthermore, it assesses how perceived value affects consumers’ intention to use (IU) the ride-sharing services and intentions to substitute ride-sharing services for using a personally owned car. It also assesses the moderating effect of psychographics on the relationship between consumers’ perception and behavioral intention.Design/methodology/approachA structured questionnaire was developed using existing scales adapted from the literature to test the hypothesized relationships. The data for the study were collected from 489 users of ride-sharing services in India. Structural equation modelling was performed to test the proposed model using AMOS 18 and moderation analysis was performed using PROCESS MACRO.FindingsThe findings of the study suggest that social comparison, FS, STC and FGL have a significant influence on consumers’ value (utilitarian and hedonic) perception. Furthermore, the results supported the effect of consumers’ value perception on their IU the ride-sharing services as well as their intention to substitute ride-sharing services for using a personally owned car. Lastly, the results also evidenced the moderating role of psychographic variables.Originality/valueVery few studies have examined the role of psychographics in the adoption of collaborative consumption services. The paper attempts to fill this gap. It assesses the effect of four relevant consumer traits on perceived value in the ride-sharing services context. Furthermore, it expands the understanding of the role of psychographics by measuring their moderating effects apart from direct effects. The results of the study bear important implications for academicians, policymakers and marketers.

Moderating Effects of Scarcity on Consumer Traits and Motives towards Impulsive Buying Behaviour during Covid-19 Pandemic among Indonesian Millennials

Moderating Effects of Scarcity on Consumer Traits and Motives towards Impulsive Buying Behaviour during Covid-19 Pandemic among Indonesian Millennials

Multi-scale effects of habitat loss and the role of trait evolution.

Habitat loss (HL) is a major cause of species extinctions. Although the effects of HL beyond the directly impacted area have been previously observed, they have not been modelled explicitly, especially in an eco-evolutionary context. To start filling this gap, we study a two-patch deterministic consumer-resource model, with one of the patches experiencing loss of resources as a special case of HL. Our model allows foraging and mating within a patch as well as between patches. We then introduce heritable variation in consumer traits related to resource utilization and patch use to investigate eco-evolutionary dynamics and compare results with constant and no trait variation scenarios. Our results show that HL in one patch can indeed reduce consumer densities in the neighbouring patch but can also increase consumer densities in the neighbouring patch when the resources are overexploited. Yet at the landscape scale, the effect of HL on consumer densities is consistently negative. Patch isolation increases consumer density in the patch experiencing HL but has generally negative effects on the neighbouring patch, with context-dependent results at the landscape scale. With high cross-patch dependence and coupled foraging and mating preferences, local HL can sometimes even lead to landscape-level consumer extinction. Eco-evolutionary dynamics can rescue consumers from such extinction in some cases if their death rates are sufficiently small. More generally, trait evolution had positive or negative effects on equilibrium consumer densities after HL, depending on the evolving trait and the spatial scale considered. In summary, our findings show that HL at a local scale can affect the neighbouring patch and the landscape as a whole, where heritable trait variation can, in some cases, alleviate the impact of HL. We thus suggest joint consideration of multiple spatial scales and trait variation when assessing and predicting the impacts of HL.

Understanding the consumer's luxury webrooming intention: Moderating role of perceived risk and review

AbstractThis research aims to examine luxury shoppers' webrooming intention, mediating (utilitarian value and hedonic value), and moderating (online perceived risk and reviews) effects. We used the stimulus‐organism‐response theory to provide a solid and holistic understanding of the concept. We collected 431 original survey data from Indian luxury shoppers who recently purchased luxury products and used structural equation modeling for data analysis. Results show that consumer traits (need for interaction and need for touch) had a positive impact on the perceived values (hedonic and utilitarian value) and webrooming intention. Channel‐related factors such as perceived ease of use had a direct impact on the hedonic value, while perceived usefulness had a direct impact on utilitarian value. Perceived values (hedonic and utilitarian values) positively mediated the channel and consumer traits factors and webrooming intent. Online perceived risk and reviews significantly moderated the relationship between perceived value and webrooming intent. This study adds to the knowledge of luxury marketing by analyzing webrooming and channel flipping.

Future-proofing environmental DNA and trait-based predictions of food webs

Abstract Food webs represent trophic interactions within ecosystems. Matching traits of consumers and resources helps infer trophic interactions and food-web properties. Environmental (e)DNA, commonly used for detecting species occurrences, is rarely used in trait-matching studies because abundance estimates and descriptions of relevant traits are generally missing. We synthesized recent literature on inferences of trophic interactions with eDNA and trait matching to identify challenges and opportunities for coupled eDNA–trait recording schemes. Our case study shows how coupling eDNA and trait data collection improves the ability to characterize greater numbers of food webs across multiple scales ranging from spatiotemporal to trait variation. Future-proofing eDNA data sets requires the collection of new traits or the compilation of existing trait data at spatiotemporal scales that are relevant to detect current and future changes in food webs and ecosystems.

Sweetpotato cultivation: characteristics, constraints and preferred traits of producers and consumers in Côte d'Ivoire.

In an environment where the adoption of improved varieties resulting from plant breeding programs is limited, it is essential to identify end-user preferences beforehand. A participatory survey was conducted in eight localities in Korhogo and Bouaké regions (central and northern Cote d'Ivoire respectively) to identify producers' preferences and increase the adoption of improved varieties. The study involved 160 producers and consumers through focus group discussions and individual interviews. Sweetpotato is mostly grown on small plots (<1 ha) of land (89.2%), with women (66%) as the main producers. In the Bouaké region, sweetpotatoes are grown on mounds (100%), whereas in Korhogo they are grown on ridges (86.2%). The main food products or forms of preparation from roots are fries (34.7%), boiled (34.3%), mashed (12.4%), and sweetpotato stew (9.1%). Major constraints, including low price of roots (26.3%), low productivity (16.2%), and post-harvest storage issues (14.5%), were identified as affecting sweetpotato production. The selection of new varieties should be oriented towards high-yielding varieties with high dry matter content, deployed stems, and roots of round, oblong, or elliptical shape with good culinary characteristics (dry matter, sweet taste, dry texture, absence of fiber). Plants must be drought resistant, be tolerant to poor soil, diseases, and pests, and have a good yield. The color of skin and flesh of the sweetpotato, although constituting criteria of choice, are not essential for the acceptance or the rejection of a variety by users. © 2023 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.