Consumers Process Research Articles

Protection Motivation Theory: A Proposed Theoretical Extension and Moving beyond Rationality—The Case of Flooding

Despite the significant financial and non-financial costs of household flooding, and the availability of products that can reduce the risk or impact of flooding, relatively few consumers choose to adopt these products. To help explain this, we combine the existing theoretical literature with evidence from 20 one-to-one discussions and three workshops with key stakeholders, as well as five round tables, to draw practical evidence of actual responses to flood risk. This analysis leads us to propose an extension to Protection Motivation Theory (PMT), which more accurately captures the decision-making process of consumers by highlighting the role of ‘ownership appraisal’. We then assess the extent to which behavioral biases impact on this revised framework. By highlighting the interaction with an augmented model of PMT and behavioral biases, the paper sheds light on potential reasons behind the fact that consumers are unlikely to adopt property-level flood resilience measures and identifies strategies to increase flood protection. The Augmented PMT suggests that policymakers might focus on increasing the Ownership Appraisal element, both directly and by targeting the creation of more supportive social norms. The work presented here opens up a wide range of areas for future research in the field.

Decision Aids in Online Review Portals: An Empirical Study Investigating Their Effectiveness in the Sensemaking Process of Online Information Consumers

There is an increasing concern about the trustworthiness of online reviews as there is no editorial process for verification of their authenticity. This study investigated the decision-making process of online consumers when reacting to a review, with the reputation score of the reviewer and the number of previous reviews incorporated along with anonymous and non-anonymous reviews. It recruited 200 participants and developed a 3 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 mixed experimental study, with the independent variables being the reaction to a review of a restaurant at 3 levels, the reputation score at 2 levels, the number of previous reviews at 2 levels, the valence of the reviews at 2 levels, and the level of anonymity at 2 levels. Five dependent variables were analyzed: level of trust, likelihood of going to the restaurant, a choice question of whether to go to the restaurant, confidence in the decision and the NASA-TLX workload. This study found that the reputation scores complemented the reaction to a review, improving the trust in the information and confidence in the decision made. The findings suggest that incorporating a user rating scale such as the reputation score of a user deters people from writing false or biased reviews and helps improve their accuracy. Although no significant effect of level of anonymity was found in this study, additional personal information about the users writing the review such as photos or other social media links may make a significant difference in the decision-making process.

THE CONSUMER DECISION OF CHANGES PURCHASING GLASSES IN OPTICAL NAOMY YEAR 2019

The purchase decision process is the process through which consumers when buying a product. It can be seen as a special form of cost-benefit analysis. This study is about knowing the decision of consumers in the purchase of glasses in the form of design, price, services, promotions and materials. The type of research is descriptive research conducted with the main objective to create a picture or a description of a situation objectively with the approach used in the study is Cross-sectional namely researchers put through observation or measurement variables at one time. Research in Optics Naomy shows that in the period July - September 2019 there were 32 respondents consisting of 19 (59.4%) of female respondents and 13 (40.6%) male respondents - men. Most aged 15-25 years as many as 26 people (81.3%), not married as many as 26 people (81.3%), student / student as many as 23 people (71.9%) and earn less than Rp 1 million, 00 as many as 26 people (81.3%). The majority of respondents in the optical Naomy declare eyeweare design is Good (62,5%), the price of the glasses in the optical Naomy is Less Suitable (65,6%), services in the optical Naomy is Good (65,6%), promotion in the optical Naomy is Good (62,5%), materials in optical glasses Naomy Good (56,2%). The decision making process of consumers in the purchase of glasses in the optical Weleri in this study prefer the design (22%) and services (21.8%), materials (21.2%), price (19.8%) and promotions (15.2 %).

Modelling the Effects of Creative Advertisements on Consumers: An Empirical Study

Promoting analysts and experts concur that creativity is one of the fundamental components for success in advertising. In this paper, we examine consumer perceptions and build a comprehensive model of ad (advertising) creativity. We have also enlisted the determinants of creativity and have developed a scale to measure it. Research results demonstrate that divergence and relevance factors significantly influence ad creativity and divergence is the leading factor for creativity. Further, we studied the creativity practices in the sample ds and listed the best combination of creativity dimensions which can influence purchase intentions. Another objective of this research was to examine the effects of ad creativity on consumer processing variables and consumer response variables for the Television ads. Findings indicate that creative ads significantly influence consumer processing and response variables. This study provides rating scales to advertising managers to judge the creativity of ad campaigns or of a proposed ad and furthers our understanding of relationships among the key variables. It reinforces conceptual models that give ad creativity a pivotal role in the advertising world.

Significance of and Challenges in Regulating Endocrine Disruptors – How Regulators and Industry Can Conquer?

Endocrine disruptors (EDs) disrupt the standard operation of the endocrine systems, resulting in untoward effects. EDs have gained extensive consideration due to their severe adverse impacts on public and wildlife health. A variety of compounds from both natural and synthetic origin may cause endocrine disruptions. These may be found in industrial chemicals, persistent organic pollutants, and products of regular use including pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, implants, medical/surgical and dental devices, cosmetics, food products, other consumer goods, their packaging and processing materials. Apart from direct consumption or use, these chemicals may impact by entering our food chain or ecosystem. These chemicals act by mimicking the hormones or blocking their receptors or interfering in their normal production, absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion. The implementation of a regulatory framework on the complex multidisciplinary field of EDs brings enormous challenges, which pose barriers to the regulatory process. This study aims to focus on the key public and ecological health concerns presented by EDs, challenges faced by regulators to achieve successful regulatory proposition and the importance of collaboration endeavours to potentially conquer such challenges. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) or EDs can impact at low exposure levels, bringing about a broad range of health issues including disorders related to reproductive, fetal development, neurological, immunological, metabolic and cancer, etc. They may cause health effects across generations. The regulatory frameworks available across major regulators are tackling the identification of EDs and their mechanisms to provide necessary guidance on the safety and disposal of such substances. However, the challenges faced outweigh the regulatory mechanisms in place. The major challenges are related to structural ranges at times leading to no representative structures, active metabolites, substantiate quantum, delayed effects, epigenetic changes, widespread existence, concentration correlation for different biological species, availability of appropriate methods, exposure to a mixture of chemicals, complex endocrinology principles, unknown sources, routes and mechanisms, impacts at early stages of life, geographical movement of EDs, hazard-based vs. risk-based approaches. Regulators of healthcare and environmentalists needs to collaborate amongst them and with wider stakeholders including industry sponsors to find ways of dealing with such challenges and capitalize on the research-based knowledge grid available across institutions. Existence of EDs, their impact on living beings and mechanism of influence are like a tangled web, which induces difficulties in regulating them with conventional mindset. Conquering these challenges necessitates that regulators should join forces amongst themselves, with other institutions operating for environment, with industry sponsors and researchers to achieve success in public health safety.

Comparison of Individual and Integrated Inline Raman, Near-Infrared, and Mid-Infrared Spectroscopic Models to Predict the Viscosity of Micellar Liquids.

In many industries, viscosity is an important quality parameter which significantly affects consumer satisfaction and process efficiency. In the personal care industry, this applies to products such as shampoo and shower gels whose complex structures are built up of micellar liquids. Measuring viscosity offline is well established using benchtop rheometers and viscometers. The difficulty lies in measuring this property directly in the process via on or inline technologies. Therefore, the aim of this work is to investigate whether proxy measurements using inline vibrational spectroscopy, e.g., near-infrared (NIR), mid-infrared (MIR), and Raman, can be used to predict the viscosity of micellar liquids. As optical techniques, they are nondestructive and easily implementable process analytical tools where each type of spectroscopy detects different molecular functionalities. Inline fiber optic coupled probes were employed; a transmission probe for NIR measurements, an attenuated total reflectance probe for MIR and a backscattering probe for Raman. Models were developed using forward interval partial least squares variable selection and log viscosity was used. For each technique, combinations of pre-processing techniques were trialed including detrending, Whittaker filters, standard normal variate, and multiple scatter correction. The results indicate that all three techniques could be applied individually to predict the viscosity of micellar liquids all showing comparable errors of prediction: NIR: 1.75 Pa s; MIR: 1.73 Pa s; and Raman: 1.57 Pa s. The Raman model showed the highest relative prediction deviation (RPD) value of 5.07, with the NIR and MIR models showing slightly lower values of 4.57 and 4.61, respectively. Data fusion was also explored to determine whether employing information from more than one data set improved the model quality. Trials involved weighting data sets based on their signal-to-noise ratio and weighting based on transmission curves (infrared data sets only). The signal-to-noise weighted NIR–MIR–Raman model showed the best performance compared with both combined and individual models with a root mean square error of cross-validation of 0.75 Pa s and an RPD of 10.62. This comparative study provides a good initial assessment of the three prospective process analytical technologies for the measurement of micellar liquid viscosity but also provides a good basis for general measurements of inline viscosity using commercially available process analytical technology. With these techniques typically being employed for compositional analysis, this work presents their capability in the measurement of viscosity—an important physical parameter, extending the applicability of these spectroscopic techniques.

Refurbished or Remanufactured?-An Experimental Study on Consumer Choice Behavior.

Remanufacturing is one of the important means to achieve circular economy and improve the reuse of resources. But, compared with the reuse of old parts, most ordinary Chinese consumers are not familiar with remanufacturing. Because of this, the development of China’s remanufacturing industry is hindered. This paper introduces two kinds of consumer goods with different attributes, namely MP4 (the hedonic product) and cartridge (the functional product). The empirical study on the consumption behavior of Chinese consumers when they are faced with a variety of recycling options was performed. Empirical studies are divided into two stages: participants need to give hypothetical purchase decisions when facing situations of two products (new products and remanufactured products) and three products including refurbishment products, respectively. This paper analyzes the purchase intention and decision-making process of Chinese consumers for remanufactured products, new products, and refurbished products in these two situations. The consumers’ willingness to pay for remanufactured products and refurbished products is also part of the study. The experimental results verify that consumers have a different selection mechanism for new products, remanufactured products, and refurbished products, and there is also a certain relationship between this selection mechanism and the attributes of the product itself. The research shows that due to the different product attributes, consumers pay different attention to the environmental protection, quality, brand, price, and new and old preferences of products. The result of the model shows that the choice behavior of different products and their willingness to pay are also affected by different levels of these attentions. Through the research results, this paper finds conclusions like refurbished products have an impact on the development of remanufactured products, and consumers pay more attention to price but do not pay attention to environmental protection. The conclusion of the study provides references and practical implications for Chinese remanufacturing enterprises to formulate market strategy, for the government to formulate relevant policies, and for OEM production.

Processing Contradictory CSR Information: The Influence of Primacy and Recency Effects on the Consumer-Firm Relationship

Drawing on the influence of primacy and recency effects in processing information about corporate social responsibility (CSR), the authors examine how internal (customer experience) and external (CSR reputation) factors impact the consumer-firm relationship in the presence of contradictory CSR information. Evaluating these factors provides a more comprehensive understanding of how consumers react to unethical and socially irresponsible actions. Contrary to recent research that suggests a reactive CSR communication strategy to be best due to recency effects, the present findings show that past customer experiences with the firm facilitate a ‘primacy effect’. Thus, when corporate social irresponsibility (CSI) occurs, a customer’s prior experiences mitigate negative consequences. Conversely, a firm’s positive CSR reputation may provide goodwill, although it does not guarantee that consumers will process CSR information differently. Therefore, firms cannot build a strong CSR reputation and expect to be immune from the consequences of CSI. Given these new findings of how consumers process contradictory CSR information, firms should implement a strategic and deliberate communication plan that delivers different messages to different stakeholders. Specifically, these findings suggest that firms benefit most from a proactive communication strategy with their current customers and a reactive communication strategy with the general public.

A dual‐process model of how incorporating audio‐visual sensory cues in video advertising promotes active attention

AbstractCapturing consumers’ attention to video advertising is a key marketing challenge. Using real video advertising viewed by a sample of consumers matching the US population on age and gender, the authors examined attention to audio‐visual and visual sensory cues identifying the brand using a biometric measure, phasic heart rate. The findings show differences in attention type depending on which senses are stimulated by the sensory cue. This research uncovers a mechanism (internal processing) for how consumers process multisensory cues (audio‐visual) in video advertising and confirms visual sensory cues can elicit automatic attention through the orienting response. In addition to the dual‐coding explanation for the superiority of audio‐visual sensory cues, the present research suggests a second reason: that audio‐visual sensory cues can elicit additional internal processing of the brand name, resulting in active attention and better storage of the brand in memory. This has implications for the limited capacity model of motivated mediated message processing, as well as for marketers relating to the type of content recommended to follow an audio‐visual or visual sensory cue in video advertising.

Designing for the genders: The role of visual harmony

While marketers often design their offers to visually appeal to either female or male audiences, the traditional view on gender is changing. This research explores (1) the influence of gender on the perception and attractiveness evaluation of marketing visuals varying in harmony including (2) the underlying mechanisms through which gender differences occur, and (3) the differential roles of biological sex and gender identity. Drawing from the selectivity hypothesis and self-congruity theory, we argue that consumers process visual harmony along three distinct stages: (a) an early stage where their biological sex plays a role, (b) an intermediate stage where the consumer appraises cognitive effort, and (c) a late stage where consumers evaluate the congruity between the design and their self, including their gender identity. Four studies test these propositions using mixed methods, a variety of marketing visuals, and different concepts of gender. We find that biological sex plays a moderating role in the early phase of visual harmony perception due to men's and women's differential processing abilities, whereas gender identity plays a significant role later in the more reflective phase of visual harmony evaluation. Managerial implications for gendered marketing and avenues for future research are delineated.

Decision-making process of tomatoes purchase by generation Z: case study in the Slovak Republic

The paper aims to investigate and assess the decision-making process of young Slovak consumers – generation Z – in the purchase of tomatoes. The respondents participatet in a questionnaire survey and blind testing of four tomato samples (two samples were Slovak and another two were foreign tomatoes). For a deeper analysis of the collected data, five scientific hypotheses were formulated. The accuracy of provided hypotheses was verified using the following mathematical-statistical methods: Chi-Square test of independence, Mann-Whitney U-test, and as Chi test for equality of proportions between two samples. The research results show that generation Z buys tomatoes once a week or several times a month. Moreover, it was found out that most young consumers are mostly influenced by freshness, taste, quality of tomatoes, and general appearance, the least by packaging, brand/specific tomato grower, information on the packaging and references. According to all observed attributes within the blind testing of tomato by the respondents, the best-evaluated sample was the Slovak sample of tomatoes – the sample B. Subsequently, all respondents were provided with information about the tested tomatoes, and it can be stated that they would also actually buy Slovak sample B in the store. Finally, one can state that the higher price of this sample has no significant impact on the respondents of generation Z.

The consumer-based brand equity deconstruction and restoration process: Lessons from unliked brands

This research is motivated by the growing negative consumer sentiment, perceptions and behaviors toward brands, and the increasing need for firms to develop actionable strategies to address this phenomenon. By recognizing the paucity of research on consumer-based brand equity (CBBE) for unliked brands, the aim of this research is to illuminate the CBBE deconstruction and restoration process for consumers’ unfavorable brands. Analyzing relevant consumer survey data by means of fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) identifies self-brand connection and partner quality as the key links for the deconstruction and restoration of CBBE respectively. The paper concludes with a discussion of the theoretical and managerial implications of the findings and directions for future research.

Editorial and News

Editorial and News

How Consumers Process Complex Information Related to Food Biotechnology: The Case of Citrus Greening

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study was to understand how consumers process information about different applications of biotechnology in food. The context of this study was the case of citrus greening, a bacterial disease infecting citrus groves around the world. The most promising solution to this disease involves the use of biotechnology, but it will be important to understand how consumers form attitudes toward food treated in this way to successfully bring the product to market. Social judgment theory and Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) were used to guide the study, and eight focus groups (n = 73) were conducted to collect qualitative data from a sample of citrus consumers from four different regions in the USA. Evidence of ego involvement, peripheral cues, personal experiences, and knowledge seemed to be most indicative of assimilation, contrast, and non-commitment of information. Findings from this research can guide strategic marketing for novel food biotechnologies.

Consumer and Strategic Firm Response to Nutrition Shelf Labels

The display of nutrition facts is mandatory on virtually all packaged foods sold in the United States. Yet manufacturers and retailers add their own claims to differentiate their products and capture consumers' attention at point of sale. We implement experimental nutrition claims on shelf labels in a retail setting and test how consumers react to the display of these labels that express information reported on the Nutrition Facts Panel in a different format. We hypothesize that our labels either shift demand for the highlighted healthier products uniformly or trigger more complex demand rotations. Our estimated heterogeneous labeling effects suggest that consumers process nutrition information differently depending on which and how many claims are displayed and prefer products labeled with a single claim overall. When we simultaneously consider demand and supply responses under three price setting behaviors (competitive pricing, Bertrand‐Nash pricing, and monopoly pricing), we find that consumer surplus and overall welfare is highest when our labels display multiple nutrient claims and retailers are able to adjust prices across the entire product category. Firms' profits are highest when single nutrient claims are displayed, however. We conclude that firms with market power have little incentive to voluntarily display nutrition claims that maximize welfare.

Effect of an e-retailer’s product category and social media platform selection on perceived quality of e-retail products

The growth of e-retail has expanded to a wide range of product categories. E-retailers compete in a multichannel environment using several social media platforms (SMPs) where their product category and use of SMPs affect potential consumers’ perception of product quality. Although studies have noted the potential of SMPs and differences between SMPs to support consumers in their information collection about products, the effect of different SMPs on consumers’ perception of product quality remains unexplored. Based on a literature review, this research suggests a theoretical framework of the knowledge acquisition process for new consumers evaluating the quality of diverse retail products. Using network and information theory, this study proposes hypotheses to assess the effect of diverse e-retailer’s product categories and different SMPs on consumer’s perception of e-retail product quality for consumers unfamiliar with e-retail brands. After testing these hypotheses using primary data, results partially validate the theoretical framework. Research findings help practitioners to organise their e-retail products display across diverse SMPs and provide insights for scholars of e-retailing and digital media striving to acquire consumers online.

Brian2GeNN: accelerating spiking neural network simulations with graphics hardware

“Brian” is a popular Python-based simulator for spiking neural networks, commonly used in computational neuroscience. GeNN is a C++-based meta-compiler for accelerating spiking neural network simulations using consumer or high performance grade graphics processing units (GPUs). Here we introduce a new software package, Brian2GeNN, that connects the two systems so that users can make use of GeNN GPU acceleration when developing their models in Brian, without requiring any technical knowledge about GPUs, C++ or GeNN. The new Brian2GeNN software uses a pipeline of code generation to translate Brian scripts into C++ code that can be used as input to GeNN, and subsequently can be run on suitable NVIDIA GPU accelerators. From the user’s perspective, the entire pipeline is invoked by adding two simple lines to their Brian scripts. We have shown that using Brian2GeNN, two non-trivial models from the literature can run tens to hundreds of times faster than on CPU.

Shared social responsibility. Dual role of consumers as stakeholders in firm strategy

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to model the role that stakeholders, and especially social responsible consumers play in the process of finding a win–win solution to control production related negative externalities. In this regard, when information asymmetries are present and consumers become knowledgeable about them, consumers with d-preferences for corporate social responsibility (CSR) type of products becomes the driver of the firm strategy. Design/methodology/approach To accomplish the goals of this paper, the authors proceed to develop a series of theoretical models wherein the social gains and costs of alternative modes of intervention are illustrated. The authors begin with a standard Pigouvian tax model and construct a stakeholder equivalent tax model and finalize the analysis with consumers acting in a shared social responsible behavior with firms as the optimal solution model. Findings The authors show that proactive disclosure of information asymmetries regarding negative externalities develops a shared social responsibility between consumers and firms. Market-based solutions to the externality problem are achieved under this setting. This solution is preferred to a Pigouvian tax and to a stakeholder equivalent tax. It is concluded that shared social responsibility is the result of the interaction of consumers with d-preferences and the reaction of a socially responsible “firm” willing, and the authors are able to incorporate these preferences as drivers for its strategy. Research limitations/implications The main limitation of this paper is in its theoretical nature and specific applications to one case, that of negative externalities in production processes. The implication of this is that the model herein developed needs to be put to the empirical test. Social implications The overall social implications indicate that active reduction of information asymmetries is welfare improving and preferred to government intervention. Originality/value This paper is original as it makes use of economic principles to develop a parsimonious model to demonstrate that proactive actions of a firm in response to consumers and stakeholders demands leads to an overall social welfare improvement when negative externalities deriving from production are incorporated into the decision making process of both consumers and firms. These decisions prove superior to government regulations.

Advertising on Mobile Apps Versus the Mobile Web

ABSTRACT Do consumers process mobile advertising on mobile websites and branded apps in the same way? To answer this question, this article examines both the antecedents and consequences of mobile websites and branded apps. The authors administered a survey to 573 participants in South Korea and examined consumers9 advertising recognition and willingness to buy new products. They used real brands and controlled the brand effect in their structural equation model. Branded apps led to higher advertisement recognition and a greater willingness to buy new products than did mobile websites. As antecedents, cognitive innovativeness affected consumers9 usage of branded apps, whereas sensory innovativeness influenced the usage of both mobile apps and websites. The authors believe this is the first empirical article on consumers9 advertising recognition between mobile websites and branded apps, providing both theoretical and practical implications to managers in the field of mobile marketing.

AN ANALYSIS OF THE INFLUENCE OF THE CONSPICUOUS CONSUMPTION OF FAST FASHION ON IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION ON INSTAGRAM

ABSTRACT Purpose: The objective of this investigation is to analyze the influence of the conspicuous consumption of fast fashion products on Instagram on the identity construction process of female fashion consumers. Originality/value: Filling a gap in the literature relating to conspicuous consumption and identity construction, this investigation analyzes the consumption dynamics, investigating relevant phenomena on a current and relevant online social network: Instagram; and explaining, in an analysis by categories, the continued dissatisfaction of consumers with the goods that drive and determine the dynamics of fast fashion consumption. Design/methodology/approach: The methodology was qualitative, triangulating data from participant observation, interviews, and online focus groups. Eleven women were interviewed, and three focus group sessions were conducted, with a total of sixteen participants. The data were analyzed through content analysis with categories before and subcategories that emerged afterwards. Findings: The findings show the conspicuous consumption of fast fashion products on Instagram as creators of sense, self-concept, and self-image, following and demonstrating the lifestyle of consumers. The satisfaction resulting from people’s approval, the goods used for compliance in social groups, and the continued dissatisfaction with their possession are observed, which drives fast fashion consumption. The constructed identities are presented as contextual, fluid, and fragmented.