Product Category Involvement Research Articles

An analysis of the brand content characteristics across high and low involvement product categories and their influence on information diffusion on Twitter

An analysis of the brand content characteristics across high and low involvement product categories and their influence on information diffusion on Twitter

Building consumer–brand relationships in the channel-mix era. The role of self–brand connection and product involvement

PurposeIn the channel-mix era, the customer journey involves combining channels during all the stages of the decision-making process, such that creating and maintaining relationships with consumers poses a challenge to retailers. This work aims to explore what role brands play in this issue by analyzing what impact the perceived benefits of brand channel-mix have on consumer self–brand connection (SBC) and what their effect is in enduring consumer–brand relationships (i.e. future channel-mix use and word of mouth [WOM]). This paper also explores the moderating role of product involvement in these relations.Design/methodology/approachThe authors carried out a personal questionnaire with a sample of 288 consumers who were recruited after leaving one of the stores of a clothing brand that is a successful example of distribution channel management.FindingsInsofar as consumers perceive channel-mix benefits, SBC will be higher and (or as a result) their future intentions with the brand will be more intense. In addition, the results show that product involvement moderates the relationship between SBC and channel-mix use intention and WOM.Originality/valueThis work contributes to channel-mix, relationship marketing, brand and product involvement literature by analyzing how customers may be retained in the channel-mix era through brand management and by considering product category involvement. This study merges brand and product variables to explore their impact on relationship marketing within channel-mix behaviors.

Why is sharing not enough for brands in video ads? A study about commercial video ads' value drivers

Purpose The main goal of viral marketing is to affect brands positively. But most studies concern the causes of an ad going viral, not its impact on brands. In this sense, this study aims to demonstrate and compare video ads' value drivers on brands and sharing, determining which antecedents maximize results on each, enabling the best ad performance for advertisers. Design/methodology/approach A survey was conducted with 368 respondents who watched viral video ads from five global companies on YouTube. The proposed model was tested using structural equation modeling in SmartPLS4. Findings The results of this study demonstrated that product category involvement is essential for viral advertising. Furthermore, the entertainment value is the most relevant antecedent of sharing, but it does not affect brand equity; it is the social value responsible for brand equity. Practical implications Marketing managers should create ads that simultaneously generate entertainment and social values, maximizing sharing and branding effects. However, if only one of the two effects (brand/share) is achieved, then the advertiser will fail to obtain maximum performance. Originality/value The mainstream of viral marketing research is focused on antecedents of sharing. However, sharing is not enough to provide brand effects and return on investment of advertisement. This study reveals that different consumers’ values drive sharing and brand equity, suggesting that firms should consider a dual value generation strategy regarding the performance of viral video ads. On the other hand, this research conciliates the extant literature about the phenomena with the importance of product category involvement.

Global vs. Local: A Quantitative Study of Factors Influencing Italian Consumers’ Preference in the Purchase of Food Products

Purpose: The study intends to expand the current literature on Italian consumers’ brand preferences between local vs. global alternatives in the specific Italian food sector. Design/methodology/approach: This study draws on concepts largely investigated like cultural identity theory, consumer ethnocentrism, and product category involvement to examine the mechanisms that drive Italian consumers to prefer alternative local or global brands in the food sector. A non-hierarchical cluster analysis represents the core part of the quantitative research that involved 412 participants. Findings: By confirming the validity of existing studies, the present paper contributes to the food consumption literature by testing a conceptual model that integrates previous research concepts, thus deepening the analysis of the factors affecting Italian consumers’ food brand preferences. The cluster analysis allowed for dividing Italian consumers into two distinguished groups with characteristics coherent inside the same group. Research limitations/implications: This study emphasizes the key relevance of the investigated variables in the implementation of positioning and communication strategies aimed at meeting the needs of specific markets in which firms operate, and it highlights the importance of analyzing those variables together. The sample composed of Italian consumers did not allow the generalizability of the results. Furthermore, this study focuses on the narrow category of chocolate bar products. Therefore, this does not permit the results to be generalized to other food products. Originality/value: The novel research is based on signaling theory that contributes to the local and global branding domains from the Italian perspective. This work is also the first to analyze the food sector and the importance that Italians attribute to their food products and traditions through a cluster analysis approach.

How Market Orientation Impacts Customer’s Brand Loyalty and Buying Decisions

As retail management has become increasingly demanding, it is imperative that retailers use market orientation to promote and increase loyalty to their private labels. This can be important in efforts to differentiate themselves from their competition. The focus of this study is to understand how these factors impact the loyalty of customer purchase decisions, through the link between the potential for brand risk and brand commitment, in order to facilitate customer orientation and brand loyalty. An online survey was conducted with a sample of 2900 consumers in Portugal and Spain. This study analyzed two distinct and high involvement product categories: Denomination of Origin (DOC) wine and anti-wrinkle cream. Structural equation modeling methodology was used to analyze the relationship between different constructs. It was found that there is no direct correlation between customer orientation and brand loyalty. However, this connection is critical when the two mediating variables of brand risk and brand commitment are accounted for. Another important finding relates to the values and differences identified between the two product categories. The results obtained show the importance of risk and commitment for high involvement products. In practice, this justifies brands explicitly managing these factors, because they can translate into loyalty behaviors. The results also contribute to demystifying the market for more complex products, particularly when the choice and risk process is more complex.

Let’s get personal: Which elements elicit perceived personalization in social media advertising?

On social networking sites, consumers disclose information about themselves which advertisers use to personalize advertisements. The underlying assumption is that personalized advertisements are more persuasive. However, it is not clear to what extent actual personalization elements (as intended by advertisers) determine consumers’ perceptions of the extent to which an ad is personalized, and it is the latter that drives responses. The current study investigates the relative weight of different actual personalization elements (age, gender, location, life events, interests, and friend referrals) in Facebook ads in eliciting perceived advertising personalization. We conduct conjoint analyses for six products (a bank, a smartphone, tableware, furniture, a restaurant, a fashion retailer) with 595 consumers from the United States. The findings show that the most important elements in eliciting perceived personalization are (in order of importance) a person’s interests, location, and age. This result remains stable across different product perceptions (product category involvement, product qualities, and buying motivations) and across different socio-demographic characteristics (gender, age, and education). In sum, to evoke the perception of personalization, advertisers should primarily target consumers based on their interests.

The role of brand coolness in the masstige co-branding of luxury and mass brands

Masstige marketing could be attractive to luxury brands to reach a wider market, though success is difficult. This study proposes co-branding as an alternative strategy for luxury brands to achieve masstige. Luxury brands can ally with mass brands to leverage their strength in mass marketing. Because luxury and mass are conceptually opposing ideas, co-branding between the two can be difficult. However, this study identifies brand coolness as a key attribute to create perceived fit between luxury and mass brands. The results show that brand coolness of mass brand affects perceived fit, which impacts attitude toward the co-branded product and its purchase intention. Additionally, self-brand connection with the luxury brand moderates this effect, and product category involvement negatively impacts perceived fit. The results have implications for brand managers who wish to select partners for masstige co-branding. The article concludes by proposing methods to create congruence among opposing brand concepts.

Do tech products have a beauty premium? The effect of visual aesthetics of wearables on willingness-to-pay premium and the role of product category involvement

Does design, not technology, affect consumers' valuation of wearable devices? This study empirically examines the impact of the visual product aesthetics of wearables on consumers’ willingness-to-pay (WTP) premium, along with the relevant intervening consumer psychology of perceived benefits. The results of an online survey revealed a significant and positive association between the visual product aesthetics of wearables and WTP, perceived product quality (PQ), and perceived enjoyment (PE) of wearables. In addition, PE mediated the relation between visual aesthetics and WTP, while PQ did not. Meanwhile, consumer involvement moderated the relation between visual aesthetics and WTP. Implications and limitations were discussed.

Impact of ethical certifications and product involvement on consumers decision to purchase ethical products at price premiums in an emerging market context

In emerging markets, instances of increasing consumers focus on ethical aspects of the product are observed. To this end, we aim to examine the influence of two ethical certifications and two product involvement types on consumers willingness to purchase ethical products at price premiums in the Indian market. No animal cruelty certification and no child labor certification are chosen as the ethical certifications, and a shirt and a bar of soap are chosen as high and low involvement product categories. Data is collected from 206 respondents for the experiment, in which consumers willingness to purchase a product is evaluated for different product scenarios. The results of the study indicate that individuals show highest willingness to purchase products (a shirt or a soap) when both certifications (no animal cruelty, no child labor) are present. However, in comparing individual certifications, individuals prefer no animal cruelty certification for a shirt and no child labor certification for a bar of soap. The study provides insights to practitioners regarding consumers present perception of ethical aspects in the product and directions to increase sales of ethical products in the Indian market.

Behaviorally targeted location-based mobile marketing

Marketers increasingly use behavioral targeting in location-based mobile marketing (LBMM). However, highly personalized marketing messages like this may backfire by eliciting consumer reactance. We suggest that LBMM efficacy depends on its potential to minimize consumer reactance, which can be achieved by effectively combining location targeting (in-store vs. out-store), behavioral targeting (based on consumers’ product category involvement [PCI]), and the type of promotion offered (price vs. non-price promotion). Results of a field study, a virtual reality experiment, and two online experiments show that although in-store mobile ads are generally more effective in increasing sales than out-store mobile ads, this is only the case if consumers have low PCI with the advertised product category, because this decreases their reactance. To attract consumers to stores by out-store LBMM, we show that firms should offer price promotions to consumers with low PCI and non-price promotions to consumers with high PCI, because these combinations of location targeting, behavioral targeting, and type of promotion elicit the least reactance and therefore result in a higher probability to buy.

The Impact of Digital Social Responsibility on Preference and Purchase Intentions: The Implication for Open Innovation

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed people’s life and the ways businesses implement their social responsibility initiatives. During the COVID-19 pandemic, online and digital platforms have been increasingly realized as important mechanisms for businesses undertaking and implementing socially responsible activities—digital social responsibility (DSR). The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of DSR on brand preference and consumers’ purchase intention comparing between high and low involvement product categories. The quantitative empirical research was conducted by using an online questionnaire instrument, and a Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) technique was used to test the proposed model. Based on 194 samples of Thai respondents collected in November to December 2020, the findings demonstrate that DSR initiatives are significantly and positively associated with brand preference and with consumers’ purchase intention. The moderating result reveals that product involvement plays a significant role in strengthening the association between DSR initiatives and brand preference. The effect of DSR on brand preference is stronger for low product involvement respondents than for high product involvement respondents. The research highlights the significance of DSR and extends the current knowledge about DSR and its potential impact on customers’ perception.

An analysis of the brand content characteristics across high and low involvement product categories and their influence on information diffusion on Twitter

An analysis of the brand content characteristics across high and low involvement product categories and their influence on information diffusion on Twitter

Which cues influence the perceived usefulness and credibility of an online review? A conjoint analysis

PurposeThis study aims to assess the relative importance of the argument strength, argument sidedness, writing quality, number of arguments, rated review usefulness, summary review rating and number of reviews in determining the perceived usefulness and credibility of an online review. Additionally, the authors use insights from the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) to explore the effect of consumers' product category involvement on the cues' relative importance.Design/methodology/approachA conjoint analysis (N = 287) is used to study the relative importance of the seven previously mentioned attributes. A balanced orthogonal design generated eight cards that correspond to individual reviews. Respondents scored all eight cards in a random order for perceived usefulness and credibility.FindingsOverall, argument strength is the most important cue, while summary review rating and the number of reviews are the least important for perceived review usefulness and credibility. The number of arguments is more important for people who are more highly involved with the product, while writing quality and rated review usefulness are relatively more important for the low-involvement group.Originality/valueThis study provides a comprehensive test of how consumers perceive online reviews, as it the first to the authors’ knowledge to simultaneously investigate a large set of cues using conjoint analysis. This method allows for the implicit valuation (utility) of the individual cues, revealing the cues' relative importance, in a setting that comes close to a real-life context. Besides, insights of the ELM are used to understand how the relative importance of cues differs depending on the level of review readers' product category involvement.

INFLUENCE OF SALES REPRESENTATIVE CHARACTERISTICS ON CUSTOMER PURCHASE BEHAVIOUR

The present study examines the influence and effectiveness of sales representative in an emerging market in enhancing retail sale in cases of a high involvement product like apparel and low involvement product like grocery. The present research examined the effect of five factors, namely, sales representative's personal characteristics, competence, sales representative's-initiated promotion, involvement and ethical behaviour on purchase behaviour of consumers. The step-wise regression method was used to support the proposed hypotheses. The results of the study concluded that in both high and low involvement product category, sales representative's-initiated promotion and involvement affect the purchase behaviour of consumers. Other than these two factors, the competence of the salesperson plays an important role in high involvement products, whereas his personal characteristics are important in case of low involvement products. The research provides a guide for sales managers for developing a training and strategy development program for their sales force.

Drivers and consequences of customer participation into value co-creation: a field experiment

PurposeThis paper aims to analyze value co-creation (VCC) in new product development from consumer’s perspective. It offers a holistic approach to consumers’ VCC behavior with its before (drivers) and after (consequences) stages.Design/methodology/approachThree consecutive studies are carried out to test the hypotheses examining the antecedents and results of co-creation behavior, as well as the behavior itself in a new headphones design context. The experimental data have been collected from 934 university students within a period of six months.FindingsFindings suggest that extraversion and openness to experience increase consumers’ willingness to participate in VCC. Celebrity endorsers and product category involvement also affect this tendency. When consumers display co-creation behavior, they intend to purchase the product to be co-created. However, they are especially keen to buy this co-created product when their contributions are embodied in it.Originality/valuePrevious studies focus on intentions, lacking a detailed analysis of actual VCC behavior. By shedding light on co-creation behavior with its before and after stages, this paper contributes to co-creation literature with a field experiment. Consumers’ co-creation behavior has been observed in the context of new product development, which is mostly occupied by business to business research. Therefore, the results also add to research on new product development in business to consumer contexts.

The importance of perceived fairness in product customization settings

ABSTRACT Customization tools enable computerized service interactions that increase customer value. This value is affected by customers’ co-creation efforts. During the customization process, customers weigh the cost of their resources (e.g. ideas, time, knowledge) against the resources invested by a service company (e.g. online support, product warranty) to evaluate the fairness of the process. This study examines how customer satisfaction is affected by perceptions of fairness during the customization process, as well as the number of customization options offered by a customization tool. Two experiments show that, regardless of the number of customization options, customers always evaluate a company more positively when the customization process is fair. Product category involvement and customer expertise also moderate the relationship between customization and satisfaction. As this research indicates, customization must be designed carefully to avoid undesirable marketing outcomes.

Exploring the impact of personality traits on perceived relationship investment, relationship quality, and loyalty in the retail industry

ABSTRACT Marketing scholars recognize the importance of personality traits in predicting consumer behavior; however, to date, no attempt has been made to understand the impacts of personality on consumers’ perceptions of relationship investment and the process of building loyalty in the context of retailing. The present research extends theories of consumer personality traits to explore the effects of personality traits on perceived relationship investment, relationship quality, and customer loyalty. We obtained data using a questionnaire distributed to 220 consumers of retail apparel stores. We used partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to estimate the research model. The results show that product category involvement and relationship proneness impact perceived relationship investment, which, in turn, affects satisfaction. Satisfaction contributes to consumer trust and commitment, which, in turn, affect behavioral loyalty. This research has both theoretical and practical implications since it sheds light on the factors that contribute to loyalty. These findings are expected to help retail marketers develop strategies to increase product involvement and relationship proneness to improve consumers’ perceptions of relationship investment and the quality of the relationship, leading to the development of loyalty. This study provides new insight into the retail literature by introducing a novel role of personality traits in the formation of customer loyalty.

Assessing the role of product category involvement and relationship proneness in the satisfaction–loyalty link in retailing

PurposeProduct category involvement and relationship proneness are crucial in explaining relationship outcomes. Nevertheless, the authors know little about their roles in the formation of loyalty, especially in the retail industry. Individual consumer traits and preferences are likely to play a critical role in the success of relationship marketing. Yet, relationship marketing studies have fallen short of considering such individual differences. The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating effects of product category involvement and relationship proneness on the relationship between satisfaction and loyalty in retail clothing stores.Design/methodology/approachData were obtained using a survey of 220 consumers. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was employed to test the proposed theoretical model.FindingsThe results show that satisfaction significantly affects product category involvement and relationship proneness, which, in turn, significantly affect purchase intention and word-of-mouth (WOM). The results also show that product category involvement and relationship proneness partially mediate the impact of satisfaction on purchase intention and WOM.Research limitations/implicationsProduct category involvement and relationship proneness play a critical role in explaining the satisfaction–loyalty link. Future research could consider the role of potential moderating variables.Practical implicationsRetail managers should not only focus on improving customer satisfaction to achieve customer loyalty, but should also consider the importance of product category involvement and relationship proneness, and their role in the formation of customer loyalty both in traditional and online environments.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to explore the mediating effects of product category involvement and relationship proneness on the relationship between satisfaction, purchase intention and WOM in the retail industry.

Mobile Display Advertising: Perilaku Niat Pembelian Konsumen pada High Involvement vs Low Involvement Product

This study uses the theory of Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) using a quantitative approach. Sampling using non-probability sampling method, using purposive sampling technique. Respondents in this study were 200 respondents in the purchase intention category in the High Involvement product and also 200 in the Low Involvement product category. The analysis technique used in this study is Partial Least Square (PLS). The results showed that browsing activities on Instagram for both the High and Low Involvement categories of the product had a positive influence on flow conditions, online trust, and purchase intentions. Then online trust in an account on Instagram has a positive influence on flow conditions. Likewise, the flow condition variable and online trust also have an influence on the purchase intention of the latest items on Instagram. There is no difference in consumer behavior towards purchase intentions in the online domain between High and Low Involvement products.

The Role of User Involvement, User Involvement Types, Product Category Involvement and Advertising Appeals in Social Media Advertising Effectiveness: A Middle East Context (Iran)

Until now, no study has proposed strategies for social media advertising, scrutinizing the differential interaction of user involvement, different kinds of user involvement, product category involvement, and advertising appeals considering the unique characteristics of social media users in the Middle East. The present study addresses this issue by introducing two detailed advertising effectiveness grids in 20 situations for social media advertising in the Middle East context (Iran) and revised the previous grids and findings proposed for Western and Eastern countries in the area of traditional media advertising effectiveness. In all, 552 students of the University of Tehran, who are social media users were randomly selected, and questionnaires were distributed via an online platform. In order to explore the hypotheses, a mixed 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design was employed, followed by assessment of the validity and reliability of the measures. Surprisingly, some findings were contrary to traditional findings and grids both in the West and in the East and suggest different and new strategies; however, some were in line with traditional studies.