Product-facilitated conversations: When does starting a conversation by mentioning a product lead to better conversational outcomes?

Abstract

This paper examines product-facilitated conversations. In three studies, we show that the products consumers publicly display influence how other consumers start conversations with them and how enjoyable and self-disclosing these conversations are. Study 1 is an experiment in the field that shows that product-facilitated conversations are deeper and more enjoyable than non-product-facilitated ones. Study 2 examines the characteristics of products that, when mentioned, lead to good conversations and identifies uniqueness and commonality as key characteristics. Study 3 is an additional experiment in the field that tests these characteristics and shows that products with those characteristics are better conversation starters than the weather. Overall, these studies show novel social benefits to talking about products and generate new ideas about how talking about products can help consumers meet new people, smooth awkward social situations, and build relationships.