Research in marketing, psychology, economics, and decision making has long examined what people choose, when people choose, and why people choose. But almost no research has examined how long people consume their choices. Here, we examined an asymmetry between choosing an option and consuming it. Under the aegis of nudges, we conducted two randomized longitudinal experiments on how long people consumed a choice that was incentivized vis-à-vis a decoy effect, default effect, and compromise effect. We found that these nudges influenced choosing and consuming in opposite directions: Participants were more likely to choose the nudged option; however, they consumed it less compared to participants who chose an identical non-nudged option. Our research thus demonstrates that nudges could lead people to consume a nudged option less after choosing it, illuminating the potential for future research to examine the unexplored area of longitudinal, post-acquisition, post-nudge effects.
{"title":"Nudges Increase Choosing but Decrease Consuming: Longitudinal Studies of the Decoy, Default, and Compromise Effects","authors":"Evan Polman, Sam J. Maglio","doi":"10.1093/jcr/ucad081","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucad081","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Research in marketing, psychology, economics, and decision making has long examined what people choose, when people choose, and why people choose. But almost no research has examined how long people consume their choices. Here, we examined an asymmetry between choosing an option and consuming it. Under the aegis of nudges, we conducted two randomized longitudinal experiments on how long people consumed a choice that was incentivized vis-à-vis a decoy effect, default effect, and compromise effect. We found that these nudges influenced choosing and consuming in opposite directions: Participants were more likely to choose the nudged option; however, they consumed it less compared to participants who chose an identical non-nudged option. Our research thus demonstrates that nudges could lead people to consume a nudged option less after choosing it, illuminating the potential for future research to examine the unexplored area of longitudinal, post-acquisition, post-nudge effects.","PeriodicalId":15555,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Consumer Research","volume":"4 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2023-12-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138944667","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Text analysis is increasingly used for consumer and marketing insight. But while work has shed light on what firms should say to customers, when to say those things (e.g., within an advertisement or sales interaction) is less clear. Service employees, for example, could adopt a certain speaking style at a conversation’s start, end, or throughout. When might specific language features be beneficial? This paper introduces a novel approach to address this question. To demonstrate its potential, we apply it to warm and competent language. Prior research suggests an affective (i.e., warm) speaking approach leads customers to think employees are less competent, so a cognitive (competent) style should be prioritized. In contrast, our theorizing, analysis of hundreds of real service conversations from two firms across thousands of conversational moments (N = 23,958), and four experiments (total N = 1,589) offer a more nuanced perspective. Customers are more satisfied when employees use both cognitive and affective language, but at separate, specific times. Ancillary analyses show how this method can be applied to other language features. Taken together, this work offers a method to explore when language matters, sheds new light on the warmth/competence trade-off, and highlights ways to improve the customer experience.
文本分析越来越多地被用于洞察消费者和市场营销。但是,虽然这项工作已经阐明了企业应该对客户说什么,但何时说这些话(例如,在广告或销售互动中)却不那么明确。例如,服务人员可以在谈话开始、结束或整个过程中采用某种说话风格。什么时候特定的语言特点可能是有益的?本文介绍了一种解决这一问题的新方法。为了证明这种方法的潜力,我们将其应用于热情和干练的语言。先前的研究表明,情感型(即热情型)说话方式会让客户认为员工能力较差,因此应优先考虑认知型(干练型)风格。相比之下,我们的理论研究、对两家公司数千个对话时刻中数百次真实服务对话的分析(N = 23958)以及四项实验(总 N = 1589)提供了一个更加细致入微的视角。当员工在不同的特定时间同时使用认知语言和情感语言时,客户的满意度会更高。辅助分析表明了这种方法如何适用于其他语言特点。综上所述,这项研究提供了一种探索语言何时重要的方法,揭示了温暖/能力权衡的新思路,并强调了改善客户体验的方法。
{"title":"When Language Matters","authors":"Grant Packard, Yang Li, Jonah A. Berger","doi":"10.1093/jcr/ucad080","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucad080","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Text analysis is increasingly used for consumer and marketing insight. But while work has shed light on what firms should say to customers, when to say those things (e.g., within an advertisement or sales interaction) is less clear. Service employees, for example, could adopt a certain speaking style at a conversation’s start, end, or throughout. When might specific language features be beneficial? This paper introduces a novel approach to address this question. To demonstrate its potential, we apply it to warm and competent language. Prior research suggests an affective (i.e., warm) speaking approach leads customers to think employees are less competent, so a cognitive (competent) style should be prioritized. In contrast, our theorizing, analysis of hundreds of real service conversations from two firms across thousands of conversational moments (N = 23,958), and four experiments (total N = 1,589) offer a more nuanced perspective. Customers are more satisfied when employees use both cognitive and affective language, but at separate, specific times. Ancillary analyses show how this method can be applied to other language features. Taken together, this work offers a method to explore when language matters, sheds new light on the warmth/competence trade-off, and highlights ways to improve the customer experience.","PeriodicalId":15555,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Consumer Research","volume":"5 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2023-12-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138944350","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This paper analyzes spatial domination in middle-classed spaces––the spaces that cater to the dispositions, status, and lifestyle ideals of middle-class groups––of the neoliberal city. Grounded in interdisciplinary scholarship on the neoliberal city, the paper introduces a typology of middle-classed spaces that maps out different combinations of cross-class hostility and cordiality in dynamics of spatial domination. Through an extended case study of a new upscale neighborhood bordering a slum area in a southern Brazilian city, the paper unveils the socio-historic conditions that inform the localized cross-class relations and situate it in the spatial typology. With the support of a semiotic square, the paper then identifies, relates, and analyzes the hostile (‘takeover’ and ‘repression’) and cordial (‘makeover’ and ‘concession’) spatial practices by which dominant agents produce one specific type of middle-classed space. Through these practices, dominant agents improve the status, experience, and market value of the neighborhood for target upper-middle-class consumers, while further disenfranchising the poor from its spaces—effectively reproducing deep-rooted historical patterns of social exclusion. This study extends research on status consumption and spatiality while also adding insights into the role of the state in consumption and market dynamics.
{"title":"Class Conflict and Spatial Domination in the Neoliberal City","authors":"Rodrigo B Castilhos","doi":"10.1093/jcr/ucad079","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucad079","url":null,"abstract":"This paper analyzes spatial domination in middle-classed spaces––the spaces that cater to the dispositions, status, and lifestyle ideals of middle-class groups––of the neoliberal city. Grounded in interdisciplinary scholarship on the neoliberal city, the paper introduces a typology of middle-classed spaces that maps out different combinations of cross-class hostility and cordiality in dynamics of spatial domination. Through an extended case study of a new upscale neighborhood bordering a slum area in a southern Brazilian city, the paper unveils the socio-historic conditions that inform the localized cross-class relations and situate it in the spatial typology. With the support of a semiotic square, the paper then identifies, relates, and analyzes the hostile (‘takeover’ and ‘repression’) and cordial (‘makeover’ and ‘concession’) spatial practices by which dominant agents produce one specific type of middle-classed space. Through these practices, dominant agents improve the status, experience, and market value of the neighborhood for target upper-middle-class consumers, while further disenfranchising the poor from its spaces—effectively reproducing deep-rooted historical patterns of social exclusion. This study extends research on status consumption and spatiality while also adding insights into the role of the state in consumption and market dynamics.","PeriodicalId":15555,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Consumer Research","volume":"21 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2023-12-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138687117","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
With the growing prevalence of digital platforms for online shopping, advertising, and marketing activities in general, it is imperative to better understand how designs of virtual elements on digital interfaces influence click behavior. Websites and online advertisements contain virtual elements such as call-to-action buttons, images, and logos. This research examines how curved versus sharp angled shapes of virtual elements in online ads and on websites influence click-through rate (CTR) outcomes. The findings of a series of studies, including three field experiments and an eye tracking study, show that website and online ad elements in curved (vs. sharp angled) shapes generate higher CTR. Process evidence suggests that curved (vs. sharp angled) digital elements enhance visual appeal, leading to approach motivation and greater CTR. In terms of practical implications, the findings of this research have strong relevance for designing online ads and website interfaces and for digital marketing strategies. Specifically, digital marketers desiring higher click rates would benefit from having more curved (than sharp angled) virtual elements on websites and in online ads.
{"title":"Curvy Digital Marketing Designs: Virtual Elements with Rounded Shapes Enhance Online Click-Through Rates","authors":"Dipayan Biswas, Annika Abell, Roger Chacko","doi":"10.1093/jcr/ucad078","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucad078","url":null,"abstract":"With the growing prevalence of digital platforms for online shopping, advertising, and marketing activities in general, it is imperative to better understand how designs of virtual elements on digital interfaces influence click behavior. Websites and online advertisements contain virtual elements such as call-to-action buttons, images, and logos. This research examines how curved versus sharp angled shapes of virtual elements in online ads and on websites influence click-through rate (CTR) outcomes. The findings of a series of studies, including three field experiments and an eye tracking study, show that website and online ad elements in curved (vs. sharp angled) shapes generate higher CTR. Process evidence suggests that curved (vs. sharp angled) digital elements enhance visual appeal, leading to approach motivation and greater CTR. In terms of practical implications, the findings of this research have strong relevance for designing online ads and website interfaces and for digital marketing strategies. Specifically, digital marketers desiring higher click rates would benefit from having more curved (than sharp angled) virtual elements on websites and in online ads.","PeriodicalId":15555,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Consumer Research","volume":"21 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2023-12-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138579130","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Melanie Clegg, Reto Hofstetter, Emanuel de Bellis, Bernd H Schmitt
Previous research has shown that consumers respond differently to decisions made by humans versus algorithms. Many tasks, however, are not performed by humans anymore but entirely by algorithms. In fact, consumers increasingly encounter algorithm-controlled products, such as robotic vacuum cleaners or smart refrigerators, which are steered by different types of algorithms. Building on insights from computer science and consumer research on algorithm perception, this research investigates how consumers respond to different types of algorithms within these products. This research compares high-adaptivity algorithms, which can learn and adapt, versus low-adaptivity algorithms, which are entirely pre-programmed, and explore their impact on consumers’ product preferences. Six empirical studies show that, in general, consumers prefer products with high-adaptivity algorithms. However, this preference depends on the desired level of product outcome range—the number of solutions a product is expected to provide within a task or across tasks. The findings also demonstrate that perceived algorithm creativity and predictability drive the observed effects. This research highlights the distinctive role of algorithm types in the perception of consumer goods and reveals the consequences of unveiling the mind of the machine to consumers.
{"title":"Unveiling the Mind of the Machine","authors":"Melanie Clegg, Reto Hofstetter, Emanuel de Bellis, Bernd H Schmitt","doi":"10.1093/jcr/ucad075","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucad075","url":null,"abstract":"Previous research has shown that consumers respond differently to decisions made by humans versus algorithms. Many tasks, however, are not performed by humans anymore but entirely by algorithms. In fact, consumers increasingly encounter algorithm-controlled products, such as robotic vacuum cleaners or smart refrigerators, which are steered by different types of algorithms. Building on insights from computer science and consumer research on algorithm perception, this research investigates how consumers respond to different types of algorithms within these products. This research compares high-adaptivity algorithms, which can learn and adapt, versus low-adaptivity algorithms, which are entirely pre-programmed, and explore their impact on consumers’ product preferences. Six empirical studies show that, in general, consumers prefer products with high-adaptivity algorithms. However, this preference depends on the desired level of product outcome range—the number of solutions a product is expected to provide within a task or across tasks. The findings also demonstrate that perceived algorithm creativity and predictability drive the observed effects. This research highlights the distinctive role of algorithm types in the perception of consumer goods and reveals the consequences of unveiling the mind of the machine to consumers.","PeriodicalId":15555,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Consumer Research","volume":"882 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2023-11-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138515218","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract The current research examines how the knowledge that a product is made using a traditional method influences perceptions of its quality. We propose that consumers believe a brand using traditional methods is beneficial for society because it is concerned about cultural preservation and this belief has a positive effect on perceived quality. Six experimental studies show consumers evaluate products produced with a method described as traditional to be higher in quality than similar products that are not described as traditionally made and this effect is mediated by the belief the brand is beneficial for society. Consistent with this theory, the positive effect of traditional production on perceived quality is attenuated when consumers view the brand to be unconcerned about cultural preservation, such as when the use of a traditional method is framed as a follower strategy (i.e., it imitates the actions of other brands) or when the brand is a multinational company. By showing the mere mention of a traditional method can be another subtle way to position a brand as a moral actor, these findings contribute to the understanding of the link between perceived social responsibility and product evaluations.
{"title":"How Traditional Production Shapes Perceptions of Product Quality","authors":"Keith Wilcox, Sandra Laporte, Gabriel Ward","doi":"10.1093/jcr/ucad073","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucad073","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The current research examines how the knowledge that a product is made using a traditional method influences perceptions of its quality. We propose that consumers believe a brand using traditional methods is beneficial for society because it is concerned about cultural preservation and this belief has a positive effect on perceived quality. Six experimental studies show consumers evaluate products produced with a method described as traditional to be higher in quality than similar products that are not described as traditionally made and this effect is mediated by the belief the brand is beneficial for society. Consistent with this theory, the positive effect of traditional production on perceived quality is attenuated when consumers view the brand to be unconcerned about cultural preservation, such as when the use of a traditional method is framed as a follower strategy (i.e., it imitates the actions of other brands) or when the brand is a multinational company. By showing the mere mention of a traditional method can be another subtle way to position a brand as a moral actor, these findings contribute to the understanding of the link between perceived social responsibility and product evaluations.","PeriodicalId":15555,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Consumer Research","volume":"6 26","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135086311","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract Marketers commonly use consensus cues about others’ behavioral choices (“Best Seller”) or their attitudes (“Top Rated”) when labeling products. This paper suggests that the effectiveness of these types of cues may differ across cultures in ways that carry implications for marketing practice. Prior research shows that in contexts that give rise to an interdependent cultural self-construal, choices are often responsive to social expectations rather than personal preferences. We propose that, because interdependents expect such behavioral conformity, cues that convey consensus about others’ choices may be less diagnostic and, thus, less persuasive than cues that convey consensus about others’ attitudes. Five studies examining cultural self-construal in multiple ways, along with two cross-national industry datasets, offer evidence consistent with this reasoning, suggesting that among interdependents, behavioral consensus cues can actually be less effective than attitudinal ones, reducing persuasion and willingness to pay. However, among independents, because attitudes are assumed to influence behavioral choices, whether the consensus cue is attitudinal or behavioral makes little difference.
{"title":"Top Rated or Best Seller?: Cultural Differences in Responses to Attitudinal versus Behavioral Consensus Cues","authors":"Aaron J Barnes, Sharon Shavitt","doi":"10.1093/jcr/ucad074","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucad074","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Marketers commonly use consensus cues about others’ behavioral choices (“Best Seller”) or their attitudes (“Top Rated”) when labeling products. This paper suggests that the effectiveness of these types of cues may differ across cultures in ways that carry implications for marketing practice. Prior research shows that in contexts that give rise to an interdependent cultural self-construal, choices are often responsive to social expectations rather than personal preferences. We propose that, because interdependents expect such behavioral conformity, cues that convey consensus about others’ choices may be less diagnostic and, thus, less persuasive than cues that convey consensus about others’ attitudes. Five studies examining cultural self-construal in multiple ways, along with two cross-national industry datasets, offer evidence consistent with this reasoning, suggesting that among interdependents, behavioral consensus cues can actually be less effective than attitudinal ones, reducing persuasion and willingness to pay. However, among independents, because attitudes are assumed to influence behavioral choices, whether the consensus cue is attitudinal or behavioral makes little difference.","PeriodicalId":15555,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Consumer Research","volume":" 44","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135291794","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Correction to: Dynamics of Communicator and Audience Power: The Persuasiveness of Competence versus Warmth","authors":"","doi":"10.1093/jcr/ucad056","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucad056","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":15555,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Consumer Research","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136134413","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Policy Board Note on Two Articles by David Dubois, Derek D. Rucker, and Adam D. Galinsky","authors":"","doi":"10.1093/jcr/ucad057","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucad057","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":15555,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Consumer Research","volume":"53 2","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136134549","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}