Journal of Consumer Affairs最新文献

Transgender consumers struggle to have their gender identity recognized, resorting to clothing as a practical way to forge their identity. Intimate apparel represents the innermost type of clothing, carrying both functional and aesthetic roles for transgender individuals. When navigating the intimate apparel marketplace, transgender consumers are faced with vulnerability as their gender identity is stigmatized by society, negatively impacting their well-being. This research focuses on understanding the neglected aspects of intimate apparel consumption by transgender consumers, discussing the role of stigma as it generates vulnerability in the intimate apparel marketplace. To gain insight into the multifaceted transgender people's intimate apparel consumption context, we conducted in-depth interviews with 18 Brazilian transgender consumers. Data were analyzed using dialogical thematic analysis with a hybrid approach of deductive and inductive coding. Our findings revealed that: (1) the consumption of intimate apparel by transgender individuals involves a striking duality of both positive and negative aspects; (2) although transgender consumers see intimate apparel as a legitimate way of expressing their gender identity that carries symbolic meaning, functional aspects (e.g., comfort and fit) are also essential to them; and (3) intimate apparel plays a unique role during transgender people's social transition as they can choose whether to use those pieces privately or publicly, unlike most fashion products. Our key takeaway from this research is that consuming intimate apparel carries multifaceted meanings for transgender consumers, impacting their emotional and social well-being in several ways.

This special issue focuses on the potential of mindfulness to enhance consumer well-being. While various disciplines have investigated the psychological and physiological benefits of mindfulness, its potential for consumer well-being remains largely underexplored. Moreover, there have been concerns about the efficacy of secular mindfulness, which is being criticized for its limited focus on non-judgmental awareness while neglecting its original contemplative and ethical foundations. This omission is especially problematic when considering mindfulness as an intervention for issues such as overconsumption, addictions, and other harmful habits impacting individuals, society, and the environment. This introductory article expands the definition of consumer well-being to prioritize the positive feelings and effective functioning of groups and ecosystems over short-term individual benefits, summarizes the eight articles in the issue, identifies six themes that broaden the scope of mindfulness, and presents a framework for exploring how the special issue articles and future research can promote collective sustainable well-being.

Ambiguous product cues—cues with multiple interpretation options—may impact consumer decision making. One such ambiguous cue is the designation of a product as “regional” without specifying the exact origin of the product. Here, consumers typically equate “regional” with spatial proximity, yet legally the use of regional labels does not necessarily reflect such proximity. A potential mismatch can occur between consumers' interpretation of regionality and firms' use of regional communication claims, leading to potential consumer deception and harmed consumer welfare. Drawing upon the accessibility-diagnosticity-framework and Elaboration-Likelihood-Model, this paper examines consumers' responses to different regionality cues. Across two studies, we find that communicated regionality cues heighten consumers' product evaluations resulting from (mis)perceived spatial proximity. Informing consumers about the true product results in unfavorable evaluations if that origin is spatially distant. Our findings call for regulation of regional product labels and highlight the need for communication standards in consumer markets.

Since 1990, the US advertising, regulatory, and consumer information landscapes have changed materially, raising the possibility that consumers' fundamental beliefs about advertising as an activity or institution have also changed. Nine national polls of advertising sentiment, fielded between 1964 and 1989 by the Roper Organization or the Opinion Research Corporation, were replicated with panel members matched to the US adult population. Preliminary results suggest that the internet era may have fostered a trust-because-we-can-verify consumer attitude toward advertising. The internet has changed the consumer information landscape by reducing the difficulty of assessing claims, fostering independent evaluators who often include competitors, and providing a venue for consumer retaliation. The implications for advertising regulation may contradict the Pertschuk view (1982) of regulation again embraced by some at the Federal Trade Commission. Rather than enhancing the need for advertising regulation and enforcement, the internet may have reduced the need for such efforts.

The Standards of Identity (SOI) for food may prevent the adoption of the strategies that help sustain the development of some food industries. This study provides comprehensive insights into the possibility of regulation changes with SOI for orange juice from consumer perspectives. Results show that the juice blends with 50% orange juice and 50% tangerine juice received the highest sensory scores. However, most consumers do not think juice blends with less than 70% orange juice can be called orange juice. The WTP for juice blends with less than 70% orange juice also decreases significantly. The results provide strong support for modifying the current SOI for orange juice. In addition, the ratio of 70% orange juice and 30% non-orange juice (tangerine/mandarin) is an appropriate threshold for starting the change to the SOI for orange juice. Successful modification to food SOI should consider its impact on both food quality and consumer perceptions.

This conceptual analysis contributes to extending the transformative potential of mindfulness for consumers and society by creating a mindfulness matrix that uncovers new linkages across previously siloed mindfulness literatures and by arguing that next-generation mindfulness research and practice should draw on underexplored synergies between these. The paper makes three key contributions: First, it illustrates how a shift in understanding mainstream mindfulness from a predominate focus on the Self may create new opportunities for individual and collective wellbeing. Second, its mindfulness matrix offers an integrative mapping of relevant literatures to different motivations for engaging in mindfulness, suggesting opportunities for integration between diverse schools of thought. Finally, it argues that to broaden the scope of mindfulness to generate wisdom and transformative capacity in one and all, we need a stronger emphasis on understanding mindfulness as prosocial engagement. This offers new opportunities for research and interventions that promote consumer, organizational, and societal wellbeing.