Journal of Consumer Behaviour最新文献

This study developed and tested a model exploring the antecedents and outcomes of psychological ownership of avatars in the metaverse, considering the moderating role of virtual currency acquisition methods. Using data from 252 ZEPETO users and Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), the study found that the ability to control, intimate knowledge, and invest in self significantly enhances psychological ownership of avatars, which extends to virtual products. Notably, the reward system (versus direct purchase) for acquiring virtual currency amplified this ownership extension, and the transference of psychological ownership from avatars to virtual products significantly influenced the intention to purchase corresponding real-world products. The study underscores the interplay between virtual and real-world dynamics, highlighting the impact of digital activities on real-world consumer behavior.

E-commerce platforms encourage consumers' cross-buying behavior to boost user traffic and trading volume. However, balancing the precision and richness of recommended information with the mechanisms influencing consumer cross-buying remains unclear, which also poses challenges to the specific operation of these platforms. Therefore, this study leverages extensive online behavioral data from an e-commerce platform, encompassing detailed records of 26,034 consumers. By employing unsupervised machine learning algorithms to distinguish the heterogeneity of consumer browsing, we apply clickstream data to explore the mechanisms of the impact of information diversity, specifically the breadth and depth of recommended product categories, on cross-buying. This study reveals that the effect of diverse recommendations on online decision-making undergoes marginal variations due to alterations in both the breadth and depth of these recommendations. Specifically, the depth and breadth of recommended product categories exhibit an inverted U-shaped relationship with cross-buying, initially promoting, and subsequently suppressing it. Additionally, consumers with different browsing behavior characteristics respond differently to recommendation diversity. Confused visitors and hedonic visitors positively moderate the depth of information and negatively moderate the breadth of recommendations with the inverted U-shaped effect on cross-buying. Search-oriented visitors positively adjust the inverted U-shaped relationship between the depth of information and the breadth of recommendations on consumer cross-buying. This study enriches research on cross-buying in the domain of recommendations on e-commerce platforms from the perspective of information diversity, providing valuable insights for optimizing recommendation strategies, promoting cross-buying behavior, and enhancing consumer loyalty.

Due to the explosive growth of social media technology worldwide, consumers are exposed to abundant stimuli across cultures that affect their internalization of societal ideal of beauty and the formation of self-concept. In response to this, the beauty industry is facing challenges to personalize their offerings to an array of diverse consumers who are seeking brands that resonate with their values and foster a true emotional bond. Consumers' personal value with respect to beauty is an important antecedent of the internalization of societal ideal of beauty, which eventually control their appearance-conscious emotions and behaviors, thereby play an important role for understanding the psychological mechanisms that underlie diverse beautification procedures. However, a systematic scale to measure personal beauty values of consumers across cultures has yet to be established. In this article, we attempt to bridge this gap by developing, measuring, and validating a new Personal Beauty Values Scale through a series of studies using independent samples from the United States (n = 348, n = 1039), the United Kingdom (n = 401, n = 396), Japan (n = 1011), and Denmark (n = 981). Subsequently, we investigate influences of personal beauty values on one of the critical beautification procedures invasive to the human body, that is, cosmetic surgery. Specifically, the nomological validation using the U.S. sample (n = 1039) demonstrated that the distinct characteristics of the five personal beauty values dimensions differently affected appearance-conscious emotions such as shame and hubristic pride, thereby unveiling the psychological mechanism behind consideration of cosmetic surgery.

As switching behaviors become more prevalent in omni-channel retailing, businesses face the challenge of crafting customer journeys that are not only seamless and integrated but also personalized. Personalization at the customer journey level requires a deep understanding of varied customer needs and behaviors. This research segments and profiles omni-channel customers based on their perceptions, values, channel choices, and switching behaviors. We employed a mixed-method approach, including 23 in-depth interviews, four focus groups, and an online survey of 345 omni-channel customers from electronic goods retailers. Our study identifies four distinct segments–digital switchers, webroomers, showroomers, and offline switchers–each requiring different experiences during their shopping journey. Theoretically, it confirms that customers with varying experience needs interact differently with channels, making the customer journey dynamic and individualistic in an omni-channel context. Practically, our research suggests segment-specific features for different channels, enabling managers and retailers to optimize and personalize omni-channel shopping experiences.

This meta-analysis examines correlational and experimental research linking materialism—broadly understood as an excessive focus on acquiring wealth and possessions that convey status—and social well-being—characterised by healthy interpersonal relationships and a sense of social support and integration. We identified 55 reports containing 72 independent studies and 123 effect sizes (N = 44,376). Meta-analytic calculations yielded a pooled effect of r = −0.18, suggesting that the effects of materialism on social well-being (e.g., loneliness or relationship satisfaction) may be greater than the effects of materialism on individual well-being (e.g., self-esteem or life satisfaction). Moderation analyses revealed that the effects are bi-directional, consistent across genders and cultures and significantly stronger in children and adolescents. These findings emphasise the universal and reciprocal link between materialism and social well-being and highlight the particular vulnerability of younger populations. Based on the results, we propose suggestions for further research to address the existing gaps and strengthen the current evidence, and recommend a sample size of 240 participants for correlational studies and 50 participants per group for experimental research. This work calls for targeted interventions and policies to tackle the adverse social effects of materialism, particularly among young populations.

Customer experience (CE) often occurs as a temporal sequence of events that unfold over time. This research investigates the circumstances under which specific moments in the temporal sequence of a CE, such as the beginning or the end, have a disproportionate effect on customers' overall CE evaluations. Specifically, this research explores two boundary conditions of the effect of specific moments: incident valence and perceived control. The results of three scenario experiments, conducted with consumers in two contexts (hedonic and utilitarian), reveal that negative incidents at the end of a CE disproportionately influence overall CE evaluations across these different service contexts, demonstrating recency effects. However, these recency effects do not occur for positive incidents and are only present for individuals with heightened perceived control. Our findings address recent calls to further explore the role of timing and valence in CE evaluations and provide novel insights into the moderating role of perceived control on the effect of specific moments on overall CE evaluations. This research also offers practical guidance to help managers design more effective CEs.