Journal of Consumer Behaviour最新文献

This study examines the positive impact of environmental threats on the purchase intention for cause-related marketing (CRM) products through the lens of group-based emotions. To elucidate the underlying psychological mechanisms, we categorised environmental threats into natural and human causes, based on their origins. We hypothesise that collective fear mediates the relationship between natural environmental threats and CRM product purchase intention, whereas collective guilt mediates the influence of human-caused environmental threats on the same outcome. Nature connectedness was selected as the moderator because of its impact on emotional responses. We validated the hypotheses through three experimental studies. In Study 1 (n = 287; 65.20% female; M_age = 30.69), it is confirmed that both natural and human-caused environmental threats enhance consumers' willingness to purchase CRM products. Study 2 (n = 313; 65.50% female; M_age = 29.99) demonstrates that collective fear (versus collective guilt) mediates the relationship between natural (versus human-caused) environmental threats and the intention to purchase CRM products. Study 3 (n = 365; 64.90% female; M_age = 31.38) examines the moderating effects of nature connectedness between natural (versus human-caused) environmental threats and collective fear (versus collective guilt). This research contributes to the extant literature on environmental threats, group-based emotions, CRM, and nature connectedness and offers valuable insights for marketers.

Given the adverse effects of overconsumption on environmental degradation, there is an urgent need for consumers to transition toward more sustainable consumption patterns, which involve reducing or refusing consumption. This systematic literature review (SLR) explores the intricate relationship between environmental sustainability and anti-consumption behaviors, including minimalism and voluntary simplicity. Through a consumer behavior lens, we aim to understand the intersection of various forms of anti-consumption, examining internal and external drivers, as well as barriers and outcomes. Following a mixed-method approach, this SLR of 69 studies is further complemented by six qualitative interviews with experts on this topic, identifying how consumer decisions to engage in anti-consumption are influenced by a complex interplay of personal motivations and environmental concerns. There is also an interaction between different internal and external drivers, namely religion, personal values, socioeconomic conditions, and (de)marketing strategies. Hence, consumers face some challenges when navigating the complex process of adopting anti-consumption behaviors. The outcomes range from consumer well-being to influencing corporate behavior through buycotts or boycotts. Notably, sustainability can emerge as a by-product of anti-consumption behaviors. We also propose pathways for future research, contributing to the ongoing discourse on sustainable (anti-)consumption.

Academic interest in healthy eating remained limited until the early 2000s. A detailed bibliometric analysis revealed that research on this subject has tripled every decade. No comprehensive review has been conducted on the expanding body of research on healthy eating, which has gained significant attention, particularly after COVID-19. This study applies the theory-context-characteristics-methods (TCCM) framework to examine key theories, contexts (including countries), characteristics (variables), and analytical methods used in healthy eating research. This study systematically analyzes 339 articles, highlighting the prominence of variables such as consumers' cognitive or affective states, as well as the widespread use of theories like the theory of planned behavior in this research field. Although health perceptions and preferences for packaged food have been studied, further research is needed on consumer preferences for organic food and the influence of brand-related factors on healthy eating. This multi-method study traces the evolution of healthy eating research over three decades, identifying three key stages. It also employs qualitative analysis and the TCCM framework to suggest future research directions.

In today's digital landscape, online consumers increasingly rely on browser extensions to streamline their bargain-hunting efforts. These tools facilitate price comparisons both within the same store over time and across multiple stores. Despite the growing prevalence of this behavior, prior research has not explored its implications. This study, leveraging data from an online survey and an experiment, uncovers that the use of between-store extensions significantly enhances consumers' perception of cost savings, driven by internal attributions. By examining the interplay between browser extensions and online retailing, this research advances price search theory and expands the literature on price comparison dynamics. The findings emphasize the need for online retailers to analyze consumer behavior and develop strategies to optimize visibility through between-store extensions. Simultaneously, web-focused companies are encouraged to innovate spatiotemporal shopping extensions that integrate the benefits of within and between-store searches, catering to the diverse needs of today's online shoppers.

With the rise of e-commerce, offline retailers face significant challenges from online counterparts. The online low-price advantage not only leads to the loss of offline customers but also makes offline customers hesitant and indecisive. In this research, we explore how the actual price discrepancies across channels, interacting with consumers' lay beliefs about these discrepancies and their anticipated regret, impact a novel downstream consumer decision: choice deferral. Across six studies involving one field study, we first show consumers generally believe the online price of the same product to be lower than its offline counterpart. We then demonstrate when actual online–offline price discrepancies contradict this prevailing belief, it results in decreased choice deferral in offline contexts, mediated by greater anticipated regret. Additionally, we highlight that the choice deferral effect induced by price discrepancy across channels is diminished among individuals who do not hold the general lay belief regarding the online–offline price discrepancy. Furthermore, individual differences in the valuation of transaction utility moderate this effect, such that the choice deferral likelihood is higher among individuals who place a high value on transaction utility. Our findings elucidate how consumers' beliefs about price discrepancies across channels influence purchasing decisions in an omnichannel market both theoretically and practically.

Much of what consumers eat is selected by other people, making it essential to understand how individuals make food choices for others. This research addresses the gap by applying construal level theory, proposing that as the social distance between the food decision-maker and the recipient increases, consumers prioritize health attributes (abstract construal level attribute) over taste attributes (concrete construal level attribute) of food. Eight experiments in both laboratory and real dining settings demonstrate that greater recipient distance shifts focus toward higher-construal attributes, such as health, resulting in healthier choices, while reduced distance shifts attention toward taste attributes, leading to tastier selections. These findings broaden our understanding of food choice, extending the perspective from self decision-making to agent decision-making, uncovering the psychological processes involved in choosing food for oneself versus for others. Marketers and policymakers can apply these insights to encourage healthier food choice by designing situations that promote food choices for others.

The article draws on the theoretical framework of behavioral reasoning theory and online communities literature to examine how the inclusion of artificial intelligence (AI) is perceived by consumers when it is used during value co-creation occurring outside of typical market logic. The study specifically focuses on a community built around the Nexus Mods platform, where consumers create and share mods (modifications) for video games, without involvement or governance from the games' developers. Adopting a mixed-method approach, involving a quantitative study and netnographic research, the article shows that despite displaying anti-AI bias, consumers are still willing to adopt AI mods. It also explores reasons for adoption (high quality, enriched experiences, more choice, novelty of AI, consumer empowerment, consumer resistance) and against adoption (low quality, “lack of soul,” negative social impact, ethical considerations, legal concerns, and lack of transparency). Finally, the article demonstrates how the context of the online community makes consumers more accepting of the use of AI, as it no longer serves the purpose of profit maximization by companies. Simultaneously, the inherent issues of AI, such as being strongly rooted in the exploitation of intellectual property and labor of artists and other actors, still prevent the technology from being accepted unanimously and unequivocally.

This article is valuable to academia for its thorough examination of how age-related consumer perceptions affect the marketing of AI products. It addresses a significant gap in the literature by revealing that AI products aimed at older users are perceived as more innovative. This insight can transform marketing strategies for various demographic segments. The five studies provide strong evidence, improving the reliability of the findings. They enhance understanding of how factors influence consumer evaluations of AI products and offer valuable insights for marketers. It demonstrates that age cues positively influence consumers' perceptions of product innovation and their ad click behavior. This effect is driven by the underlying mechanisms of perceived cognitive discomfort and inferred firm competence. This study aids scholars and practitioners in aligning product presentation with consumer expectations across age groups. It enhances consumer behavior research by examining the links between aging, technology perceptions, and marketing effectiveness while promoting further exploration of demographic impacts on decision-making in a digital environment.