Knowledge that Transforms

AbstractWhile charities typically use the same messaging when appealing to consumers on their smartphones and PCs, this approach may backfire. Across three studies, we find consumers are less likely to donate on their smartphones (vs. PCs), a phenomenon we call the mobile giving gap. In study 1, we demonstrate that consumers are less willing to donate real money to a charitable organization. In study 2, we provide process support and demonstrate that the focal effect is mediated by other‐focus. Finally, a field experiment using Google display ads (study 3) replicates the focal effect and demonstrates that the negative impact of smartphones is attenuated when the appeal explicitly focuses on others (vs. the self). This study not only provides additional process support, but also suggests an easily implementable strategy that charities can use to close the mobile giving gap. Taken together, our findings offer theoretical insights related to the mobile mindset and its impact on consumer behavior and highlight that charities should tailor their donation appeals based on device type.

Abstract Religion plays an important role in the lives of many individuals across the world, influencing various aspects of their lives. One area where the impact of religion is observed—but underexplored—is in consumer behavior. Research on the role of religion in consumer behavior is still developing, and we propose that focusing on religious values offers a promising direction for advancing this area of research. In this paper, we review existing research on values associated with religion and their influence on a wide range of consumer behavior, using Schwartz's values theory and the moral foundations theory as frameworks. But we also seek to build on these frameworks, and we conclude by suggesting potential avenues for future research on relationships between religious values and consumer behavior.

AbstractConsumers and companies frequently integrate products with lifelike photographs of people, animals, and other entities. However, consumer responses to such products are relatively unknown. Drawing on magical thinking and moral psychology, we propose that, due to a photograph's lifelike resemblance to its referent, consumers believe that photo‐integrated products embody the depicted entity's underlying essence. As such, in cases where consumption compromises the product's integrity (e.g., food, disposable goods), people are less likely to consume photo‐integrated products because doing so is perceived as destroying the depicted entity's essence, which elicits moral discomfort. In contrast, when the photographic image remains intact through consumption, as is the case with durable goods (e.g., magnets), people increase consumption of photo‐integrated products relative to products without photo integration, consistent with their popularity in the marketplace. We highlight two strategies to promote more positive outcomes for managers and consumers alike: (1) choose images of entities whose essence destruction is perceived as less immoral, and (2) increase the durability of the product so the depicted entity's essence is preserved through consumption.

AbstractMuch marketing research focuses on what individual consumers need or want for consumption and how they satisfy these needs or wants themselves. However, consumers often give up money, time, or preferences to help others address their consumption needs and wants across the customer journey. The authors introduce the unifying construct of “consumption sacrifice,” defined as the willing and intentional act of incurring a cost to the self—in money, time, or preferences—when making a consumption decision, with expected direct benefits to one's partner. The authors offer examples of consumption sacrifices along the customer journey and suggest that this construct offers a new lens through which to examine the existing literature on choices involving others. The authors put forward the view that sacrifices are often invisible to recipients—and thus underrecognized and underappreciated—failing to achieve their full potential. At the same time, different sacrifice motives (partner‐focused, relationship‐focused, self‐focused) may affect the extent to which actors care about making sacrifices visible to recipients. Finally, the authors propose future research questions, including what leads consumers to perform more visible sacrifices, what drives the invisibility of sacrifices among recipients, and what are the consequences of performing and receiving invisible sacrifices.

Abstract This research examines how red ambient color in restaurants/cafeterias influences food choices. Prior research shows that red directly related to a food product (such as on nutrition labels or plates/cups) leads to avoidance of unhealthy foods. Yet, many successful fast‐food restaurants (e.g., McDonald's and Dairy Queen) use red in their ambiance, suggesting that in the context of food/eating, ambient red may have a different meaning than product‐related red. Indeed, the current research shows that consumers associate ambient red (e.g., wall color) with unhealthy restaurants. The presence of ambient red (vs. blue, gray, or white) leads to greater preference for unhealthy (i.e., high calorie, high fat, and indulgent) food options because consumers draw on ambient factors to make inferences about products sold in a retail establishment and then choose contextually appropriate products. The effect is moderated by the extent to which a consumer associates red with unhealthy restaurants. This research highlights how, in the context of food/eating, the placement of red influences its meaning and ultimately whether consumers approach or avoid unhealthy foods.

Abstract Meaningful shifts in consumption habits are essential to mitigate climate change and reduce global environmental degradation. Yet, despite the climate urgency and growing consumer concerns, the widespread adoption of sustainable behaviors has proven difficult. Why is this the case? How has the growing interdisciplinary field of sustainable consumption contributed to this debate? And where are the knowledge gaps? Guided by a comprehensive conceptual model, this article (a) delves into the key market , individual , and s ocietal obstacles that hinder consumers from adopting more environmentally sustainable behaviors, (b) explores how practitioners and policymakers can help consumers minimize or circumvent these deterrents, and (c) highlights the pressing gaps in the literature, offering a roadmap for advancing our understanding of how to promote sustainable practices across the consumer journey—from search and purchase to usage and disposal.

AbstractElements of surprise are effective tools for attracting consumers' attention and influencing their choices. Consequently, a common marketing practice is to promote a product or consumption experience as surprising. An example is Netflix, which relabeled its “Play Something” feature as “Surprise Me.” While surprise labeling positively influences choice, across 10 studies and a variety of consumption experiences, this research shows that adding a surprise label can negatively influence actual consumption. Particularly when a consumption experience in itself is not meaningfully different from usual, surprise labeling might result in a perceived label–experience mismatch, ultimately leading to a curtailing of consumption. This research adopts a dual‐process perspective, providing evidence for both the cognitive appraisal of this label–experience mismatch and the heightened state of tense arousal accompanying this expectancy violation. Relatedly, we show that the negative consumption effect can be attenuated by increasing the degree of unexpectedness of the experience or by reducing tense arousal. Moreover, we show that consumers' dispositional need for cognitive closure moderates the observed consumption effect.

Abstract Despite evidence that people believe that the unhealthier the food, the tastier it is, some studies also suggest the opposing belief—the healthier the food, the tastier it is. A framework is proposed to reconcile this contradiction, and four studies demonstrate that the discrete categorization of foods as healthful versus unhealthful determines which intuition consumers use. When stereotypically unhealthy foods (e.g., candies, ice cream, hot dogs) are encountered, they are automatically categorized as unhealthful and the properties associated with that category (e.g., sweetness, saltiness, fat content) become accessible. Inferences about taste are then based on these properties and the unhealthier the encountered products are (i.e., the higher the sugar and fat content they have), the tastier they are perceived to be (unhealthy = tasty belief). Conversely, when stereotypically healthful foods (e.g., fruits) are encountered, other properties (e.g., freshness, vitamins) become salient, and tastiness is mainly inferred based on these properties, leading to the inference that the healthier these foods are (i.e., the more freshness and vitamins they have), the tastier they are perceived to be (healthy = tasty belief). Marketers and policymakers can leverage these findings to understand better when emphasizing healthiness benefits or hurts taste perceptions.

AbstractThe present research demonstrates a novel driver of the growing demand for counterfeit luxury goods: perceptions of income inequality. Across five studies, using different samples and counterfeit luxury goods, we find that as perceptions of income inequality increase, consumers value counterfeit luxury products for their “egalitarian value”—a value associated with counterfeits' perceived ability to restore equality in society. Consumers perceive both public and private counterfeit luxury goods to have egalitarian value, suggesting that their value manifests itself beyond consumers' attempts to signal status via consumption. Moreover, the egalitarian value increases consumers' motivation to purchase counterfeit luxury goods beyond their hedonic, utilitarian, economic, or status signaling value. Finally, the positive effect of the egalitarian value of counterfeit luxury goods on purchase preference is greater among consumers who think equality is more desirable and attainable (i.e., those low in social dominance orientation). Our results outline one psychological mechanism underlying consumers' interests in counterfeit luxury goods, explaining how egalitarian value may link two important societal issues: growing income inequality and increased demand for counterfeits.