When their identity is salient, consumers from historically marginalized and privileged groups are differentially influenced when it comes to choosing algorithmic service providers (e.g., AI-enabled tellers, chatbots, robots, and digital kiosks). Under identity salience, as it would be in a service context where the service providers are all from historically privileged groups, consumers from historically marginalized groups (e.g., Black people) become concerned about identity-based social judgment. Underrepresentation of historically marginalized groups in white-collar professions (e.g., financial services), regulatory pressures to abandon diversity hiring initiatives, and a tight labor market, make it increasingly difficult for companies to ensure diversity among frontline employees. How can managers provide consumers from historically marginalized groups the services they seek in non-diverse settings while balancing other constraints and reducing identity-based social judgment concerns? The results of a series of field studies and controlled experiments suggest that algorithmic service providers can provide a means to serve historically marginalized consumers in non-diverse service settings. The effect attenuates in service contexts where historically marginalized consumers are less concerned about identity-based social judgment. Interestingly, identity salience does not influence historically privileged consumers’ choice of algorithmic service providers.

Marketers are increasingly allowing consumers to sample sensory-rich experiential products before making purchase decisions. The results of seven experimental studies (two conducted in field settings, three conducted in a laboratory, and two conducted online) demonstrate that the order in which consumers sample products and the level of (dis)similarity between the sensory cues of the products influence choices. In the absence of any moderators, when sampling a sequence of sensory-rich experiential products (e.g., fragrances, chocolates, flavored beverages, music) with similar sensory cues (e.g., smell, taste, color, sound), consumers prefer the first product in the sequence. However, when sampling a sequence of products with dissimilar sensory cues, consumers prefer the last product. These findings (1) contribute to a better understanding of the role of sequential sensory cues on consumer choice formation, (2) have implications for effects related to sensory habituation and sensory trace fading, and (3) help resolve apparent inconsistencies in prior research on order effects in the context of choices for sequentially sampled experiential products.

Caffeine is the world's most popular stimulant and is consumed daily by a significant portion of the world's population through coffee, tea, soda, and energy drinks. Consumers often shop online and in physical stores immediately after or while consuming caffeine. This is further facilitated by the increasing prevalence of coffee shops and by the phenomenon of some retail stores having in-store coffee bars and offering complimentary caffeinated beverages. This research examines how caffeine consumption before shopping influences purchase behavior. The results of a series of experiments conducted in the field (at multiple retail stores across different countries) and in the lab show that consuming a caffeinated (vs. noncaffeinated) beverage before shopping enhances impulsivity in terms of more items purchased and higher spending. This effect is stronger for “high-hedonic” products and attenuated for “low-hedonic” products. These findings are important for managers to understand how a seemingly unrelated behavior (i.e., caffeine consumption) in and/or around the store affects spending. From a consumer perspective, although moderate amounts of caffeine consumption can have positive health benefits, there can be unintended negative financial consequences of caffeine intake on spending. Thus, consumers trying to control impulsive spending should avoid consuming caffeinated beverages before shopping.