Abstract Many technological innovations introduce attributes that are novel or completely unknown to a large number of consumers. For example, recently introduced attributes such as GPS in cars or I-Link in computers are likely to have been novel to many consumers. Past research suggests that the addition of novel attributes is likely to improve product evaluation and sales, since consumers interpret these attributes as additional benefits provided by the manufacturer. However, this article demonstrates that the positive effect of novel attributes holds only in the case of low-complexity products. In the case of high-complexity products, the addition of novel attributes can actually reduce product evaluation because of negative learning-cost inferences about these attributes. Further, the positive and negative effects of novel attributes on product evaluation are accentuated by external search for information when the information discovered through search is ambiguous in nature. Finally, it is shown that the negative effect of novel attributes on the evaluation of high-complexity products can persist even after consumers are given explicit information about the benefits of novel attributes. A key marketing implication of these findings is that novel attributes may contribute to technophobia, or consumer resistance toward technological innovation.

Two experimental studies (a lab experiment and a study involving a real usage experience over time) reveal the existence of a strong, positive impact of customer satisfaction on willingness to pay, and they provide support for a nonlinear, functional structure based on disappointment theory (i.e., an inverse S-shaped form). In addition, the second study examines dynamic aspects of the relationship and provides evidence for the stronger impact of cumulative satisfaction rather than of transaction-specific satisfaction on willingness to pay.

Across four experiments, the authors find that when information pertaining to the assessment of the healthiness of food items is provided, the less healthy the item is portrayed to be, (1) the better is its inferred taste, (2) the more it is enjoyed during actual consumption, and (3) the greater is the preference for it in choice tasks when a hedonic goal is more (versus less) salient. The authors obtain these effects both among consumers who report that they believe that healthiness and tastiness are negatively correlated and, to a lesser degree, among those who do not report such a belief. The authors also provide evidence that the association between the concepts of “unhealthy” and “tasty” operates at an implicit level. The authors discuss possibilities for controlling the effect of the unhealthy = tasty intuition (and its potential for causing negative health consequences), including controlling the volume of unhealthy but tasty food eaten, changing unhealthy foods to make them less unhealthy but still tasty, and providing consumers with better information about what constitutes “healthy.”

Grocery retailers have been informed that, to remain competitive, they must reduce the number of stockkeeping units (SKUs) offered, in line with consumer demand, or, in other words, adopt “Efficient Assortment.” Retailers have resisted this principle on the basis of a fear that eliminating items would lower consumer assortment perceptions and decrease the likelihood of store choice. In two studies, the authors examine how consumers form assortment perceptions in the face of SKU reduction with a particular emphasis on two heuristic cues: the availability of a favorite product and the amount of shelf space devoted to the category. Results indicate that retailers might be able to make substantive reductions in the number of items carried without negatively affecting assortment perceptions and store choice, as long as only low-preference items are eliminated and category space is held constant. Thus, the potential risk inherent in item reduction might be more limited than initially thought. The authors then discuss the implications of these findings for retailers, as well as additional measurement considerations.

Companies increasingly employ cause-related marketing to enhance customer goodwill and improve their image. However, because these efforts have major implications for pricing strategy and firm profitability, understanding the relationship between the company's donation amount and customers’ willingness to pay is important. In particular, little is known about the moderating effects that influence this relationship or their underlying mechanisms. Study 1 confirms that two types of customer predispositions moderate the link between donation amount and willingness to pay: donation-related and cause-related predispositions. Three additional studies focus on the negative moderating effect of company–cause fit and provide insights into the underlying moderation process. Specifically, the motives customers attribute to the company mediate the moderating impact of fit on the donation amount–WTP link (Study 2), which occurs particularly in cases of utilitarian (Study 3) and privately consumed products (Study 4).

AbstractRecent technological advancements allow companies to incorporate increasingly heterogeneous and interrelated features into their products, which heightens the products’ complexity. In four experimental studies conducted with two product categories, this article reveals similarities and differences in terms of how the heterogeneity and interrelatedness of product features influence consumer attitudes (i.e., expected product usability and capability) and, in turn, purchase intentions. Moreover, it shows that both neglected dimensions of product complexity affect the corresponding influence of the number of product features but do so in considerably different ways. The findings suggest that companies can foster consumer adoption by deemphasizing a product’s feature heterogeneity, thereby avoiding low expected product usability, and by emphasizing its feature interrelatedness, thereby promoting high expected product capability. This article provides insights into how companies can manage the complexity of products during both product design (i.e., before market launch) and product advertising and selling (i.e., after market launch).

The impact of the favorability of information about a job and the source of information upon applicant perception of source credibility and upon job offer acceptance was examined. Results showed that interviewers are the least credible source and that giving negative job information enhanced source credibility but decreased job offer acceptance.

AbstractThe use of conversational agents (e.g., chatbots) to simplify or aid consumers’ purchase decisions is on the rise. In designing those conversational agents, a key question for companies is whether and when it is advisable to enable voice-based rather than text-based interactions. Addressing this question, this study finds that matching consumers’ communication modality with product type (speaking about hedonic products; writing about utilitarian products) shapes consumers’ choice and increases choice satisfaction. Specifically, speaking fosters a feeling-based verbalizing focus, while writing triggers a reason-based focus. When this focus matches consumers’ mindset in evaluating the product type, preference fluency increases, thereby enhancing choice satisfaction. Accordingly, the authors provide insights into managing interactions with conversational agents more effectively to aid decision-making processes and increase choice satisfaction. Finally, they show that communication modality can serve as a strategic tool for low-equity brands to better compete with high-equity brands.