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In real-world marketplaces, one may encounter an alternative that is inferior to another one in the assortment. While the presence of such seemingly irrelevant inferior alternatives should ostensibly have no influence on consumers' decisions, an extensive literature using stylized lab experiments has found that, surprisingly, their presence matters. Specifically, the dominance effect suggests that the presence of an inferior alternative shifts consumer's preferences toward the alternative made to be superior. However, null results in some recent lab studies and a lack of real-world evidence call into question whether, when, and how the effect exists. In this work, we find clear evidence that dominance matters in the wild. We also identify an important moderator for the dominance effect—preference uncertainty—and test it in both a real-world marketplace for digital freelance services and a lab experiment. Further, we find evidence for additional moderators that help explain how the effect works, including the count of dominated alternatives and the magnitude of dominance, consistent with a perceptual mechanism. This work is the first to use consequential field data to shed light on when and why the dominance effects occur, with implications for marketers, choice architects, user interface designers, and policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technologies are becoming increasingly autonomous, able to complete tasks on behalf of consumers without human intervention. For example, robot vacuums clean the floor while cooking machines implement recipes on their own. These autonomous products free consumers from daily chores that they used to perform manually. The current research suggests that some consumers derive meaning from completing such manual tasks, and that this meaning of manual labor acts as a barrier to the adoption of autonomous products. A series of field and experimental studies shows that consumers who score high (vs. low) on the meaning of manual labor construct tend to evaluate autonomous products less favorably and adopt them less frequently. However, making alternative sources of meaning in life salient can serve as a remedy to increase autonomous product adoption among these consumers. One such strategy is to emphasize that the time gained through the use of autonomous products can be spent on meaningful activities, thus offsetting the detrimental effects of meaning of manual labor on autonomous product adoption. The findings suggest effective interventions for firms that offer autonomous products while stressing the need to provide meaningful experiences to consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether watching a movie, sports game, or musical performance, consumers often seek entertainment experiences that are produced by one or more individuals. And although consumers often witness producers acting spontaneously , little is known about the preference for spontaneity in entertainment. Six studies, including real consumer-relevant decisions and a Facebook field experiment, reveal that consumers prefer spontaneity (vs. planned behavior) across several entertainment contexts, as spontaneous producers seem more authentic than planned producers. At the same time, however, spontaneous actions are also believed to beget lower-quality outcomes, suggesting that consumers generally prefer spontaneity even despite the possibility of reduced quality. Subsequent experiments examine the characteristics of the entertainment context and the producer to provide further insight into how consumers manage the authenticity–quality tradeoff: by shaping when and why spontaneity is associated with increased authenticity and decreased quality expectations, as well as the relative importance of these dimensions, higher-stakes contexts (e.g. when consumers' outcomes are enmeshed with the producer's), negative inferences about spontaneity (e.g. laziness, lack of concern), and low-competence producers attenuate the effects. Together, this research advances knowledge about spontaneity and authenticity and has implications for those seeking to produce appealing entertainment experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumers often set budgets with the goal to minimize their spending. Contrary to this traditional interpretation, our research suggests that budgets can take on a different psychological meaning depending on whether the budget is for a personal or gift purchase. Across 11 studies, we find that consumers aim to spend below their budgets for personal purchases (budget minimizing) but aim to spend the entirety of their budgets for gift purchases (budget maximizing). We differentiate budget maximizing from spending maximizing, showing that gift purchasers are more likely to prefer "at-budget" than "above-budget" purchases. We also show that gift purchasers have weaker savings goals than personal purchasers—a difference that mediates the effect on their budget-minimizing and -maximizing tendencies. We explore multiple reasons that could explain why savings goals are less prevalent among gift purchasers and find an upstream role for price consciousness, guilt, and perceived specialness. Finally, we find that consumers' preference for spending the entirety of their budgets on gifts was moderated by two separate factors: consumers' budget slack and salience. Our research adds to the literatures on mental budgeting, gift giving, and self-other decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purchase decisions typically involve tradeoffs between attributes associated with desirability (e.g. quality) and feasibility (e.g. price). In this article, we examine how the decision context impacts consumers' preference between a high-desirability (HD) option and a high-feasibility (HF) alternative. Nineteen studies demonstrate a novel context effect, the "upscaling effect," whereby introducing a symmetrically dominated decoy option to a set (i.e. an option that is inferior compared to all alternatives in the set) leads to an increase in the choice share of the HD option. To account for the upscaling effect, we advance a two-stage model of consumer decision-making for decisions that involve tradeoffs between desirability and feasibility. According to our model, when the decision context provides a reason for choosing either option, such as when a decoy option is added to the set, consumers prioritize reasons that support choice of HD options over HF alternatives. Our model can explain the upscaling effect, as well as other findings reported in the literature, such as asymmetric attraction effects (Heath and Chatterjee 1995) and asymmetric sales promotion effects (Blattberg and Wisniewski 1989). Furthermore, the upscaling effect holds important managerial implications because it provides an effective way to increase sales of high-end products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors develop an attribute-based mixed-membership model of consumers' preference for stockkeeping units in store assortments. The model represents the underlying "topics of interest" that drive shopping behaviors as probability distributions over product attributes. It overcomes several limitations of latent Dirichlet allocation topic models and is particularly useful for making preference predictions in large and frequently changing store assortments. The authors apply the proposed model to investigate topics driving browsing and purchase activities in an online deal marketplace of fashion products and explore how preference structures evolve over time. They find commonalities and differences in the topics that drive the browsing and purchase stages of online shopping processes. In general, browsing covers a broader range of product attributes than purchases. Consumers tend to browse products of premium positioning and/or deep discounts in the deal marketplace, but when purchasing, they tend to gravitate toward lower-tiered products at their original prices and modest depths of discounts. The authors illustrate how insights from the proposed model can be utilized to profile consumers based on their price preferences and to improve personalized product recommendations. They show that the model's performance is particularly strong in predicting preferences for new products that are not in the existing assortment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study an online environment where a firm provides strategic product recommendations to consumers. We develop an analytical framework to integrate recommendations into the consumer search process. The firm sells two imperfectly substitutable products with different profit margins and makes a personalized product recommendation to each consumer based on its uncertainty (lack of knowledge) of his preferences. We define recommendation bias as the firm's deliberate decision to recommend a product to a consumer that does not minimize expected misfit cost of the consumer. Consumers can accept the product recommendation, search for the nonrecommended product, or leave the website. We identify five consumer segments based on consumers' responses to the firm's recommendations. We show that the recommendation bias, profit, and consumer surplus depend on the interaction between the firm's uncertainty regarding consumer preferences and consumer search costs. A reduction in its uncertainty about consumers leads to a corresponding increase in the firm's profit but does not necessarily result in a reduction in consumer surplus. An increase in search costs can lead to nonmonotonic changes in the firm's recommendation strategy, causing an increase or decrease in recommendation bias when the firm's uncertainty about consumers is low. Furthermore, the firm's profit can behave non-monotonically with respect to search costs: the firm benefits from an increase in search costs when these costs are small and uncertainty about consumers is low, but it can be adversely affected when search costs are moderate. Interestingly, consumer surplus may increase when search costs increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION It is the right of the consumer to expect that food sourced and consumed will be safe, nutritious, and of high quality [1]. The primary means to ensure that [...], Food labels are the first source of information customers come across when sourcing a food product. Labels provide information about the ingredients, nutritional content, allergens, as well as the origin and advice on the food's processing and preservation conditions. This information allows the consumer to make informed food choices. Although food labels are provided to help consumers choose healthy foods, it is not established whether they know and understand the information to use to their advantage. The need to comprehend consumer knowledge, understand food labelling information, and whether it could influence consumer choices are vital to researchers, policymakers, and the food industry. The study investigated the knowledge and understanding of food labelling information among Klipgat consumers. In a cross-sectional community-based study with a structured questionnaire, 400 participants were conveniently interviewed on consumer knowledge, understanding of information, and utilization of labelling information. A chi-square for the association of variables compared differences in the districts, and p-value Key words: communities, food labelling information, labelling terminology, consumer label understanding

The attraction effect (AE) occurs when the addition of an inferior alternative (i.e. a decoy) to a choice set increases the choice share of the alternative to which it is most similar (i.e. a target), a phenomenon that violates the regularity principle. The AE occurs reliably when the attribute values are represented numerically, but not when the stimuli are perceptual. Such conceptual replication failures indicate a lack of clarity about the mechanisms that produce the AE. The present research develops a framework—the 3A framework—that specifies the distinct functions of ambiguity, accessibility, and applicability in the choice process. These factors, and their attendant mechanisms, explain when and why the AE emerges. They also specify conditions under which the AE is attenuated. Seven main experiments and four supplementary experiments examine when and why the AE emerges with perceptual stimuli, provide support for the 3A framework, and offer insights about how to produce the AE in choice contexts involving perceptual stimuli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumers frequently exchange their private personal data with companies in return for goods and services, such as access to search results or social networks. The authors provide a normative criterion to help assess whether companies compensate consumers adequately for their private data in these exchanges. Across a series of 11 experiments, they find that individuals place a higher price on their private data when they sell them for money than when they barter them for goods. In an application of the compatibility principle in cognitive psychology, the authors also find in two additional experiments that this effect occurs because money is a more compatible medium for valuing private data than goods are, which increases the weight of the data in monetary valuations, raising the prices that participants demand for their private data in money compared with goods. This discrepancy in valuations constitutes a violation of procedure invariance and amounts to an intransitivity of participants' preferences for privacy. The findings raise the question of whether companies are compensating consumers adequately for their data and whether the ubiquitous markets for privacy function efficiently. Accordingly, the authors point to a possible consumer welfare argument for antitrust regulation of technology companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conventional discrete-choice model of demand assumes that consumers are fully informed about every available product alternative. This assumption is at odds with the large body of literature studying incomplete information and the role of the consumer's "evoked set" or "consideration set." The author develops a novel empirical discrete-choice demand model derived from an underlying theory of consumers' rational inattention. The model distinguishes between factors that shift demand through the utility function, such as prices and product attributes, and factors that shift demand through the consumer's information "evaluation costs." The author conducts an empirical case study of the laundry detergent category. Using a set of exclusion restrictions based on retail promotional instruments, specification tests select the rational inattention model over the conventional full-information discrete-choice model. Exploiting the launch of Tide Pods midway through the sample, the author demonstrates the role of evaluation costs for the measured value creation from a new product. A conventional discrete-choice model always assigns positive incremental consumer value from new products. However, the rational inattention model developed herein finds a decrease in overall consumer welfare from the new Tide Pods' entry, with the increased friction in information associated with the larger choice set offsetting the potential gains from higher match value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the multitude of factors to consider, selecting a home to buy or rent is a significant decision, and consumer behaviour plays a crucial role in this process. This study aims to shed light on consumer needs, choices, and preferences that influence the decision-making of homebuyers in Islamabad, Pakistan. To achieve this objective, a questionnaire was designed that incorporated factors extracted from existing literature on household needs, neighbourhood characteristics, consumer engagement and marketing factors, and investment determinants. Data was collected from 450 households in selected housing schemes in Islamabad, Pakistan, using a random sampling technique. Descriptive analysis, Kendell's W, and chi-square tests to understand needs, choices, and preferences. Analysis revealed that water availability and a proper drainage system were critical factors consumers consider when purchasing a property, followed by the proximity to public transport, workplaces, shopping centres, and airports. The results indicate that billboard marketing significantly impacted people's decision to purchase a particular property, followed by social media, the brand reputation of the developer/builder, marketing through television channels, and newspaper advertisements. Regarding investment determinants, affordability was the most critical factor that consumers considered when making a purchasing decision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although previous studies have provided some exploratory evidence of the gender‐taste association, empirical evidence on the causal relationships and downstream consequences of such an association in the consumer behavior domain is still lacking. To address this gap, the present research empirically documents the association between gender and taste, and explores the spillover effect of brand gender on consumer preference for sweet food. Across four studies, we demonstrate that feminine and sweet are cognitively associated (Study 1), and accordingly, products launched by a feminine brand are perceived to be sweeter than those launched by a masculine brand (Study 2). Furthermore, a feminine (vs. masculine) brand leads to a higher preference for its sweet (vs. unsweet) products, which is mediated by the perceived congruence between brand gender and product taste (Study 3). Finally, we identify brand type as a moderator, showing that the congruence effect between brand gender and product taste holds for traditional brands but is attenuated for innovative brands (Study 4). Our findings advance the understanding of brand gender association and its impact on consumer behavior and offer meaningful implications for market positioning and communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Internet of Things (IoT) technology trend is transforming business and society. This creates a need to understand strategic behavior in the consumer IoT, where firms tend to offer multiple platform devices, and new generations of devices are introduced frequently. We propose a novel analytical model that formalizes the concept of a multiplatform firm that offers a system of platforms, such as a smartphone, and a new platform device, such as a smartwatch, and orchestrates a multiplatform ecosystem. The analysis shows how a platform design decision, like offering a new standalone device, affects consumer choices and market outcomes. We identify two classes of new devices that matter, and show when a new platform device may disrupt the smartphone market. Moreover, we characterize conditions under which it is profitable for a vendor to make its new platform device look and feel more like its smartphone. Overall, we provide insights into how multiplatform firms differ from platform firms. We identify future research opportunities on the economics of consumer IoT and multiplatform ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding consumer choice behavior for seafood is important for the efficient and sustainable use of marine resources and the improvement of human health. This study aims to identify the information content that effectively motivates Japanese consumers to purchase fresh fish products. Group interviews with 12 consumers were conducted in September 2021 to collect qualitative information on consumer evaluations of the presentation of package labels for freshness, taste, and serving suggestion. Subsequently, data were collected through a web-based survey, administered to 3651 consumers in the Kanto area, Japan from October to November 2021. A latent class logit model was applied to the data to estimate the influence of product attributes and personal characteristics on the choice and willingness-to-pay for each product attribute. The consumers gave the highest rating to freshness labels. The taste label was evaluated highly by consumers in one class. The group interview showed that when the serving suggestion label recommending meunière use was presented, consumers associated it with the recommendation to heat the fish because of less freshness. The results of the choice experiment also showed that the "meunière" label was evaluated negatively. The consumer segment characterized by a high income and frequent purchases of fish tended to respond to all types of labels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the theory of mental accounting, customers have different perceptions of spending. Based on this psychological principle in customer decision-making, retailers often change the number of discounts and prices. As a result, in this study, we tried to use a sample of 389 Domino Company customers to examine the effects of customers' mental accounting due to the discount offering for cheese sales using SPSS software and the Chi-Squared test in this company. Accordingly, a test was arranged in this regard, and customer opinions were measured. Results show that to maximize the understanding of customers' savings, they should use centralized discount frames, not all discount frames. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem definition: We investigate the effects of waiting time, mainly due to production in a make-to-batch-order (MTBO) system, on consumer choice behavior, pricing, assortment, and model estimation. In an MTBO system, the seller/manufacturer first collects orders placed within a certain period of time into a batch and then starts the production process. After the production of all orders in a batch are complete, the products are then shipped and delivered to individual consumers. Because of batch production and shipping, the disutility of the waiting time exhibits negative externality. Methodology/results: We adopt the widely used multinomial logit (MNL) model as a starting point and incorporate the anticipated wait into consumers' decision making. The derived model, referred to as the MNL with wait model, is a solution of the rational expectation equilibrium and is capable of capturing the effects of negative externality induced by anticipated wait that may change the substitution patterns dramatically. We characterize the multiproduct price optimization problem under the MNL with wait model by establishing a one-to-one mapping between the price vector and the choice probability vector. We find that firms tend to charge higher prices for time-consuming items and charge lower prices for time-saving items compared with the optimal prices under the standard MNL model. In addition to price competition, we also study the Cournot-type competition, in which the decision is the choice probability for each firm and establish the existence of a Nash equilibrium. For assortment optimization, we identify mild conditions under which the optimality of revenue-ordered assortments still holds. However, the assortment problem under the MNL with wait model is generally NP-hard, so we develop approximation algorithms with performance guarantees and provide an easy-to-compute tight upper bound. Moreover, we develop an efficient maximum likelihood-based algorithm for model calibration and further conduct numerical studies to showcase the importance of incorporating disutility due to wait in estimation, pricing, and assortment planning problems. Managerial implications: The MNL with wait model can increase prediction accuracy for consumers' choice behavior especially when they are aware of the potential wait. Failure to take into account the effects of anticipated wait in firms' decision making may lead to substantial losses. Funding: The research of C. Ke is supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant 72101113]. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2020.0346. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID‐19 pandemic had significant effects on the health and wellbeing of people worldwide. However, in the post‐epidemic era, we still know very little about how disease threat shapes consumer psychology and behavior. To fill this gap in knowledge, the present study explores the effect of disease threat on a particular sensory preference of consumers, that is, a preference for colorfulness. Based on compensatory consumption theory, we propose the following: (1) consumers prefer colorful products and brand logos to compensate for both disease threat and chronically perceived disease threat; (2) the underlying mechanism for this effect is death‐related thoughts, in that disease threat leads to more death‐related thoughts, which in turn enhance colorfulness seeking; (3) the impact of disease threat on consumers' colorfulness seeking diminishes among high sensation seekers. A set of four studies, adopting both lab and survey methods, using various manipulations and measures, and testing diverse samples, provide convergent evidence for these hypotheses. Moreover, six alternative explanations were ruled out to further elucidate the psychological process under examination in this study. This paper contributes to the literature on consumer behavior, sensory marketing, terror management theory, and compensatory consumption. Implications of these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to explore factors that affect gendered consumption (male and female), willingness to pay (economic attributes) and the socio-cultural context of Gen-Z consumers towards specialty coffee as compared to other types in Taiwan. Design/methodology/approach: Samoggia and Riedel's (2018) theoretical framework is adopted to examine the concepts of interest. A mixed method approach comprising interviews and experimental taste tests was used to collect data from Gen-Z specialty coffee consumers in a purposive sampling manner. Findings: The findings suggested the effect of price elasticity of demand where specialty coffee was perceived as an expensive commodity by young consumers, and hence, not a regularly purchased item. Nevertheless, specialty coffee was linked to health benefits, and a signal for conspicuous consumption – where café experiences facilitated self-promotion on sites like Instagram and Facebook. Finally, the findings alluded to a potential gender effect, with more female young consumers likely to consume specialty coffee as compared to their male counterparts. Originality/value: This study is located within the context of Taiwan, which has been a tea-dominated consumption landscape for numerous decades. The use of an experimental design also presents a unique angle to elucidate sensory elements surrounding specialty coffee as a research design for Gen-Z research projects. The study points to the relevance of social context in the consumers' behavioural patterns, which has been largely implicit within consumer behaviour scholarship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The shape of a product plays a crucial role in shaping consumer behavior. Despite the voluminous research on factors influencing consumers' shape preferences, there remains a limited understanding of how the busy mindset, a mentality increasingly emphasized by marketing campaigns, works. This study aims to fill this gap by exploring the relationship between a busy mindset and the preference for angular-shaped versus circular-shaped products and brand logos. Design/methodology/approach: This research consists of seven experimental studies using various shape stimuli, distinct manipulations of busy mindset, different assessments of shape preference and samples drawn from multiple countries. Findings: The findings reveal that a busy mindset leads to a preference for angular shapes over circular ones by amplifying the need for uniqueness. In addition, these effects are attenuated when products are scarce. Originality/value: This research represents one of the pioneering efforts to study the role of a busy mindset on consumers' aesthetic preferences. Beyond yielding insights for practitioners into visual marketing, this research contributes to the theories on the busy mindset and shape preference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visual attention as a highly complex system is considered a scarce source. This study investigates the distraction effect (specifically, mobile phone usage unrelated to purchasing decisions) on visual attention during consumers' decision-making processes of the Mobile native generation. An eye-tracking experiment utilizing 2-AFC tasks was used for the product choice procedure. The findings revealed no significant differences in gaze behavior in distracting and non-distracting conditions. Interestingly, the results indicate the significant effect of consumer distraction on the relationship between visual attention and product preference. A stronger tendency for a value-based gaze and attentional bias effect under distraction conditions was evidenced. The results of this research highlight the importance of further developing theories of attention in consumer decision-making in terms of the need to re-evaluate the effects of factors on visual attention in distraction-rich environments, particularly regarding mobile technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering that limited research has been conducted to explore corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives in the local brand context, compared to the global brand context, this study is to bridge the gap by comparing CSR initiatives in local independent restaurants with those of international chain restaurants. Two studies were performed to examine the impact of CSR type and construal level in CSR messages using experimental designs. In addition, the mediating effects of perceived warmth and competence were examined as potential psychological mechanisms explaining consumers' reactions. Findings show that consumers are more likely to donate to CSR initiatives of chain restaurants and revisit them when the initiatives lean toward local community CSR rather than global environmental CSR. Also, consumers prefer local community CSR initiatives that are presented in detail in local independent restaurants. This study also reveals different mediating effects of perceived warmth and competence in relation to CSR type, restaurant type, and consumer behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amid increasing concerns about plastic pollution and its negative impact on ecosystems, this research explores the relationship between environmental consciousness and the desire of urban consumers in Yogyakarta City to purchase products with eco-friendly packaging. Using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) as a foundation, we aim to unveil the factors influencing consumer preferences toward sustainable packaging alternatives. Through a quantitative approach, this study involved 150 respondents who were selected purposively, with data analysis utilizing Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Findings indicate a significant relationship between environmental consciousness and positive consumer attitudes towards sustainable packaging, emphasizing the crucial role of environmental consciousness in driving preferences for eco-friendly options. However, consumer attitudes alone do not directly increase the willingness to purchase these products. Instead, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control emerge as the primary determinants, highlighting the strong influence of social pressure and personal efficacy beliefs on sustainable purchasing decisions. This study not only contributes to the theoretical discourse on consumer behavior in environmental sustainability but also offers practical insights for policymakers, businesses, and environmental campaigns in promoting a culture of sustainable consumption through effective communication strategies, policy interventions, and market-based solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the efficacy of data-driven marketing strategies in targeting millennial consumers, a demographic known for its unique preferences and digital savvy. Through a comprehensive literature review, various aspects of data-driven marketing, including customer segmentation, personalized content creation, and omnichannel integration, are analyzed in the context of reaching and engaging with millennials. The review encompasses studies on consumer behavior, digital marketing trends, and data analytics techniques relevant to understanding millennial preferences and behavior. Key findings highlight the importance of data accuracy, privacy considerations, and the role of technology in enhancing marketing effectiveness. Insights from successful case studies and industry best practices provide actionable recommendations for businesses aiming to optimize their marketing efforts towards millennials. This research contributes to the evolving field of data-driven marketing by offering a synthesized understanding of strategies that resonate with the millennial cohort, ultimately fostering long-term brand loyalty and competitive advantage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study is to identify the importance of partial communication factors of sustainable products for the Czech consumer. First, the data from an online survey is interpreted in the form of descriptive statistics to establish a comprehensive overview of the attitudes and preferences of Czech consumers. Second, the global envelope method is used to evaluate reactions to packaging, certificates, ingredients, in-store placement, awareness, sales in a sustainable store, higher prices,and other factors among selected target groups. Based on the results of the 2020 questionnaire survey, significant target groups were identified by frequency analysis and their responses to communication factors were monitored for apparel, drugstore and cosmetics, and food. The test results show that clearly the most important communication factor for sustainable products is the certificate, to a large extent for two categories: males 45 – 64 years old and females who are university educated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescence represents a unique period of the lifespan, characterized by heightened susceptibility to social feedback and increased autonomy in a wide range of choice behaviors, including those relating to consumer decisions and buying preferences. These adolescent behaviors arise in part as the result of substantial change in the structure and function of the brain that occurs during this crucial developmental period. Over the last two decades, the field of developmental cognitive neuroscience has examined the role of brain development in adolescent behavior. This article considers the key processes that undergird adolescent decision making and how they are differentially emphasized in alternative neurodevelopmental theories. We explore common themes and important distinctions across theories—and the implications for utilizing these frameworks—to inform the field of adolescent consumer behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emmental or Swiss cheese is a hard, ripened cheese appreciated by consumers for its appearance and taste. This study aimed to investigate the profile of Swiss cheese consumers and producers from Ţara Dornelor area, Romania, along with the sensory analysis of the Dorna Swiss cheese produced there. For this purpose, a questionnaire was applied to 268 participants to evaluate consumer behavior. Consumers were grouped depending on consumption frequency (low—once or a few times a year, medium—once a month, and high—once a week or more), and the behavior of groups was evaluated. Producer opinion was assessed by interview and Swiss cheese sensory characteristics in two seasons were determined by sensory analysis using a semi-trained panel. The results showed that the main factors affecting consumer purchase decision are the ingredients (4.43), taste and flavor (4.41), appearance and texture (4.23), producer (3.98), nutritional value (3.88), and product history (3.67). Clustering of consumers depending on consumption frequency revealed significant differences (p < 0.05) regarding the purchase place and some factors influencing the purchase decision such as price, health benefits, and nutritional value. Producers asserted that the quality of milk is the main problem in Swiss cheese production. They consider that the raw material quality and origin, hygiene, utilities, and legislation have the greatest impact on the production process, while the trading is mainly affected by the product taste and flavor, appearance and texture, quality label, price, and product history. The sensory characteristics differed significantly (p < 0.05) between producers and seasons, with the sample produced in a stainless-steel tank and without exogenous microflora being the most appreciated in summer. These results could help producers adapt their product quality and marketing policy to consumer preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The agribusiness sector is constantly seeking solutions to enhance food security, sustainability, and resilience. Recent estimates indicate that one-third of the total food production remains unused due to waste or limited shelf life, resulting in negative environmental and ethical consequences. Consequently, exploring technological solutions to extend the shelf life of food products could be a crucial option to address this issue. However, the success of these technological solutions is closely linked to the perception of the end-consumers, particularly in the short term. Based on these considerations, this paper presents a systematic literature review of the main technological innovations in the fresh meat industry and of consumers' perceptions of such innovations. Regarding innovative technologies, this review focused on active and smart packaging. Amidst various technological innovations, including the utilization of fundamental matrices and natural additives, a noticeable gap exists in consumer perception studies. This study represents the first comprehensive compilation of research on consumers' perceptions and acceptance of innovations designed to extend the shelf life of fresh meat. Moreover, it sheds light on the existing barriers that hinder the complete embrace of these innovations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Finding meaning in life is a fundamental human motivation. Along with pleasure, meaning is a pillar of happiness and well-being. Yet, despite the centrality of this motive, and despite firms' attempts to appeal to this motive, scant research has investigated how the pursuit of meaning influences consumer choice, especially in comparison to the study of pleasure. While previous perspectives would suggest that the pursuit of meaning tilts consumers toward high-quality products, we predicted and found the opposite. As compared to a pleasure or (no goal) baseline condition, six studies demonstrate that the pursuit of meaning causes people to consider how they can otherwise use their money (opportunity costs) which in turn leads to a preference for less expensive goods. This effect is robust across multiple product categories and usage situations, including both experiential and material purchases, and is obtained even when the more expensive product is perceived to deliver greater meaning. For participants pursuing meaning, making opportunity costs salient has no effect on their choices, and encouraging opportunity cost neglect increases their willingness to pay for a more expensive item. This research thus provides an initial answer as to how the pursuit of meaning shapes consumer choice processes and preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When consumers select bundles of goods, they may construct those sequentially (e.g. building a bouquet one flower at a time) or make a single choice of a prepackaged bundle (e.g. selecting an already-complete bouquet). Previous research suggested that the sequential construction of bundles encourages variety seeking. The present research revisits this claim and offers a theoretical explanation rooted in combinatorics and norm communication. When constructing a bundle, a consumer chooses among different choice permutations, but when selecting amongst prepackaged bundles, the consumer typically considers unique choice combinations. Because variety is typically overrepresented among permutations compared to combinations, certain consumers (in particular, those with similar attitudes toward items that could compose a bundle) are induced by these different numbers of pathways to variety to display more or less variety-seeking behavior. This is in part explained by the variety norms communicated by different choice architectures, cues most likely to be inferred and used by those who are indifferent between the potential bundle components and thus looking for guidance. Across 5 studies in the main text and 11 in the web appendix , this article tests this account and offers preliminary exploration of newly identified residual effects that the pathways-to-variety account cannot explain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. INTRODUCTION In the face of crises such as pandemics, people are often forced to change their behavior in response to various external incentives. In the context of health-related behaviors, [...], This manuscript addresses behavior change intentions and consumer risk perceptions in the context of uncertainty and crisis such as the Covid-19 pandemic. Based on the theory of planned behavior and health behavior theories, a conceptual framework is developed that focuses on the role of attitudes toward the Covid-19 pandemic, their determinants in the context of the public campaign conducted, and the resulting behavior change intentions. The empirical study, based on an actual campaign and a representative nationwide sample in a developing country, is conducted to test the developed hypotheses. The results suggest that information search is relevant to predicting attitudes and intention to change behavior. At the same time, exposure to the campaign is directly relevant to motivating the target audience to change their behavior. There is also a gap between attitude and behavior, but it is bridged by perceived risk, which plays a vital moderating role when rated high or low. Finally, in the presence of this moderating effect, an indirect effect of information search on behavior change intention is confirmed by attitudes toward the Covid-19 pandemic. Overall, this study provides valuable insights for research in health behavior and crisis management. KEYWORDS: behavior change intentions, risk perception, consumer attitudes, Covid-19 pandemic

With the rapidly growing online sales, e-commerce firms in emerging economies like India risk unsustainable practices such as the relentless consumption of goods, increased plastic and paper packaging, or inefficient delivery options that increase fuel consumption. To maintain a favorable corporate image amongst consumers, online firms possibly adopt various mechanisms to signal consumers' adoption of sustainable practices. Such practices by firms may involve implementing sustainability practices in doorstep delivery, packaging, and product selection to influence consumers' buying preferences. This research uses a structured survey approach to explore the impact of three sustainable practices implemented by an e-commerce firm on the consumer's intention to purchase from such a firm. Using a dual theory perspective of the theory of consumption value (TCV) and the theory of planned behavior (TPB), the study demonstrates the impact of the belief of environmental risks on consumers' intentions to purchase from such e-commerce firms with sustainable practices. The data findings from 301 Indian e-commerce consumers suggest that consumers with a higher belief of environmental risks display a higher degree of tolerance for the inconvenience of order delivery and sustainable product purchase intentions, further influencing their intentions to purchase from e-commerce firms with sustainable practices. However, the preference for sustainable packaging does not impact intentions to purchase from e-commerce firms with sustainable practices. The study discusses the implications for online e-commerce retailers and policymakers and informs online e-commerce consumers' choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shallots are easily damaged and require proper post-harvest handling to extend their shelf life and increase their economic value. Agro-industry can turn shallots into fried onions that are long-lasting and ready for long-term consumption. The development of a small shallot industry needs to consider consumer behavior to identify market preferences. This research uses a quantitative descriptive approach and the SEM-PLS method to analyze the factors that influence the marketing mix on purchasing decisions and satisfaction. The results show that marketing mix aspects such as product, price, promotion, people, process, and physical evidence have a positive impact on purchasing decisions and consumer satisfaction of fried shallots in Malang City. The strategy that companies can implement is to focus on improving product quality, affordable prices, effective promotions, good customer service, easy purchasing processes, and convincing physical evidence so that they can increase purchasing decisions and consumer satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A dynamic game framework is developed to study market dynamics between two manufacturers/service providers competing on pricing and switching costs. In this game, a portion of consumers may choose to upgrade their products by repurchasing from one of the providers in each period. The switching cost is the one-time costs when consumers "switch" from one provider to another. Switching costs provide consumers an incentive to continue buying from the same firm even if its competitors offer functionally identical but incompatible products. In practice, the switching costs can be increased or decreased by firms through designing products. A mixed logit demand model, which can arbitrarily closely approximate any discrete choice behavior of consumers, is adopted to characterize the dynamic market evolution under stochastically varying consumer preferences. We find that switching costs are usually beneficial to the firm with a dominant market share. Moreover, large switching costs can be detrimental to the firm with a disadvantaged market share, so it wants to decrease switching costs. On the contrary, small switching costs have a negative effect on the demand of the firm with a weak market share but benefit its profit by leading a high price. We implement a simulation study to validate our theoretical results on market dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Demographic changes have prompted the development of 'age-friendly' housing design standards in several countries, but there has been limited exploration of whether older prospective homebuyers would prefer to purchase homes with accessible and adaptable features. This exploratory study used a stated choice experiment to explore whether prospective homebuyers in England aged 50 and over would prefer homes with accessibility and adaptability attributes. Respondents were significantly more likely to select dwellings with step-free access and adaptable bathrooms than properties without these features and were willing to pay significantly more to purchase them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research This aim For investigate impact various type promotion sale to behavior purchase consumers at Niaga Supermarket, Lombok. Through analysis of survey data involving sample consumer from the supermarket, research This disclose relevant findings. Research result show that promotion "buy one free one" have influence weak positive to behavior purchase consumer. Discount price, on the other hand, has influence more positive moderate to behavior purchase. Coupons also have an impact behavior purchase in a way positive with level moderate influence, meanwhile free samples no proven own significant impact on behavior purchase. Interestingly, the bonus pack, though often used in practice promotion sales, have influence weak negative and no significant on behavior purchase consumer. This result give outlook valuable for practitioner marketing and research furthermore about type promotion most effective sales in influence behavior purchase consumers in a supermarket environment. With more understanding deep about preference consumer related promotion sales, marketer can devise more strategies appropriate, temporary consumer can make decision more purchases informant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study delves into the intricate relationship between gender and consumer satisfaction with eco-friendly products. Through a comprehensive analysis, it explores the level of customer awareness regarding environmentally sustainable products and investigates how gender influences satisfaction levels. The research aims to provide valuable insights into consumer behavior and preferences in the context of green purchasing decisions. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the factors shaping consumer attitudes towards eco-friendly products by uncovering gender-based disparities in awareness and satisfaction. The study aims to shed light on the complex interrelations between gender, awareness, and satisfaction, thus contributing to a more nuanced understanding of the factors shaping consumer attitudes towards eco-friendly products. The findings of this research underscore the significance of gender as a determinant factor in both consumer awareness and satisfaction with eco-friendly products. Moreover, the study reveals notable disparities between genders in awareness levels, with implications for marketing strategies and environmental initiatives promoting sustainable consumption. Additionally, the correlation between gender and satisfaction levels highlights the importance of tailored approaches to meet the distinct preferences and needs of different demographic groups. Ultimately, this study serves as a valuable resource for businesses, policymakers, and environmental advocates seeking to foster greater consumer engagement and satisfaction in the realm of eco-friendly products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The olive oil in Lebanon play an essential role in the development of rural communities, providing a source of revenue and employment for most Lebanese population. Due to its high sensory quality and health benefits, olive oil is considered the most widely consumed oil in the Mediterranean area. Considering the factors that affect individual's knowledge of olive oil and consumer purchasing behavior can be difficult due to the diverse culture in Lebanon. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the level of knowledge and the impact of sociological-demographic factors on the knowledge and consumer purchasing behavior towards olive oil among the general population in Lebanon. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Lebanon between January and March 2021 in which 604 responses have been collected. The questionnaire made up of four dimensions: socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge, sources and usage of olive oil; and consumer preference part. IBM SPSS V22 was applied to analyze the data for descriptive statistics and chi-square test for independence. p-value of less than 0.05 was employed as the level of significance Results: The findings revealed that the majority of the participants had only one or two uses of olive oil in their daily life and had minimal knowledge towards it. The association between the knowledge of participants about nutritional properties of olive oil among different sociological-demographic factors as governorate, gender, age and marital status was statistically significant (p<0.05). Participants with poor knowledge about olive oil were highest in Beirut (37.0%) compared to Akkar-North (3.1%). Furthermore, the consumers preferred southern, dark, and strong tasting olive oil in terms of region, color, and flavor with a statistically significant association (p<0.05). Conclusion: Our findings highlighted the need to improve consumer awareness of the olive oil's benefits, which will influence their purchasing decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purchasing green products is one of the cornerstones to promote sustainable development since the negative impact of these products is lower than traditional goods. In a Circular Economic (CE) context, green products begin to encompass reconditioned products reintroduced to the production and consumption cycle, such as remanufactured products. Many green products and remanufactured products' features intersect; however, the consumers' perception of these two products is not equal. The present work analyses the consumers' intention to purchase remanufactured products in the Southern Brazil, in a CE context. To that end, 228 consumers from Southern Brazil answered a stated preference questionnaire with different scenarios of remanufactured smartphones with warranty, label and discount. Results indicate that warranty, label, and discount positively impact the consumers' choice towards remanufactured smartphones. Furthermore, results indicate that consumers would be willing to give up more on the discount in order to have a scenario where the remanufactured smartphone has a label and warranty. This study contributes to the literature on consumers' perception and purchase intention towards remanufactured products in emerging economies, which is still scarce. Furthermore, the industry might benefit from this work since understanding what affects consumers' purchase intention may help redirect marketing strategies to increase demand and competitiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate consumer acceptance of gene‐edited orange juice, focusing on the influence of behavioral traits. Specifically, we conducted an online survey of US orange juice consumers, using a choice experiment to elicit consumers' preferences for gene editing (GE) versus gene modification (GM) in orange juice. We find that consumers require a significantly larger discount for GM than for GE, and this preference for GE is influenced by multiple behavioral traits. We used a latent cla4ss approach to further analyze choice behavior among consumer segments. Findings indicate significant heterogeneity in preferences across consumer segments, which can be explained by behavioral traits and individual‐specific characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salesperson attractiveness produces varied effects in consumer perceptions and behaviors particularly in the retail bargaining context. However, little research has been conducted. This study, employing semi-structured interviews with sixty participants, explains the roles of salesperson attractiveness (i.e. aesthetic preference, power, and marketing cues) that can influence different consumer perspectives, from favor to fear, and approaches in negotiations (i.e. cooperation or competition). Research findings enhance better understanding of the beauty premium versus beauty penalty and suggest more mindful implications of retail strategies in salesperson management and consumer interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined the influence of lay elitism on preference and choice inconsistency in consumer choices across cultures. Four studies were conducted to understand this phenomenon. In Study 1, we showed that Mainland Chinese high in the belief in lay elitism displays more preference and choice inconsistency across product categories. In Study 2, we found the reverse effect for Caucasian Americans. In Study 3, Mainland Chinese belief in lay elitism is associated with their preference and choice inconsistency over geometric patterns and, at the same time, increased the consistency between their choice and the anticipated elites' choice of these geometric patterns. Lastly, Study 4 showed that in a cross‐cultural study, Mainland Chinese participants' endorsement of lay elitism is associated with a higher level of preference and choice inconsistency, but the reverse pattern is observed for Caucasian Americans. Furthermore, cultural values (i.e., individualism and collectivism) fail to explain the differences in preference and choice consistency across cultures. The paper offers a new perspective in using lay elitism across cultures to understand preference and choice inconsistency in consumer behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Companies often rely on customer feedback to build and improve their business. Customers, in turn, are expected to (i) fill in customer feedback surveys (participation) and (ii) provide accurate responses (performance). To encourage active participation and ensure accurate responses, companies traditionally offer either self‐benefiting incentives, like lottery prizes, or prosocial incentives, like charity donations. More recently, some companies have started offering prosocial incentives on top of self‐benefiting incentives in the hope to "sweeten the deal," that is, to improve participation and performance even further. With this research, we challenge whether the on‐top prosocial incentives are effective. The evidence from two field experiments and one incentive‐aligned online experiment does not confirm any such advantage. In contrast, performance can decrease when a low‐amount on‐top prosocial incentive is offered relative to a pure self‐benefiting setting. This trend is only reversed once the on‐top incentive amount increases. Furthermore, for participation, we find that on‐top prosocial incentives are ineffective and, at higher amounts, even detrimental. Therefore, our empirical insights rather suggest that on‐top prosocial incentives "poison the well." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]