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PurposeDue to recent developments of indoor location-tracking technologies, brick-and-mortar retailers are now able to add location-based marketing capabilities to their existing retail apps, providing retailers with new opportunities to interact with customers inside of their stores. The aim of this study is to identify factors influencing the customers' adoption intention of location-based retail apps for stationary retailing.Design/methodology/approachBased on the technology acceptance model, a conceptual model was developed. A Web-based survey was conducted in Germany with a final sample of 501 cases. Structural equation modelling was performed to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe results confirmed the positive relationship between attitude and the customers' intention to use location-based retail apps. Perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment promote a positive attitude toward location-based retail apps, while privacy concerns and fear of spam hinder the formation of a favorable attitude. Subjective norms have a positive effect on customers' usage intention.Practical implicationsThe results help retailers who want to establish location-based retail apps at the point of sale (e.g. in the context of omni-channel strategies).Originality/valueAs previous research about location-based apps has mainly used empirical data from either Chinese or American samples, less is known about the perception of European customers. Research indicates that existing findings might not be transferable to European countries due to differences in values, social norms or regulations. Also, the failure of Shopkick in Germany illustrates the need for more research. Based on this, using a German sample to answer the research question, this study aims to provide a European perspective on location-based retail apps, and thereby extend existing research.

Zusammenfassung Die fortschreitende Digitalisierung stellt auch die Verbraucherpolitik und den Verbraucherschutz vor Herausforderungen. Gegenstand des vorliegenden Beitrags ist es, diese Herausforderungen zu strukturieren und anhand dreier aktueller Problembereiche zu diskutieren. Ein übergreifendes Ergebnis der Diskussion ist, dass eine zukunftsgerichtete Verbraucherpolitik über den klassischen Verbraucherschutz hinausgehen und eine Perspektivenerweiterung erfahren sollte. Ein wesentliches Element einer in diesem Sinne modernen Verbraucherpolitik wäre es, die Verbraucherinnen und Verbraucher stärker noch als bisher als aktive Akteure des Wirtschaftslebens zu verstehen.

This chapter on neuroscience technologies describes the fundamentals of modern brain scanners that are already an integral part of, or are beginning to gain momentum in, consumer neuroscience. The goal is to provide a guideline to the core physics, mainly electromagnetism and quantum mechanics, as well as the operating principles underlying magnetic resonance imaging, functional near-infrared spectroscopy, electroencephalography, and magnetoencephalography. Wherever possible, an attempt is made to break the complexity down to its component parts in order to facilitate the understanding of technologies that have taken decades to develop, and that are still under development to various degrees. The chapter includes an overview of relevant stimulation and psychophysiological measurement technologies, such as transcranial stimulation and electromyography, and describes how the various scanning and ancillary approaches can be used in combination.

This chapter on analytical approaches discusses a variety of data analysis methods commonly employed in consumer neuroscience. The emphasis is on the foundations of methods, such as time–frequency representations, phase space reconstruction, source localization, and dynamic causal modelling. In addition, a number of relevant statistical approaches are addressed, such as Bayesian inference and stochastic processes. The issue of so-called reverse inference is discussed in the context of machine learning algorithms that are becoming increasingly important for the analysis of complex data. The goal of the chapter is to equip the reader with a robust overview of what is an active field of research, where new algorithms are being developed at a staggering pace. The chapter concludes with a brief note on issues revolving around artefact rejection, data pre-processing, and analysis pipelines.

This chapter on gender-related aspects of consumer neuroscience provides an overview of the differences in brain function between men and women. Consideration is given to the biological basis of gender differences that are manifest at the genetic, neurotransmitter, hormonal, neurophysiological, and neuroanatomical levels. Specifically, differences are discussed that can be detected before birth and the early stages of life. This is followed by a presentation of gender differences observed in studies of neuroeconomics, advertising, decision-making, and purchasing choices. A recurring theme throughout the chapter is the issue of whether the differences in neuronal and cognitive function between men and women are categorical or a matter of degree. Acknowledging the complexity of topic, the chapter presents a biopsychosocial perspective of gender differences in conjunction with a discussion of contemporary critiques of gender neuroimaging research.

This chapter on the ethics of consumer neuroscience presents and discusses a range of relevant ethical principles and guidelines. The chapter outlines the beginning of the discussion on the ethics of neuromarketing, which started more than 15 years ago. The chapter contributes to this discussion by arguing that there is a need to differentiate between, on the one hand, general concerns regarding the application of neuroscience to social science from, on the other hand, specific critiques regarding the application of neuroscientific concepts, theories, and tools to consumer research and neuromarketing. This discussion is followed by an overview of commonly used ethical guidelines, such as the Neuromarketing Science and Business Association (NMSBA) Code of Ethics. Finally, the terms neuroethics and stealth marketing are discussed in the context of consumer neuroscience.

This chapter provides an overview of the definition, the broader aims, and the origins of consumer neuroscience. In addition, the relationship between consumer neuroscience and neuroeconomics is discussed. Subsequently, the chapter provides an outline of core concepts and models that are common in consumer and marketing research. After a brief discussion of the limitations of these models regarding their ability to fully explain consumer behaviour, arguments are put forward about how the integration of methods, concepts, and theories of neuroscience in consumer research can help to overcome some of these limitations. To this end, the chapter includes some examples of early and ground-breaking studies in both neuroeconomics and consumer neuroscience. For the reader’s guidance and convenience, the chapter provides an overview of the structure of the book together with a discussion of how the various chapter interdepend on each other.

This chapter on the human brain provides an overview of basic biological mechanisms that underlie brain function. The chapter covers a broad set of different components facilitating cognitive function, and the different scales they are operating on. Specifically, consideration is given to the anatomical, genetic, chemical, and electrophysiological aspects of the brain. In addition, the chapter discusses some aspects of postnatal neurodevelopment, human senses, and modern physics-based models of brain function. The selection of material concentrates on what is most relevant to consumer neuroscience, where the presentation emphasizes conceptual insights while keeping physical, chemical, and cell biological details to a minimum. In addition, the chapter provides a short overview of the history of brain science from past to present, acknowledging that there is no unifying theory at present that can fully explain the complex functioning of neuronal systems.

This chapter on cognitive processes and behaviours introduces and describes core concepts of psychology, consumer research and behavioural economics that are relevant to consumer neuroscience. The overall emphasis of the chapter is on behavioural concepts and models, where a brief overview of functional neuroanatomy is provided when available and meaningful. Specifically, the following, partly overlapping models and concepts are discussed and put into the context of consumer neuroscience: memory and learning, arousal, attention and awareness, motivation, reward, decision-making, and cognitive processes, the somatic-marker hypothesis, theory of mind and reward-based learning. Despite some have these concepts have been known to psychologist for over a century, however, the presentation of topics generally emphasizes recent works and insights, where an attempt is being made to show how the different concepts interrelate.

This chapter on translational consumer neuroscience discusses some emergent and largely independent topics, such as cultural neuroscience, psychiatric conditions, age and consumer behaviour, and organizational neuroscience. These application domains do not necessarily derive from consumer neuroscience, although they are founded on the same methodologies and similar theoretical approaches in general. The goal of this chapter is to provide an overview of the different research domains and outline how models and methodologies found in consumer neuroscience have been influenced by, and have influenced, a larger body of research into mechanisms and processes far beyond normal consumption of goods. A recurrent topic throughout the chapter is the degree to which consumer neuroscience might inform but also can gain valuable insight from other areas of research aimed at unravelling real-life behaviour relevant at the organizational level as well as the societal level.

This chapter on individual consumer neuroscience discusses decision-making and choices of individual actors (i.e. consumers) whose utility level as well as decision-making does not depend on the behaviour of other actors. A typical example is the buying decision of an individual consumer. This chapter briefly discusses the well-known and influential prospect theory, which forms a basis for individual consumer neuroscience, and includes an overview of the most relevant concepts in consumer research and behavioural economics, such as the framing effect, the phenomenon of anchoring and the endowment effect, the phenomenon of temporal discounting, as well as decision-making under risk. After a short description of each of these concepts, the current state of affairs regarding related brain structures and processes of each of the concepts are introduced and discussed.

This chapter addresses research related to social consumer neuroscience, a subfield of consumer neuroscience that focuses on interdependences between the consumer and other actors (e.g. family members or peers). A typical example for a research issue in this subfield is the decision of a consumer to trust a friend or a family member in a consumption-related decision (e.g. recommendation to buy a certain product in an online shop). After a description of some major concepts, such as trust, fairness, cooperation, and empathy, the chapter provides insights into the neural mechanisms and cognitive processes that are associated with these concepts. Although most of these insights are based on functional magnetic resonance imaging studies, the chapter provides some findings regarding the role of hormones in cognitive processing, for example, the relationship between serotonin and perceived unfairness.

This chapter focuses on research in commercial consumer neuroscience, which is a subfield of consumer neuroscience and often simply denoted as neuromarketing. Commercial consumer neuroscience concerns the application of neuroscience by companies for the purposes of product development, branding, and marketing. A typical example for a research issue in this subfield is the consumer’s perception of an attractive brand or advertisement. After providing a definition of this field, the relevant findings are discussed by using the structure of marketing instruments (i.e. pricing, product policy, communication, and distribution). In addition, the chapter provides insights into research on shopper neuroscience and salesperson interaction. Moreover, relevant studies on brand perception and brand memories are discussed. Finally, some limitations of research are presented from a scientific theoretical perspective, and an outlook is given on further possible developments.

This book provides an integrative guide to the modern, highly interdisciplinary, and complex field of consumer neuroscience. The aim is to provide a robust overview of the many theoretical and experimental domains involved, thereby balancing depth and breadth of presentation. The material is loosely structured in three, not explicitly delineated parts. The first three chapters discuss the scope of consumer neuroscience, relevant psychological phenomena, and the human brain. The following three chapters cover the relevant mathematics, scanner technologies, and data analyses. The next five chapters discuss concepts and applications of consumer neuroscience, some of which are rather well established, and some reflect cutting-edge research. Specifically, issues of individual, social, and commercial consumer neuroscience are addressed in addition to aspects related to gender differences, abnormal consumer behaviour, ageing, and organizational behaviour. The final two chapters discuss research ethics and future directions, respectively.

In this final chapter, future directions of consumer research and consumer neuroscience are sketched out and discussed. These directions include new or enhanced scanning technologies (e.g. the combination of functional magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalography), sustainability (e.g. the perception of organic food labels), big data, and artificial intelligence (e.g. predictive neuroscience). The chapter, and book, concludes with an outline of how research in consumer neuroscience might proceed without the direct application and use of functional neuroimaging techniques. This includes a basic theoretical model that might enable consumer researchers to derive new and potentially intriguing hypotheses by taking into account the different organizational levels of the human brain. This, in combination with commonly available databases, such as Neurosynth, would allow consumer research to gain new insights into consumer behaviour without utilizing experimental neuroimaging.

Much is known about how implementation intentions and financial incentives may help reduce the consumption of unhealthy food, but there is no study that compared the effects of both interventions and tested the influence of their combination on healthy eating behavior. In a field experiment among employees of a retailer, we observed that implementation intentions and financial incentives significantly reduced snack consumption immediately after the intervention. The combination of implementation intentions and financial incentives did not outperform the effects of the implementation intention or of the financial incentive. Interestingly, in the week after the interventions, only the implementation intention, but not the financial incentive reduced unhealthy snack consumption.

Die Stellung der Verbraucher hat sich uber verschiedene historische Phasen hinweg grundlegend verandert. Im Zuge einer zunehmenden Komplexitat im Bereich der Konsumption ist die systematische Erfassung und Auswertung verbraucherrelevanter Daten bedeutender geworden. Der vorliegende Beitrag will dieser Entwicklung Rechnung tragen und widmet sich einer Skizzierung der historischen Entwicklung verbraucherrelevanter Datensammlungen im Zeitraum der letzten 200 Jahre. Anhand verschiedener Bedarfsfelder wird aufgezeigt, dass die historischen Rahmenbedingungen verbraucherrelevanter Datensammlungen von unterschiedlichen Einflussfaktoren gepragt sind, die wiederum mit der Heterogenitat von unterschiedlichen Verbraucherinteressen korrespondieren. Dabei hat die systematische Erfassung verbraucherrelevanter Daten einen reaktiven Charakter, da Daten nicht proaktiv, sondern vielmehr als Reaktion auf neue Angebotsstrukturen erhoben wurden. Aus methodischer Perspektive haben sich verbraucherrelevante Datensammlungen im Zeitverlauf zunehmend ausdifferenziert, was u. a. durch die Hinzunahme neuer Erhebungsverfahren erklart werden kann.

Der Einsatz kunstlicher Intelligenz in der Finanzdienstleistungsbranche ermoglicht u.a. die Digitalisierung der Vermogensverwaltung. Unabdingbar dafur ist jedoch die Bereitschaft und Intention der Kunden, die entsprechenden Technologien zu nutzen. In diesem Zusammenhang widmet sich der vorliegende Beitrag der Frage, welche ggfs. differenzierte Bedeutung das Kundenvertrauen fur die Entstehung einer solcher Nutzungsintention hat. In einer theoretisch fundierten, empirischen Studie wird hierzu einerseits das Vertrauen in eine unspezifische, generelle digitale Vermogensverwaltung sowie andererseits das spezifische Vertrauen in eine von der jeweiligen Hausbank angebotene digitale Vermogensverwaltung untersucht.

PurposeThis research aims to systematically explore the cognitive and emotional effects of values-related and performance-related negative brand publicity and investigate how the psychological effects translate into different behavioural outcomes. In addition, it examines the relative effectiveness of two major brand response strategies in mitigating negative publicity.Design/methodology/approachTwo experimental studies were conducted to test the hypotheses. Study 1 examines the effects of values- and performance-related negative brand publicity, using a 3 (negative brand publicity: values-related vs performance-related vs control) × 2 (brand: Dove vs Axe) between-subjects experiment. Study 2 further compares the effects of two major brand response strategies on consumers’ post-crisis perceived trustworthiness and trust and responses towards a brand involved in negative publicity. A 2 (negative brand publicity: values-related vs performance-related) × 2 (brand response strategy: reduction-of-offensiveness vs corrective action) between-subjects design was used.FindingsThe results suggest that values-related negative brand publicity is perceived as being more diagnostic and elicits a stronger emotion of contempt, but a weaker emotion of pity than performance-related negative brand publicity. Moreover, values-related negative brand publicity has a stronger negative impact on consumer responses than performance-related negative brand publicity. Interestingly, compared to perceived diagnosticity of information and the emotion of pity, the emotion of contempt is more likely to cause differences in consumer responses to these two types of negative brand publicity. Regarding brand response strategy, corrective action is more effective than reduction-of-offensiveness for both types of negative brand publicity, but the advantage of corrective action is greater for the performance-related case.Originality/valueThis research enriches the negative publicity and brand perception literature, showing the asymmetric cognitive, emotional and behavioural effects of values- and performance-related negative brand publicity. It also identifies the psychological mechanisms underlying consumer responses to negative brand publicity, and it provides empirical evidence for the relative effectiveness of two major brand response strategies.

Purpose This study is the first to examine consumer’s neural reaction to different merchandising communication strategies at the point-of-sale (PoS) by applying functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). By doing so, the purpose of this study is to extend consumer neuroscience to retail and shopper research. Design/methodology/approach Two experiments were conducted in which 36 shoppers were exposed to a realistic grocery shopping scenario while their brain haemodynamics were measured using mobile fNIRS. Findings Results revealed that mobile fNIRS appears a valid method to study neural activation of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in the field of “shopper neuroscience”. More precisely, results demonstrated that the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) might be crucial for processing and predicting merchandising communication strategy effectiveness. Research limitations/implications This research gives evidence that certain regions of the PFC, in particular the OFC and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), are crucial to process and evaluate merchandising communication strategies. Practical implications The current work opens a promising new avenue for studying and understanding shopper’s behaviour. Mobile fNIRS enables marketing management to collect neural data from shoppers and analyse neural activity associated with real-life settings. Furthermore, based on a better understanding of shoppers’ perceptual processes of communication strategies, marketers can design more effective merchandising communication strategies. Originality/value The study is the first to implement the innovative, mobile neuroimaging method of fNIRS to a PoS setting. It, therefore, opens up the promising field of “shopper neuroscience”.