1,720,959 research outputs found
Understanding the Impact of Automatic and Deliberate Mental Haptic Imagery on Consumer Touch Perception in E-commerce Environments
No full textThe phenomenon's relevance. In online stores, the absence of physical product inspection often leads to post-purchase disappointment. Lacking technologies for engaging other senses, webshops mainly rely on visual information. To fill out the blanks, consumers can also rely on 'mental imagery' while browsing, imagining how it would be to interact with products through all senses. Theoretical foundations. Eliciting mental imagery has been used as a persuasive communication strategy for years. Especially in advertising, consumers are often encouraged to imagine the use of the product, leading to better product evaluation, stronger product desire, and greater purchase intentions (Krishna et al., 2016; Elder & Krishna, 2012). Two types of mental sensory imagery can be distinguished: deliberate (i.e., consumers being instructed to form an image) and automatic mental imagery (i.e., more spontaneous imagination, for example, by reading a description). The effects of both types of imagery are so far mostly studied in isolation (Elder & Krishna, 2022). Potential contributions to the field. This research (1) examines the effect of haptic imagery on consumer reactions in webshops, while (2) comparing both types (i.e., automatic and deliberate mental imagery). Research question(s). Our objective is to develop a better understanding of the role of these two types of haptic imagery in consumer decision-making processes in online shopping. We unravel explanatory mechanisms and inspect boundary conditions. Methodology. A controlled lab experiment (n = 161) in a beauty care context with a 2 (automatic imagery: yes/no) x 2 (deliberate imagery: yes/no) full factorial design has been conducted. Mediators (e.g., processing fluency), as well as moderators (e.g., imaginativeness), have been considered. Findings. Consumers with high imaginativeness should be encouraged to use their imaginative power by appealing to deliberate (rather than automatic) mental haptic imagery, as this activates three underlying favorable mechanisms. The indirect effect of deliberate imagery (compared to automatic imagery) on consumer attitude towards the product was statistically significant and positive-albeit only for highly imaginative consumers (+1SD)-and this via (1) communication evoked imagery processing (β = .25; 95% CI = [.05, .49]), (2) embodied mental simulation (β = .18; 95% CI = [.03, .36]), and (3) processing fluency (β = .21; 95% CI = [.05, .42]). These three mechanisms, in turn, are also directly positively related to more positive attitudes and higher purchase intentions towards the product. Discussion. Our findings in a webshop context echo what has been observed in the advertising realm before. Moreover, by examining both types of haptic imagery concurrently (rather than separately), we were able to observe that for certain target customer segments, deliberate imagery outperforms automatic imagery. Conclusion. These insights can inform marketing strategies and practices, ultimately leading to more effective and satisfying online shopping experiences for consumers
Understanding the Impact of Automatic and Deliberate Mental Haptic Imagery on Consumer Touch Perception in E-commerce Environments
No full textThe phenomenon's relevance. In online stores, the absence of physical product inspection often leads to post-purchase disappointment. Lacking technologies for engaging other senses, webshops mainly rely on visual information. To fill out the blanks, consumers can also rely on 'mental imagery' while browsing, imagining how it would be to interact with products through all senses. Theoretical foundations. Eliciting mental imagery has been used as a persuasive communication strategy for years. Especially in advertising, consumers are often encouraged to imagine the use of the product, leading to better product evaluation, stronger product desire, and greater purchase intentions (Krishna et al., 2016; Elder & Krishna, 2012). Two types of mental sensory imagery can be distinguished: deliberate (i.e., consumers being instructed to form an image) and automatic mental imagery (i.e., more spontaneous imagination, for example, by reading a description). The effects of both types of imagery are so far mostly studied in isolation (Elder & Krishna, 2022). Potential contributions to the field. This research (1) examines the effect of haptic imagery on consumer reactions in webshops, while (2) comparing both types (i.e., automatic and deliberate mental imagery). Research question(s). Our objective is to develop a better understanding of the role of these two types of haptic imagery in consumer decision-making processes in online shopping. We unravel explanatory mechanisms and inspect boundary conditions. Methodology. A controlled lab experiment (n = 161) in a beauty care context with a 2 (automatic imagery: yes/no) x 2 (deliberate imagery: yes/no) full factorial design has been conducted. Mediators (e.g., processing fluency), as well as moderators (e.g., imaginativeness), have been considered. Findings. Consumers with high imaginativeness should be encouraged to use their imaginative power by appealing to deliberate (rather than automatic) mental haptic imagery, as this activates three underlying favorable mechanisms. The indirect effect of deliberate imagery (compared to automatic imagery) on consumer attitude towards the product was statistically significant and positive-albeit only for highly imaginative consumers (+1SD)-and this via (1) communication evoked imagery processing (β = .25; 95% CI = [.05, .49]), (2) embodied mental simulation (β = .18; 95% CI = [.03, .36]), and (3) processing fluency (β = .21; 95% CI = [.05, .42]). These three mechanisms, in turn, are also directly positively related to more positive attitudes and higher purchase intentions towards the product. Discussion. Our findings in a webshop context echo what has been observed in the advertising realm before. Moreover, by examining both types of haptic imagery concurrently (rather than separately), we were able to observe that for certain target customer segments, deliberate imagery outperforms automatic imagery. Conclusion. These insights can inform marketing strategies and practices, ultimately leading to more effective and satisfying online shopping experiences for consumers
Enhancing Online Shopping Experience: The Effect of Deliberate vs. Automatic Haptic Imagery in Consumer Reactions: An Abstract
No full textThe COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent changes in consumer habits and preferences boosted online shopping. However, a perceived barrier in the shopper's online path to purchase is the lack of sensory input, physical inspection, or even trial opportunities for the products offered online, creating uncertainty in product assessment (Kim & Krishnan, 2015). As consumers can't physically inspect and try the product in an online store environment, they tend to depend on mental imagery. Mental imagery is "a prospective, multi-modal sensory and cognitive representation formed from memory that is evoked automatically or deliberately" (Elder & Krishna, 2022). Browsing through the online store environment, consumers imagine product interactions and sensory experiences (i.e., how the product feels, looks, smells, sounds, tastes). This research examines the effect of sensory imagery on consumer reactions in the online store environment. Our objective is to develop a better understanding of the different types of sensory imagery. Understanding the differences between these different types of imagery is crucial for comprehending how our minds operate and how they influence our thoughts, behaviors, and decision-making processes. Previous research identified two types of sensory imagery: deliberate imagery (i.e., the consumers are instructed to form an image) and automatic mental imagery (i.e., more spontaneously, for example, by reading a description; Elder & Krishna, 2022). The effects of these two types of imagery are mostly studied in isolation (Elder & Krishna, 2022). However, research comparing these types of imagery in terms of formation and consequences is lacking. The study aims to distinguish between deliberate and automatic mental imagery and their respective effects on perceived ownership, processing fluency, attitudes, and behavioral intentions while taking into account consumers' imaginativeness. A controlled experiment was conducted on 161 female participants in an online store featuring a beauty product. The findings reveal that deliberate mental imagery instructions significantly improve mental imagery processing, but only for consumers with high levels of imaginativeness. Parallel serial mediations indicate that enhanced mental imagery increases perceived ownership and processing fluency, which in turn elevate attitudes toward the product and purchase intention. These results shed light on the role of mental imagery in online shopping, benefitting both marketing theory and practical strategies to enhance the online shopping experience
Enhancing Online Shopping Experience: The Effect of Deliberate vs. Automatic Haptic Imagery in Consumer Reactions: An Abstract
No full textThe COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent changes in consumer habits and preferences boosted online shopping. However, a perceived barrier in the shopper's online path to purchase is the lack of sensory input, physical inspection, or even trial opportunities for the products offered online, creating uncertainty in product assessment (Kim & Krishnan, 2015). As consumers can't physically inspect and try the product in an online store environment, they tend to depend on mental imagery. Mental imagery is "a prospective, multi-modal sensory and cognitive representation formed from memory that is evoked automatically or deliberately" (Elder & Krishna, 2022). Browsing through the online store environment, consumers imagine product interactions and sensory experiences (i.e., how the product feels, looks, smells, sounds, tastes). This research examines the effect of sensory imagery on consumer reactions in the online store environment. Our objective is to develop a better understanding of the different types of sensory imagery. Understanding the differences between these different types of imagery is crucial for comprehending how our minds operate and how they influence our thoughts, behaviors, and decision-making processes. Previous research identified two types of sensory imagery: deliberate imagery (i.e., the consumers are instructed to form an image) and automatic mental imagery (i.e., more spontaneously, for example, by reading a description; Elder & Krishna, 2022). The effects of these two types of imagery are mostly studied in isolation (Elder & Krishna, 2022). However, research comparing these types of imagery in terms of formation and consequences is lacking. The study aims to distinguish between deliberate and automatic mental imagery and their respective effects on perceived ownership, processing fluency, attitudes, and behavioral intentions while taking into account consumers' imaginativeness. A controlled experiment was conducted on 161 female participants in an online store featuring a beauty product. The findings reveal that deliberate mental imagery instructions significantly improve mental imagery processing, but only for consumers with high levels of imaginativeness. Parallel serial mediations indicate that enhanced mental imagery increases perceived ownership and processing fluency, which in turn elevate attitudes toward the product and purchase intention. These results shed light on the role of mental imagery in online shopping, benefitting both marketing theory and practical strategies to enhance the online shopping experience
Visualizing choices: Assessing augmented reality's influence on choice difficulty across maximizers and satisficers
No full textVisualizing choices: Assessing augmented reality's influence on choice difficulty across maximizers and satisficers
No full textAugmenting the reality of decision-making: Comparing and combining product experiences' influence on choice difficulty and mental imagery
No full textCompanies are increasingly adopting augmented reality (AR) to provide new virtual product experiences for consumers. Despite practical and academic interest, AR's potential to reduce the negative effects of choice overload remains largely unexplored. Drawing on cognitive load theory, this article compares and combines AR with a more indirect product experience (i.e., physical product swatches) to examine the relationships between mental imagery, choice difficulty, choice confidence, and purchase intention while considering decision-making style as a moderator. The results show that AR, especially static AR, enhances mental imagery and that this imagery is key in influencing choice difficulty and confidence. However, difficulty can also be reduced by combining AR with a more traditional indirect product experience. Furthermore, mental imagery and choice difficulty influence choice confidence, subsequently affecting purchase intentions. Only for people with a maximizing decision-making style was a direct effect of choice difficulty on purchase intention found. The results contribute to choice overload and AR literature by demonstrating how AR's virtual experience affects decision-making and, more specifically, choice difficulty.Acknowledgements
The authors like to thank Robbe De Cuyper for his help with the data collection.
Funding
This research was funded by the Bijzonder Onderzoeksfonds grant (BOF2023 KP02 R-13796) of Hasselt University
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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