Sommer Kapitan

Auckland University of Technology | AUT · Department of Marketing, Advertising, Retailing and Sales

Purpose This paper aims to formally conceptualize service mega-disruptions as any far-reaching and unforeseen general environmental stressor or threat that impacts a service organization’s ability to provide a desired level of service. The authors differentiate sudden large-scale general environmental threats from traditional service failures in sc...

In the business-to-business (B2B) domain, brand activism is growing as a tool for attending to social problems and achieving brand differentiation. In this paper, we introduce B2B brand activism and conceive it as an emerging strategy that is enacted by firms within their supply chains and involves taking actions in relation to channel partners (e....

We define simulated satiation through reality‐enhancing technology as any attenuation in perceived benefits that occurs within or results from vicarious and simulated intermediary sources. We examine simulated satiation as a factor that underlies consumer experiences with reality‐enhancing technologies and presents nine testable propositions. Each...

Frugal individuals are known as restrained and disciplined spenders but also exhibit strong deal-seeking tendencies. The unexpected presentation of a deep discount brings these facets of frugality into apparent conflict. How might frugal consumers resolve this conflict? Qualitative analysis of interviews with frugal consumers (study 1) led us to fo...

Across four studies, over 1,100 participants, and two product categories, we examine the impact of endorser type (celebrity vs. influencer) on consumers’ willingness to pay for an endorsed product (Study 1a). We determine whether the impact of endorser type on willingness to pay is mediated by perceptions of authenticity (Study 1b). Finally, we tes...

In today’s marketplace, consumers want brands to take a stand on sociopolitical issues. When brands match activist messaging, purpose, and values with prosocial corporate practice, they engage in authentic brand activism, creating the most potential for social change and the largest gains in brand equity. In contrast, brands that detach their activ...

Retailers today are in a pivotal position to help reduce rising obesity rates. As the choice architects, retail managers and retail designers can shape the retail food space to better assist the shopper. Until recently, there has been little evidence to suggest how retailers could use ambient scents to influence the purchase and selection of health...

Historically, brands have not engaged in social and political conversations for fear of potentially alienating customers. However, in today’s postmodern culture, corporate neutrality has been subject to criticism. Remaining ambivalent on contentious issues is now more of a failing than a virtue, especially in the eyes of certain consumer groups (Be...

In decision making under risk, do consumers evaluate intangible, experiential options in a choice set in the same way they evaluate tangible, material options? Prior research on prospect theory, typically using either monetary or material objects as choice options, demonstrates that consumers are risk averse for choices involving gains, with a fair...

Business-to-business (B2B) buyers are finding it increasingly difficult to judge the true sustainability of supply chain partners (Oruezabala & Rico, 2012). Yet three-quarters of buyers in the OECD report they will dismiss potential supply chain partners who fail to meet sustainability criteria (Pierre, 2008). B2B firms then, cannot afford any conf...

Small‐dollar credit lenders offer consumers quick access to cash in the form of products such as pawn loans. The consumers who tend to use these small‐dollar credit products are more likely to face financial burden and potential for default— particularly when loan‐to‐value ratios are high. However, the cognitive effects of financial burden can impa...

Purpose This work aims to use equity theory to explore how consumers assess prosocial actions as part of a mental portfolio of purchases and behaviors in a broader marketplace, seeking balance in market exchanges. Conceptualizing marketing exchange as both an exchange of perceived value and a balance between self- and collective-interest allows fo...

Marketing scholars have devoted considerable effort to researching the impact of life transitions on consumption behaviour. However, prior literature on life events is broad and fragmented. This paper provides an up-to-date synthesis of past findings using an integrative review covering 116 articles on life events and consumption over the last 35 y...

Purpose This paper aims to use systems thinking, systems theory and Camillus’ framework for responding to wicked problems to provide social marketers with a theoretically based framework for approaching strategy formation for wicked problems. The paper treats fast fashion as an illustrative case and takes a step back from implementation to provide...

Sustainability in retail often looks at retail supply chains and the effects of retail outputs on people and the planet. Sustainable retail strategy then, in the main, retains this focus. Taking an interpretive approach, this study instead focuses on a successful sustainable retail brand to explore the characters that make up its image. The sustain...

We propose that attributions about an endorser truly liking, using, or desiring a promoted product mediate the relationship between source and message factors and persuasion via endorsement. In this paper, we integrate the persuasion literature into a framework for examining endorser effectiveness via focus factors (e.g., involvement, cognitive loa...

How does a previous owner's contact with used goods affect consumer judgments of these objects? This research identifies a trait measure of sensitivity to the residue of another's essence or taint found in a used possession. Those highly sensitive to residue respond to the transfer of contaminants from a previous owner of an object. Six samples in...

While popular interest in sustainable consumption continues to grow, there is a persistent gap between consumers' typically positive explicit attitudes towards sustainability and their actual consumption behaviors. The gap can be explained in part by the belief that choosing to consume sustainably is both constraining and reduces individual level b...

While popular interest in sustainable consumption continues to grow, there is a persistent gap between consumers' typically positive explicit attitudes towards sustainability and their actual consumption behaviours. This gap can be explained, in part, by the belief that choosing to consume sustainably is both constraining and reduces individual-lev...