No full-text available
To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the authors.
Exploring wasteful consumption
Abstract
While prior research indicates that most consumers are mindful of and averse to waste, resources are wasted in everyday life. The present research proposes that the establishment of pro-environmental credentials causes rather than reduces subsequent wasteful consumption. Two studies manipulating pro-environmental credentials and involving actual consumption behaviors support the hypothesis. Specifically, participants who had easily recalled their past environmentally-friendly actions (study 1) or who had made a recent purchase of green (vs. regular) products (study 2) were more prone to wasteful consumption of resources (e.g., paper, food). This research advances our understanding of consumer resource usage behavior by proposing a novel explanation as to why wasteful consumption occurs and highlights the importance of addressing the component of resource use when promoting sustainability.
... Wasting behavior is defined as inefficient resource use, in accordance with prior work [1][2][3]. Arkes [1] posited that people can be considered wasteful when they discard or do not fully use previously purchased items. In particular, he provides an example of a person who purchases a doughnut but only eats half of it. ...
... For example, Visschers et al. [4] evaluated wasting behavior by asking participants to report whether they finished consuming food they had purchased. Lin and Chang [3] assessed wasting behavior by quantifying inefficient paper use when evaluating the quality of scissors. Additionally, Hamilton et al. [5] asked Australian residents to estimate their expenditure on purchased goods and services that were never or hardly used, representing an indicator of wasteful consumption. ...
... Although many people are averse to being wasteful in their consumption [2,8], tons of resources, such as food and water, are nevertheless wasted every year [3,9]. As estimated by United States Environmental Protection 2020 [10], 63.1 million tons of food waste were generated in the commercial, institutional, and residential sectors in 2018, accounting for 21.6% of the total municipal solid waste generation in the United States. ...
Wasting behavior has become a serious issue in modern society, especially when individuals face economic recessions and environmental problems. Despite the literature exploring cultural and sociological antecedents of wasting behavior, limited attention has been given to the role of individuals’ associated psychological states. The present research fills this gap by examining how and why stress, a psychological state pervasive among people in the modern world, can influence individuals’ wasting behavior through three studies. Pilot study and Study 1 provide evidence of the positive relationship between stress and wasting behavior. Then, Study 2 sheds light on the mechanism underlying the proposed effect by taking impaired self-control as a mediator. Lastly, the theoretical contributions and practical implications of this research are discussed.
... Waste is the imbalance between an individual's resources and the amount they need. This encompasses the use of resources beyond what is necessary (i.e., excessive consumption) or the inefficient use of resources [42]. Many individuals are conscious of and dislike wasting resources [36]. ...
... Recycling can help people feel more connected to the environment and confident in their ability to make a difference. Individuals can build a positive environmental identity and sense of self-efficacy by recognizing their past recycling efforts with items like paper, cups, and aluminum cans, leading to a more significant commitment to pro-environmental behaviors [42]. This will lead consumers to believe they are already successful when they make a pro-environmental recycling effort and strengthen their sense of self-efficacy in meeting their goals. ...
Recent research has specifically targeted the decision-making process of eco-friendly individuals, emphasizing the significance of recycling and its impact on sustainability. Our study extends this inquiry by examining the correlation between recycling participation and pro-environmental behavior among consumers, integrating the concepts of self-efficacy, feelings of pride, and social pressure into our analysis. We utilized targeted sampling to collect data from a diverse sample of 378 participants, ensuring representation across key demographic groups. By employing Partial Least Squares–Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), we aimed to explore the intricate relationships underpinning recycling behaviors and pro-environmental actions. The results suggest that self-efficacy and feelings of pride significantly influence individuals’ recycling behaviors, highlighting the role of psychological and social factors in promoting environmental sustainability. It was concluded that social pressure did not have the expected moderating effect on increasing consumers’ feelings of pride and self-efficacy toward recycling activities. This study sheds light on the underlying mechanisms that drive pro-environmental actions, contributes to understanding sustainability promotion through recycling, and offers insights for policymakers and environmental advocates to help foster environmental responsibility and behavior change. The findings emphasize that individuals often value personal achievement and development more when addressing environmental responsibilities and that social pressure does not achieve its expected effects.
... Waste is the imbalance between an individual's resources and the amount they need. This encompasses the use of resources beyond what is necessary (i.e., excessive consumption) or the inefficient use of resources [34]. Many individuals are conscious of and dislike wasting resources [29]. ...
... In our situation, recycling can help people feel more connected to the environment and confident in their ability to make a difference. Individuals can build a positive environmental identity and sense of self-efficacy by recognizing their past recycling efforts with items like paper, cups, and aluminum cans, leading to a more significant commitment to pro-environmental behaviors [34]. This will lead consumers to believe that they are already successful when they make a pro-environmental recycling effort and strengthen their sense of self-efficacy in meeting their goals. ...
Recent research has specifically targeted the decision-making process of eco-friendly individuals, emphasizing the significance of recycling and its impact on sustainability. Our study extends this inquiry by examining the correlation between recycling participation and pro-environmental behavior among consumers, integrating the concepts of self-efficacy, feelings of pride, and social pressure into our analysis. Utilizing Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), we aimed to explore the intricate relationships that underpin these behaviors. Results suggest that self-efficacy and feelings of pride significantly influence individuals' recycling behaviors, highlighting the role of psychological and social factors in promoting environmental sustainability. Interestingly, it was concluded that social pressure did not have the expected moderating effect on increasing consumers' feelings of pride and self-efficacy toward recycling activities.This study not only sheds light on the underlying mechanisms that drive pro-environmental actions but also contributes to understanding sustainability promotion through recycling and offers insights for policymakers and environmental advocates to foster environmental responsibility and behavior change.
... Due to the difference between service and good providers in terms of evaluation of waste by consumers, as identified by Bolton and Alba (2012), further research has focused on rent-versus-buy decisions (Tully et al., 2013) or on goods waste avoidance. Philip et al. (2015) examine the effect in peer-to-peer renting, Cruz-Cárdenas and del Val Núñez (2016) study clothing disposition by gifting, and several researchers look into food waste (Lin and Chang, 2017;Graham-Rowe et al., 2014;Stancu et al., 2016). In our research, we propose and test a theory of repellent effect of waste especially for services, and for perishable goods, thus expanding the theoretical knowledge in this domain. ...
... Because of the proposed gap by Bolton and Alba's research between service and good providers being evaluated by customers for waste, further work on this idea has focused on rent-versus-buy decisions (Tully et al., 2013) or on goods waste avoidance. Philip et al. (2015) examine the effect in peer-to-peer renting, Cruz-Cárdenas et al. (2016) study clothing disposition by gifting, and several researchers look into food waste (Lin and Chang, 2017;Graham-Rowe et al., 2014;Stancu et al., 2016). In our research, we proposed and tested a theory of repellent effect of waste especially for services, and for perishable goods, thus expanding the theoretical knowledge so far. ...
" The Repellent Effect of Waste" Abstract This research poses a theory of the Repelling Effect of Waste in services and perishable goods, explores its principles, and proposes the first moderating factor in the literature that we are aware of. The main ideas of our research and the proposed theory focus on the following three areas of contribution to marketing science: [1] We offer insights about waste aversion in services and actual WTP. We carry out experiments to support our theoretical propositions; [2] We propose insights about the decision-making processes that people go through in terms of complexity and choice (relating to 'waste' and in the context of offers and price design), and how cost disclosure interacts with this; [3] We discuss the importance of key variables such as income (or relative wealth), on those processes, and support our propositions with experimental insights. Through a series of six experiments, this research brings evidence of waste aversion in the context of services, which is the main contribution of the research. This research also looks at Willingness to Purchase (WTP) and proposes that Qualitative Cost cues could be an effective and ethical way to increase consumer's willingness to pay a price premium. Our experimental results also show that there is an ethical, cheap and effective way to communicate a price premium to consumers and convince them to buy a premium product: qualitative cost cues. WTP can be increased by up to 36% in potential consumers. Our experiments further show that less is not always more. In many industries, marketers offer features that build additional value of the product or service being offered. Sweeteners, bonus packs, 2-in-1 deals and similar marketing techniques have become commonplace. However, our experiment shows there could be such a thing as too much value, bordering on waste, in an offering, which eventually could put customers off, rather than entice them into buying the product. Keywords: pricing, bundles, pricing of services, service marketing, waste, sustainability, efficiency.
... At the time of writing (September 2024), the article had 335 Google Scholar citations. In addition, Arkes's (1996) work on waste aversion has important practical implications, such as in the domains of consumer decision-making (Lin & Chang, 2017) and in the links to other classic phenomena such as the sunk cost effect (Arkes et al., 1997) and "less is more" (e.g., Bolton & Alba, 2012). ...
Arkes (1996) demonstrated a phenomenon of wastefulness avoidance, showing that people’s decisions are impacted by wastefulness, making decisions that avoid appearing wasteful. In a Registered Report with a Prolific sample (N = 659), we conducted a replication and extensions of Studies 1, 2, and 3 from Arkes (1996). We found empirical support for the impact of waste on evaluations of decisions in the movie package scenario in Study 1 (original: h=0.43[0.03, 0.83]; replication: h=0.26[0.10,0.42]) and on hypothetical decisions in the tent project scenario in Study 3 (original: w = 0.23 [0.00, 0.52]; replication: w = 0.09 [0.00, 0.17]), but with no support in the tax program scenario in Study 2 (original: w = .27 [0.00, 0.55]; replication: w = 0.03 [0.00, 0.12]). Our extension employing a continuous willingness measure, to supplement the scenarios’ dichotomous choice, showed similar results. We added a manipulation check extension which showed that the manipulation worked as expected in Scenarios 1 and 3, but not in Scenario 2. In our extension examining reasons, in the successfully replicated scenarios we found that in Scenario 1 utility maximization was not rated as the most important and in Scenario 3 minimizing waste was rated as the most important reason. Overall, we concluded a mixed replication, with a successful replication of two of the three tested studies. Materials, data, and code are available on: https://osf.io/gf8rc/ . This Registered Report has been officially endorsed by Peer Community in Registered Reports: https://doi.org/10.24072/pci.rr.100801
... At the time of writing (September 2024), the article had 335 Google Scholar citations. In addition, Arkes's (1996) work on waste aversion has important practical implications, such as in the domains of consumer decision-making (Lin & Chang, 2017) and in the links to other classic phenomena such as the sunk cost effect (Arkes et al., 1997) and "less is more" (e.g., Bolton & Alba, 2012). ...
Arkes (1996) demonstrated a phenomenon of wastefulness avoidance, showing that people’s decisions are impacted by wastefulness, making decisions that avoid appearing wasteful. In a Registered Report with a Prolific sample (N = 659), we conducted a replication and extensions of Studies 1, 2, and 3 from Arkes (1996). We found empirical support for the impact of waste on evaluations of decisions in the movie package scenario in Study 1 (original: h=0.43[0.03, 0.83]; replication: h=0.26[0.10,0.42]) and on hypothetical decisions in the tent project scenario in Study 3 (original: w = 0.23 [0.00, 0.52]; replication: w = 0.09 [0.00, 0.17]), but with no support in the tax program scenario in Study 2 (original: w = .27 [0.00, 0.55]; replication: w = 0.03 [0.00, 0.12]). Our extension employing a continuous willingness measure, to supplement the scenarios’ dichotomous choice, showed similar results. We added a manipulation check extension which showed that the manipulation worked as expected in Scenarios 1 and 3, but not in Scenario 2. In our extension examining reasons, in the successfully replicated scenarios we found that in Scenario 1 utility maximization was not rated as the most important and in Scenario 3 minimizing waste was rated as the most important reason. Overall, we concluded a mixed replication, with a successful replication of two of the three tested studies. Materials, data, and code are available on: https://osf.io/gf8rc/ . This Registered Report has been officially endorsed by Peer Community in Registered Reports: https://doi.org/10.24072/pci.rr.100801
... Gould et al. [30] bring out some of these nuances in their study,which revealed that,in response to the need for environmental action,people tend to focus mostly on expedient behaviors,such as composting and recycling,rather than systemic and deeper issues of unsustainable consumption-what the authors refer to as "environmental behavior's dirty secret."Such a short-sighted diagnosis of environmental issues lulls individuals into a state of complacency,having exhibited a few instances of what is popularly known as PEBs.Not surprisingly, past studies have reported the evidence of negative spillovers and rebound effects of PEBs [31], [32], [33], [34].What is more pertinent and rather alarming is that even research literature on environmental behavior has been vulnerable to this trend. For instance,Bovea et al. [35] note that disposal behavior is the most widely studied topic in consumer studies on e-waste management. ...
There is growing interest among activists, policy makers, academicians, and practitioners in understanding and promoting sustainable consumption. Research in environmental psychology has largely concentrated on western societies, while the global south, a major player in global sustainability transition, is underrepresented. This sample skewness has undermined the role of context and a restricted conceptualization of environmental behavior. Further, there is a research need to incorporate environmental behaviors that are driven by cultural beliefs, practices, and evolving local context, more so in non-western societies. Motivated by these gaps, we discuss and develop a model integrating contextual influences on environmental behavior, outline its antecedents, and its research and managerial implications. We focus on Attitudinal Factors and External Factors as antecedents of environmental behavior and highlight the contextual influence with specific reference to India. We identify six dimensions under attitudinal factors— individual-nature, individual-individual, individual-time, individual-life, individual-technology, and individual-waste— and monetary, social, and physical categories in external factors. We present an integrated model to stimulate more studies on environmental behavior and guide behavior change interventions in non-Western contexts. The model provides a theoretical lens to extend our understanding of the nature and dynamics of contextual influences on environmental behavior. Further, practitioners could leverage the model to aid strategic interventions for business and policy outcomes.
... Overall, consumer behaviour is complex [19]. It includes a range of cultural, economic and social dynamic processes that iteratively influence consumers, their environment (physical, socio-cultural, reference groups, marketing activities), personal convictions (emotional, affective, cognitive) and behaviours (actions, habits, lifestyles), [27,33,39,54]. These factors create a comprehensive body of thinking and research that reflects consumer behaviour's cognitive and emotional aspects [53]. ...
Awareness and understanding of green consumer behaviour (GCB) in emerging economies can increase consumer participation in green initiatives, leading to better product and behavioural choices and protecting scarce resources. Therefore, consumers should actively change their daily habits, lifestyle, and behaviour choices. A transdisciplinary critical realism approach can complement current knowledge on green consumer behaviour theories, which can layer behaviour change as a circular feedback process. Our approach could surpass linearity and rational decision-making—embracing the power of sustainable daily habits. We reviewed green consumer behaviour theories and identified the social cognitive theory (SCT) to support our approach. Hence, we employed an integrative review of applied SCT and green consumer behaviour. Findings suggest GCB as a reciprocal process with behaviour not only the outcome but an integral part of the process, as are personal and external determinants, existing in laminated layers of meaning that transcend the obvious. Finally, we propose a novel adapted framework that considers critical constructs that warrant investigation of an emerging economy context to identify consumers’ challenges that impede behavioural change. Recommendations include segmenting consumers through pro-environmental self-identity, consumer personalities, and daily habits, which can help target consumers with appropriate messages and interventions to encourage greener lifestyles.
... According to this theory, people are more predisposed to invest in a losing course of action when they are personally responsible for negative past outcomes, i.e., higher personal responsibility for initial decisions leads to higher degree of sunk cost effect. (3) The waste-avoidance theory (Arkes & Ayton, 1999;Lin & Chang, 2017), in which avoidance of waste is a motivating factor in people's decision to honor sunk costs by not abandoning a failed course of action. And finally, (4) the self-control science (De Ridder & Lensvelt-Mulders, 2018;Rachlin, 2000) that teaches how to resist temptations and refuse to act impulsively, since we have a tendency to be influenced by sunk costs. ...
Our aim is to understand the role of the sunk cost effect in intimate abusive relationships. Results of a questionnaire, based on likely scenarios applied to 267 women, show that women in a relationship invest more time/days in a relationship than those who are not in a relationship. Also, an effect of scenario and of relationship status on sunk cost effect were found. Women spend more time in a non-violent scenario; also, they spend more time in a scenario of psychological violence than in one of sexual or physical violence. These results suggest that being in a relationship enhance the likelihood of committing sunk cost effect; prior investments in a relationship acquire more value for individuals in a current relationship where those efforts exist naturally.
Purpose
This study aimed to understand how the consumer–green brand relationship affects the behavior of consumers of e-commerce platforms for smallholder farmers; it did so by formulating and testing a framework based on social identity perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
Structural equation modeling was applied to data from 532 questionnaire responses.
Findings
All hypotheses were supported. Customers’ environmental consciousness, green brand consciousness and green brand self-expression strongly affect green consumption consciousness. The effect of environmental consciousness on green brand identification is stronger than that of environmental consciousness on green brand consciousness and that of green brand self-expression on green brand identification.
Practical implications
Suggestions for managing green brands on e-commerce platforms for smallholder farmers and references for strategizing are also provided.
Originality/value
This study accounts for a wide range of antecedents of green consumption consciousness based on a social identity perspective. This study is the first to elucidate how green consumption affects the e-commerce branding of green smallholder farmers.
Experimental research on sequential moral behavior (SMB) has found that engaging in an initial moral (or immoral) behavior can sometimes lead to moral balancing (i.e., switching between positive and negative behavior) and sometimes to moral consistency (i.e., maintaining a consistent pattern of positive or negative behavior). In two meta-analyses, we present the first comprehensive syntheses of SMB studies and test moderators to identify the conditions under which moral balancing and moral consistency are most likely to occur. Meta-Analysis 1 (k = 217 effect sizes, N = 31,242) revealed that engaging in an initial positive behavior only reliably resulted in moral licensing (i.e., balancing) in studies that measured engagement in negative target behaviors (Hedges’ g = 0.25, 95% CI [0.16, 0.44]) and only resulted in positive consistency in foot-in-the-door studies using prosocial requests (Hedges’ g = −0.44, 95% CI [−0.59, −0.29]). Meta-Analysis 2 (k = 132 effect sizes, N = 14,443) revealed that engaging in an initial negative behavior only reliably resulted in moral compensation (i.e., balancing) in studies that measured engagement in positive target behaviors (Hedges’ g = 0.27, 95% CI [0.18, 0.37]). We found no evidence for reliable negative consistency effects in any conditions. These results cannot be readily explained by current theories of SMB effects, and so further research is needed to better understand the mechanisms that drive moral balancing and consistency under the conditions observed.
Recognising that managers need to be able to interpret consumer trends and apply those insights to the company, the aim of this study is to identify and explain pro-environmental behaviour among Gen Z/post-Millennials during the Covid-19 pandemic, then develop psychographic segmentation that explains their consumption, and reveals obstacles to cleaner consumption. By focusing on one of the main consumer groups of the future, this study adds to existing research on environmentally conscious consumer behaviour (ECCB). Managers need to be in touch with these consumers’ perceptions and values to recognize when those values may begin to shift. Framed by the changed circumstances due to lockdown, France is used as an illustration (or proxy) to show how far citizens in Europe have shifted towards ECCB. The findings reflect the extent to which app-based services and digital technologies can enable ECCB – but may also be driving environmentally harmful behaviour by amplifying the need for conformity and convenience. Given the paucity of research focusing on managing ECCB among this cohort, this study provides new and useful insights for business managers, policy makers and scholars.
Purpose: During the last decade, studies on the theoretical models of mindful marketing and consumption have gained the attention of researchers due to the increased awareness concerning environmentalism among companies and consumers. Mindful marketing is about a balanced approach sans consumerism, and mindful consumption is about making informed choices for the well-being of society, businesses, and individuals. The purpose of the paper is to critically review the previous studies on mindfulness in marketing and consumption, identify the research gaps, provide directions for future research, and set a research agenda. Methodology: Framework-based systematic literature review is used for the review. The framework used is the TCCM (Theories, Contexts, Characteristics, and Methodology) (Paul J. et al. 2019). The study highlights the findings from prior studies to understand the theory development and compares the characteristics and contexts based on the framework used. The articles used in the study are from the period 2002–2022 from journals with an impact factor of more than 1.0 and indexed in Scopus and ABDC. The period of the last 20 years was chosen because research on mindfulness in marketing and consumption from the business perspective gained momentum during the last two decades. Findings: The study suggests that studies on mindful marketing and consumption focussed more on the development of sector-specific models. A universally accepted definition and conceptual understanding of mindful marketing and consumption are yet to be researched in future studies. The previous studies did not cover conceptual aspects of mindful marketing and consumption. There is an excellent scope for theoretical extension in this area as it covers almost three subjects: sustainability, marketing, and consumer behavior. Contribution: There is no review in the previous studies that have comprehensively explored the theoretical development, contexts, characteristics, and methodology based on all the articles published in the last two decades. The review seeks to delve deeper into the area of mindful marketing and consumption, which would help in the identification of research gaps and the development of the research agenda.
In response to climate change, interventions have been implemented to encourage sustainable behavior. Such interventions may not only promote the target behavior but also increase (positive spillover) or reduce (negative spillover) non-targeted outcomes. This pre-registered meta-analysis integrated the experimental research on environmental spillover to update a previous meta-analysis (Maki et al., 2019). Database searches in several languages supplemented by searches to retrieve unpublished literature yielded 63 aggregated effect sizes from 38 studies and 29 articles (N = 26,613 unique participants). A three-level Bayesian meta-analysis provided weak support for no spillover on intentions and strong support for no spillover on behaviors. If spillover was present, it would likely be small and positive for intentions, δ = 0.15, 95% CrI [-0.01, 0.31], but negligible for behaviors, δ = 0.01, 95% CrI [-0.13, 0.16]. Positive spillover was most likely when interventions were autonomy-supportive (very strong evidence), provided a rationale (moderate to strong evidence), did not use financial (dis)incentives (weak to strong evidence), and addressed normative (extreme evidence) or a combination of normative and personal gain goals (strong evidence). Spillover was similar across research settings (moderate evidence) and partly across samples (weak to moderate evidence), which may suggest generalizability. To set standards for robust spillover research, we developed the Power-Reporting-Open science (PRO) guidelines. The Bayesian approach allows for robust conclusions and continuous updating with new evidence. We hope that this supports future revisions toward a sustainable overview of robust and high-powered spillover studies that independent researchers can easily update.
The present study aims to determine whether religiosity affects hedonic consumption behavior, which expresses pleasure-oriented consumption behavior, and wasteful consumption behavior, which
expresses waste-oriented consumption behavior, and whether hedonic consumption behavior has an effect on wasteful consumption behavior. For this purpose, the convenience sampling method was chosen among the sampling methods, and the data was collected with the online questionnaire form. During the data collection process, 490 participants were reached, but as a result of the removal of incorrect questionnaires, the data of 481 participants were included in the analysis. In the analysis of the obtained data, frequency analysis, factor analysis, and Structural Equation Model analysis were performed by using SPSS 21 and AMOS 24 programs. As a result of the study, it was determined that religiosity has a negative effect on hedonic consumption behavior and wasteful consumption behavior, while hedonic consumption behavior has a positive effect on wasteful consumption.
Climate change represents a major global challenge. Responding to climate change, interventions have been implemented to encourage sustainable behavior. Such interventions may not only promote the target behavior but also increase (positive spillover) or reduce (negative spillover) non-targeted sustainable intentions and behaviors. This pre-registered meta-analysis integrated the experimental research on environmental spillover. Database searches in several languages supplemented by searches to retrieve unpublished literature yielded 61 aggregated effect sizes from 37 studies and 28 articles (N = 26,749 unique participants). The three-level Bayesian meta-analysis provided moderate support for a small positive spillover on intentions, δ = 0.14, 95% CrI [-0.02, 0.29], and strong support for no spillover on behaviors, δ = 0. Moderator analyses showed that positive spillover on intentions and behaviors combined was more likely when interventions thwarted rather than preserved individual choice, and when they addressed normative rather than personal gain goals. Spillover on intentions and behaviors combined was similar in laboratory, online, and field studies, supporting generalizability across settings. Based on this meta-analysis, we developed the PRO guidelines which emphasize statistical power, reporting, and open science to set standards for robust spillover research. The Bayesian approach allows for robust conclusions about the presence and absence of spillover as well as continuous updating with new evidence. We hope that the Bayesian approach combined with the PRO guidelines paves the way toward a sustainable overview of robust spillover research that independent researchers can easily update.
Gérer la consommation pour un monde plus propre ... mais qu'est-ce que j'y gagne ? Résumé Partant du principe que les managers doivent être capables d'interpréter les évolutions de la consommation et d'appliquer ces connaissances à l'entreprise, l'objectif de cette étude est d'identifier et d'expliquer le comportement pro-environnemental des Générations Z/post-Milléniales pendant la pandémie COVID-19, puis de développer une segmentation psychographique qui explique leur consommation et révèle les obstacles à une consommation plus propre. En se concentrant sur l'un des plus importants groupes de consommateurs de demain, cette étude enrichit les recherches existantes sur le comportement des consommateurs respectueux de l'environnement (environmentally conscious consumer behaviour: ECCB). Les managers devront connaître les perceptions et les valeurs de ces consommateurs afin de reconnaître le moment où ces valeurs pourraient commencer à changer. Dans le contexte du changement de circonstances dû au confinement, la France sert d'illustration (ou de substitut) pour montrer dans quelle mesure les citoyens européens se sont tournés vers le ECCB. Les résultats montrent à quel point les services basés sur des applications et les technologies numériques peuvent permettre le ECCB, mais peuvent également être à l'origine de comportements néfastes pour l'environnement en accentuant les exigences de conformité et de confort. Compte tenu de la rareté des recherches axées sur la gestion des ECCB au sein de cette cohorte, cette étude apporte de nouveaux éléments de réponse utiles pour les chefs d'entreprise, les politiques et les chercheurs. Mots-clés : Comportement des consommateurs respectueux de l'environnement (environmentally conscious consumer behaviour : ECCB), post-millénaire/génération Z, technologies numériques Managing consumption for a cleaner future … but what's in it for me? Abstract Recognising that managers need to be able to interpret consumer trends and apply those insights to the company, the aim of this study is to identify and explain pro-environmental behaviour among Gen Z/post-Millennials during the COVID-19 pandemic, then develop psychographic segmentation that explains their consumption, and reveals obstacles to cleaner consumption. By focusing on one of the main consumer groups of the future, this study adds to existing research on environmentally conscious consumer behaviour (ECCB). Managers need to be in touch with these consumers' perceptions and values to recognize when those values may begin to shift. Framed by the changed circumstances due to lockdown, France is used as an illustration (or proxy) to show how far citizens in Europe have shifted towards ECCB. The findings reflect the extent to which app-based services and digital technologies can enable ECCB-but may also be driving environmentally harmful behaviour by amplifying the need for conformity and convenience. Given the paucity of research focusing on managing ECCB among this cohort, this study provides new and useful insights for business managers, policy makers and scholars.
dönüşüm materyallerinin sağlanması ile plastik, kâğıt ve cam atıklarının sırasıyla %26, %37, %23 oranında, bilgilendirme çalışmaları sonrasında ise sırasıyla %69, %75 ve %26 oranında toplandığı tespit edilmiştir. • Geri dönüşümden önce israfsızlığın üzerinde durulması gerekmektedir. • Geri dönüşümde farkındalık çalışmalarının, geri dönüşüm materyallerini bulundurmak kadar önemli olduğu görülmüştür. Özet İnsanların refah düzeylerinin yükselmesi ile beraber geri dönüşebilir atık miktarı da artmıştır. Günümüzde insanlarda farkındalığın arttırılması geri dönüşebilir atıkların kaynağında ayrı toplanabilmesi için oldukça önemlidir. Özellikle geleceğin sahibi öğrencilerin farkındalığının arttırılması, geri dönüşüm faaliyetlerinin sürdürülebilirliği açısından önemli bir adım olarak görülmektedir. Bu çalışmada Adıyaman Üniversitesi Mühendislik Fakültesi pilot çalışma bölgesi olarak seçilmiştir. Fakültede öğrencilerin kolay erişebileceği noktalara geri dönüşüm kutuları yerleştirilmiştir. Çalışma süresince günlük çıkan atık miktarları gözlemlenerek bilgilendirme çalışmaları öncesi ve sonrasındaki toplanan atık miktarları karşılaştırılmıştır. Bilgilendirme çalışmaları öncesinde fakülte içerisine geri dönüşüm kutularının yerleştirilmesi ile beraber plastik, kâğıt ve cam atıklarının sırasıyla %26, %37, %23 oranında toplandığı görülmüştür. Bilgilendirme çalışması sonrasında bu oranların sırasıyla %69, %75 ve %26'ya yükseldiği tespit edilmiştir. Bu veriler bilgilendirme çalışmalarının geri dönüşüm kutularının bulundurulması kadar önemli olduğunu göstermiştir. Abstract The amount of recyclable waste has increased with the improvement in the welfare of people. Nowadays, it is very important to raise awareness of people in order to collect recyclable wastes separately at the source. Increasing awareness of the students who are the owners of the future is seen as an important step in terms of sustainability of recycling activities. In this study, Adiyaman University Engineering Faculty was selected as pilot study region. Recycling bins are placed in the faculty where the students can reach easily. During the study, daily amount of waste was observed and the amount of waste collected before and after informative activities was compared. With the introduction of recycling bins into the faculty prior to the informative activities, it was observed that plastic, paper and glass wastes were collected at 26%, 37% and 23%, respectively. After the informative activities, it was determined that these rates increased to 69%, 75% and 26% respectively. According to these data, it has been shown that informative activities are as important as having recycling bins.
Sustainable development and ecological issues have gained the attention of policy makers, practitioners and consumers at local, national and global level. India, with 1.34 billion people, is the second most populous country and sixth largest economy measured by nominal GDP in the world. Rapid industrialization, population growth, poverty, vehicle emissions, usage of hazardous chemicals have given birth to great number of environmental problems and continue to put tremendous pressure upon the country's land and natural resources. Rapid economic growth rate has severely degraded environment in the form of deforestation, pollution and threats to endangered species. The emphasis of sustainable development demands substantial changes of human behavior at individual level. Indian population, therefore, needs to be convinced to behave in a socially responsible manner for its sustainable development. It is crucial for the citizens to have enough environmental knowledge, supporting social atmosphere to develop positive attitudes for socially responsible behavior. The paper aims to study Indian consumers in terms of their socially responsible consumption behavior. Also, to explore the extent of the relationship between socially responsible behavior and the demographics of Indian consumers. The study also investigates the influence of collectivism, idealism, locus of control and economic status on socially responsible consumption behavior. The research will help the marketers and policymakers to formulate and implement well-structured strategy to motivate socially responsible consumption behavior.
Given the number of volume judgments made by consumers, for example, deciding which package is larger and by how much, it is surprising that little research pertaining to volume perceptions has been done in marketing. In this article, the authors examine the interplay of expectations based on perceptual inputs versus experiences based on sensory input in the context of volume perceptions. Specifically, they examine biases in the perception of volume due to container shape. The height of the container emerges as a vital dimension that consumers appear to use as a simplifying visual heuristic to make a volume judgment. However, perceived consumption, contrary to perceived volume, is related inversely to height. This lowered perceived consumption is hypothesized and shown to increase actual consumption. A series of seven laboratory experiments programmatically test model predictions. Results show that perceived volume, perceived consumption, and actual consumption are related sequentially. Furthermore, the authors show that container shape affects preference, choice, and postconsumption satisfaction. The authors discuss theoretical implications for contrast effects when expectancies are disconfirmed, specifically as they relate to biases in visual information processing, and provide managerial implications of the results for package design, communication, and pricing.
Across three studies, this research elucidates when loss- versus gain-framed messages are most effective in influencing consumer recycling by examining the moderating role of whether a more concrete or abstract mind-set is activated. First, in a field study, the authors demonstrate that loss frames are more efficacious when paired with low-level, concrete mind-sets, whereas gain frames are more effective when paired with high-level, abstract mind-sets. This is an important, substantive finding that persisted over a significant time span. In addition, in two additional laboratory studies, they find further evidence for this matching hypothesis, in which a pairing of loss- (gain-) framed messages that activates more concrete (abstract) mind-sets leads to enhanced processing fluency, increased efficacy, and, as a result, more positive recycling intentions. The findings have implications for marketers, consumers, and society as a whole.
In order to avoid the appearance of wastefulness people may be motivated to make choices that compromise their own self-interest. In Experiment 1 subjects learned that Mr Munn didn't take advantage of a ‘three-pack’ which would have enabled him to see three movies for 5 per movie. Most subjects predicted that after having attended two movies at the regular price, Mr Munn would then be unwilling to purchase a ticket to attend a potentially enjoyable third movie, either because he would consider such a purchase to be wasteful or because he would be angry at having eschewed the ‘three-pack’. In Experiment 2 subjects who could use an obsolete product to ‘trade-up’ to a new model were more likely to buy the new model than were subjects who could purchase it at the identical low price. It was hypothesized that utilizing an obsolete product to obtain a new model would seem less wasteful than making an outright purchase of the new model. In Experiment 3 a large majority of subjects faced with a sunk cost situation persevered with the failing project if the alternative was selling the material ‘for its scrap value’. However, if the alternative consisted of selling the materials for an identical price to someone who could use them, then subjects were less likely to persevere with the failing project. Marketing implications and the propriety of retrospective evaluation of prior decisions were also discussed.
Three studies tested whether the opportunity to endorse Barack Obama made individuals subsequently more likely to favor Whites over Blacks. In Study 1, participants were more willing to describe a job as better suited for Whites than for Blacks after expressing support for Obama. Study 2 replicated this effect and ruled out alternative explanations: participants favored Whites for the job after endorsing Obama, but not after endorsing a White Democrat, nor after seeing Obama’s photo without having an opportunity to endorse him. Study 3 demonstrated that racial attitudes moderated this effect: endorsing Obama increased the amount of money allocated to an organization serving Whites at the expense of an organization serving Blacks only for participants high in a measure of racial prejudice. These three studies suggest that expressing support for Obama grants people moral credentials [Monin, B., & Miller, D. T. (2001). Moral credentials and the expression of prejudice. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 81, 33–43], thus reducing their concern with appearing prejudiced.
Three studies examined when and why an actor's prior good deeds make observers more willing to excuse--or license--his or her subsequent, morally dubious behavior. In a pilot study, actors' good deeds made participants more forgiving of the actors' subsequent transgressions. In Study 1, participants only licensed blatant transgressions that were in a different domain than actors' good deeds; blatant transgressions in the same domain appeared hypocritical and suppressed licensing (e.g., fighting adolescent drug use excused sexual harassment, but fighting sexual harassment did not). Study 2 replicated these effects and showed that good deeds made observers license ambiguous transgressions (e.g., behavior that might or might not represent sexual harassment) regardless of whether the good deeds and the transgression were in the same or in a different domain--but only same-domain good deeds did so by changing participants' construal of the transgressions. Discussion integrates two models of why licensing occurs.
This research focuses on a pervasive but largely unexamined product attribute-freshness date-to shed light on how and why its influence on the consumption of perishable products changes with product ownership. Drawing on recent research on the endowment effect, we demonstrate that even when the differential costs implicit in ownership are controlled for, consumers are more likely to actually consume a product past its freshness date when they own it than when they do not. Moreover, this ownership-based increase in consumption is accompanied by lower estimates by consumers of their likelihood of getting sick from consuming the product past its freshness date. These outcomes are driven, in turn, by consumers' ownership-based susceptibility to engage in selective and confirmatory testing of the hypothesis that the product past its freshness date is consumption worthy (i.e., approach goal) rather than the alternate, default hypothesis that it is not consumption worthy (i.e., avoidance goal). (c) 2008 by JOURNAL OF CONSUMER RESEARCH, Inc..
We estimate the rebound effect for motor vehicles, by which improved fuel efficiency causes additional travel, using a pooled cross section of US states for 1966-2001. Our model accounts for endogenous changes in fuel efficiency, distinguishes between autocorrelation and lagged effects, includes a measure of the stringency of fuel-economy standards, and allows the rebound effect to vary with income, urbanization, and the fuel cost of driving. At sample averages of variables, our simultaneous-equations estimates of the short- and long-run rebound effect are 4.5% and 22.2%. But rising real income caused it to diminish substantially over the period, aided by falling fuel prices. With variables at 1997-2001 levels, our estimates are only 2.2% and 10.7%, considerably smaller than values typically assumed for policy analysis. With income and starting fuel efficiency at 1997-2001 levels and fuel prices 58 percent higher, the estimates are still only 3.1% and 15.3%, respectively.
Why do people purchase proenvironmental "green" products? We argue that buying such products can be construed as altruistic, since green products often cost more and are of lower quality than their conventional counterparts, but green goods benefit the environment for everyone. Because biologists have observed that altruism might function as a "costly signal" associated with status, we examined in 3 experiments how status motives influenced desire for green products. Activating status motives led people to choose green products over more luxurious nongreen products. Supporting the notion that altruism signals one's willingness and ability to incur costs for others' benefit, status motives increased desire for green products when shopping in public (but not private) and when green products cost more (but not less) than nongreen products. Findings suggest that status competition can be used to promote proenvironmental behavior.
Experienced ease of recall was found to qualify the implications of recalled content. Ss who had to recall 12 examples of assertive (unassertive) behaviors, which was difficult, rated themselves as less assertive (less unassertive) than subjects who had to recall 6 examples, which was easy. In fact, Ss reported higher assertiveness after recalling 12 unassertive rather than 12 assertive behaviors. Thus, self-assessments only reflected the implications of recalled content if recall was easy. The impact of ease of recall was eliminated when its informational value was discredited by a misattribution manipulation. The informative functions of subjective experiences are discussed.
The ease-of-retrieval hypothesis suggests that people use the ease with which information comes to mind as a heuristic in forming judgments (Schwarz et al. 1991). We examine the automaticity of the use of ease-of-retrieval as an input in judgments. We demonstrate that the ease-of-retrieval is used unintentionally, outside of awareness, and effortlessly, along with other consciously applied inputs, to make related judgments. Once experienced, its impact follows through to judgments, even when it is discredited as a source of information. Results across four studies suggest that an automatic source of information (viz., the ease-of-retrieval) may merely have to be accessible to be used in a judgment. We propose a mere-accessibility framework as a variant of Feldman and Lynch's (1988) accessibility-diagnosticity framework to explain these results. Copyright 2003 by the University of Chicago.
Our research investigates the marketing of preventive and curative "remedies" (products and services that offer ways of mitigating risk by decreasing either its likelihood or severity). Examples include debt consolidation loans and smoking cessation aids. Like risk-avoidance messages, advertisements for remedies aim to reduce risk-by advocating the use of the branded product or service promoted by the marketer. In a series of experiments, we demonstrate that remedy messages undermine risk perceptions and increase risky behavioral intentions as consumer problem status rises. Ironically, remedies undermine risk avoidance among those most at risk-a boomerang effect with negative consequences for consumer welfare. (c) 2006 by JOURNAL OF CONSUMER RESEARCH, Inc..
Consumer choices are often driven by multiple goals (e.g., career and family), each of which if viewed in isolation may appear to suggest conflicting choices. This article examines the effect of initial goal pursuit on consumers' interest in pursuing unrelated or even conflicting goals. Four studies were conducted to test whether perceived goal progress hinders the pursuit of the focal goal. These studies demonstrate that in the course of self-regulation progress along one goal liberates people to pursue inconsistent goals. Furthermore, merely planning to make goal progress in the future may facilitate incongruent choice of immediate action. (c) 2005 by JOURNAL OF CONSUMER RESEARCH, Inc..
Order of authorship is alphabetical
The authors propose that people use 2 routes in justifying self-gratification: 1st through hard work or excellence (entitlement) and the 2nd through the attainment of vices without depleting income. This framework was tested using real tasks and choices adopted from prior research on self-control. The results indicate that (a) higher effort and (bogus) excellence feedback increase preferences for vice rewards, but these effects are reversed or attenuated when the interchangeability of effort and income is implied; (b) willingness to pay in effort is greater for vices than virtues, but willingness to pay in income is higher for virtues; and (c) these effects are magnified among individuals with stronger (chronic or manipulated) guilt. The authors discuss the ability of the justification routes to explain the findings of prior self-control research.
As concerns about pollution and climate change become more mainstream, the belief that shopping with reusable grocery bags is an important environmental and socially conscious choice has gained prevalence. In parallel, firms have joined policy makers in using a variety of initiatives to reduce the use of disposable plastic bags. However, little is known about how these initiatives might alter other elements of consumers' in-store behavior. Using scanner panel data from a single California location of a major grocery chain, and controlling for consumer heterogeneity, the authors demonstrate that bringing one's own bags increases purchases of not only environmentally friendly organic foods but also indulgent foods. They use experimental methods to further explore the expression of these effects and to consider the effects of potential moderators, including competing goals and store policies. The findings have implications for decisions related to product pricing, placement and assortment, store layout, and the choice of strategies employed to increase the use of reusable bags.
The results from three studies suggest that consumers' perceptions of product effectiveness are critical in determining the amount of a product they choose to use in a given instance. In general, consumers consider green, or environmentally friendly, products to be less effective than regular products; therefore, consumers increase the amount of the green product they use to make up for the perceived inferiority. Notably, this pattern of green versus regular product usage is more pronounced among consumers who are environmentally conscious. When the perceived effectiveness of a green product is boosted by a credible endorsement, the discrepancy between green and regular product usage disappears.
In this study, we propose that the ability to recycle may lead to increased resource usage compared to when a recycling option is not available. Supporting this hypothesis, our first experiment shows that consumers used more paper while evaluating a pair of scissors when the option to recycle was provided (vs. not provided). In a follow-up field experiment, we find that the per person restroom paper hand towel usage increased after the introduction of a recycling bin compared to when a recycling option was not available. We conclude by discussing implications for research and policy.
A series of experiments demonstrates that consumers exhibit aversion to waste during forward-looking purchase. These experiments further reveal that such behavior is driven by distaste for unused utility, a reaction that is shown to be distinct from an aversion to squandering money. Waste aversion is especially pronounced when consumers anticipate future consequences and deprivation is salient. In addition to demonstrating robustness across consumers and marketing contexts, the results also demonstrate how waste aversion can lead to self-defeating behavior in which consumers forego desired utility. Finally, the present research demonstrates and discusses the implications of waste aversion for a variety of marketing issues, including buy-rent markets, bundling, and the fundamental distinction between goods and services.
This research introduces product retention tendency, a consumer lifestyle trait characterized by an individual's propensity to retain consumption-related possessions. We develop a parsimonious measure of product retention tendency. Next, we report on the results of two studies designed to contrast product retention tendency with clinical compulsive hoarding, examining the relationships between these different types of keeping behavior as related to waste avoidance and product attachment tendencies. Three experimental studies examine the relationship between product retention tendency and the decision to retain versus relinquish different types of possessions, including used and in- need-of-repair durables, as well as perishable possessions.
The authors demonstrate that partitioning an aggregate quantity of a resource (e.g., food or money) into smaller units reduces the consumed quantity or the rate of consumption of that resource. Partitions draw attention to the consumption decision by introducing a small transaction cost; i.e., they provide more decision making opportunities so that prudent consumers are able to control consumption. Thus, individuals are better able to constrain consumption when resources associated with a desirable activity (which individuals are trying to control) are partitioned rather than when they are aggregated. This effect of partitioning is demonstrated for consumption of chocolates (study 1) and gambles (study 2). In study 3 process measures reveal that partitioning increases recall accuracy and decision times. Importantly, the effect of partitioning diminishes when consumers are not trying to regulate consumption (studies 1 and 3). Finally, study 4 explores how habituation may decrease the amount of attention that partitions draw to consumption. In this context, partitions control consumption to a greater extent when the nature of partitions changes frequently.
This paper establishes environmental attitude as a powerful predictor of ecological behaviour. Past studies have failed in this enterprise because they did not consider three shortcomings that limit the predictive power of environmental attitude concepts: (1) the lack of a unified concept of attitude, (2) the lack of measurement correspondence between attitude and behaviour on a general level, and (3) the lack of consideration of behaviour constraints beyond people's control. Based on Ajzen's theory of planned behaviour, the present study uses a unified concept of attitude and a probabilistic measurement approach to overcome these shortcomings. Questionnaire data from members of two ideologically different Swiss transportation associations are used. This study confirmed three measures as orthogonal dimensions by means of factor analysis: (1) environmental knowledge, (2) environmental values, and (3) ecological behaviour intention. One other measure, general ecological behaviour, is established as a Rasch-scale that assesses behaviour by considering the tendency to behave ecologically and the difficulties in carrying out the behaviours, which depend on influences beyond people's actual behaviour control. A structural equation model was used to confirm the proposed model: environmental knowledge and environmental values explained 40 per cent of the variance of ecological behaviour intension which, in turn, predicted 75 per cent of the variance of general ecological behaviour.
Past good deeds can liberate individuals to engage in behaviors that are immoral, unethical, or otherwise problematic, behaviors that they would otherwise avoid for fear of feeling or appearing immoral. We review research on this moral self-licensing effect in the domains of political correctness, prosocial behavior, and consumer choice. We also discuss remaining theoretical tensions in the literature: Do good deeds reframe bad deeds (moral credentials) or merely balance them out (moral credits)? When does past behavior liberate and when does it constrain? Is self-licensing primarily for others’ benefit (self-presentational) or is it also a way for people to reassure themselves that they are moral people? Finally, we propose avenues for future research that could begin to address these unanswered questions.
Size labels adopted by food vendors can have a major impact on size judgments and consumption. In forming size judgments, consumers integrate the actual size information from the stimuli with the semantic cue from the size label. Size labels influence not only size perception and actual consumption, they also affect perceived consumption. Size labels can also result in relative perceived size reversals, so that consumers deem a smaller package to be bigger than a larger one. Further, consumers are more likely to believe a label that professes an item to be smaller (vs. larger) in the size range associated with that item. This asymmetric effect of size labels can result in larger consumption without the consumer even being aware of it (“guiltless gluttony”).
The comfortable perception that global environmental challenges can be met through marginal lifestyle changes no longer bears
scrutiny. The cumulative impact of large numbers of individuals making marginal improvements in their environmental impact
will be a marginal collective improvement in environmental impact. Yet, we live at a time when we need urgent and ambitious
changes. An appeal to environmental imperatives is more likely to lead to spillover into other pro-environmental behaviours
than an appeal to financial self-interest or social status.
This article sketches the problem of indirect energy use effects, also known as rebound, of energy conservation. There is
widespread support for energy conservation, especially when it is voluntary, as this seems a cheap way to realize environmental
and energy-climate goals. However, this overlooks the phenomenon of rebound. The topic of energy rebound has mainly attracted
attention from energy analysts, but has been surprisingly neglected in environmental economics, even though economists generally
are concerned with indirect or economy-wide impacts of technical change and policies. This paper presents definitions and
interpretations of energy and environmental rebound, as well as four fundamental reasons for the existence of the rebound
phenomenon. It further offers the most complete list of rebound pathways or mechanisms available in the literature. In addition,
it discusses empirical estimates of rebound and addresses the implications of uncertainties and difficulties in assessing
rebound. Suggestions are offered for strategies and public policies to contain rebound. It is advised that rebound evaluation
is an essential part of environmental policy and project assessments. As opposed to earlier studies, this paper stresses the
relevance of the distinction between energy conservation resulting from autonomous demand changes and from efficiency improvements
in technology/equipment. In addition, it argues that rebound is especially relevant for developing countries.
KeywordsBackfire-Developing countries-Jevons’ paradox-Rebound mechanisms-Relieving limits-Tradable permits
JEL ClassificationsQ43-Q48-Q54-Q55-Q58
Consumer choices reflect not only price and quality preferences but also social and moral values, as witnessed in the remarkable growth of the global market for organic and environmentally friendly products. Building on recent research on behavioral priming and moral regulation, we found that mere exposure to green products and the purchase of such products lead to markedly different behavioral consequences. In line with the halo associated with green consumerism, results showed that people act more altruistically after mere exposure to green products than after mere exposure to conventional products. However, people act less altruistically and are more likely to cheat and steal after purchasing green products than after purchasing conventional products. Together, our studies show that consumption is connected to social and ethical behaviors more broadly across domains than previously thought.
The question of why people are motivated to act altruistically has been an important one for centuries, and across various disciplines. Drawing on previous research on moral regulation, we propose a framework suggesting that moral (or immoral) behavior can result from an internal balancing of moral self-worth and the cost inherent in altruistic behavior. In Experiment 1, participants were asked to write a self-relevant story containing words referring to either positive or negative traits. Participants who wrote a story referring to the positive traits donated one fifth as much as those who wrote a story referring to the negative traits. In Experiment 2, we showed that this effect was due specifically to a change in the self-concept. In Experiment 3, we replicated these findings and extended them to cooperative behavior in environmental decision making. We suggest that affirming a moral identity leads people to feel licensed to act immorally. However, when moral identity is threatened, moral behavior is a means to regain some lost self-worth.
When a consumer who already owns a durable-type product in a category faces the opportunity to upgrade to a new, higher-quality product, the replacement purchase decision is driven by both normative economic factors and psychological factors. As a normative decision maker, s/he considers the purchase price of the new alternative, but s/he additionally considers the mental cost of retiring the old product before s/he has gotten his/her money's worth out of it. During ownership of a product, a consumer mentally depreciates the initial purchase price, thus creating a "mental book value" for the product. The write-off of this mental book value is felt as the mental cost of a replacement purchase. Based on the principles of mental accounting and mental depreciation, I provide a theoretical explanation for this mental cost and why an individual's replacement purchase decision may be more sensitive to the mental cost than the marginal cost. When applied appropriately, mental accounting can serve a useful purpose to the utility-maximizing consumer in the long run, but when misapplied, it results in a misallocation of resources that does not add any value from the perspective of utility maximization. Through three experiments, I measure the negative effect of the write-off on a replacement purchase decision and demonstrate ways in which it can be mitigated. Trade-ins are examined as one way in which a consumer can be guided to make replacement purchase decisions that are more aligned with normative choice.
Despite a long tradition of effectiveness in laboratory tests, normative messages have had mixed success in changing behavior in field contexts, with some studies showing boomerang effects. To test a theoretical account of this inconsistency, we conducted a field experiment in which normative messages were used to promote household energy conservation. As predicted, a descriptive normative message detailing average neighborhood usage produced either desirable energy savings or the undesirable boomerang effect, depending on whether households were already consuming at a low or high rate. Also as predicted, adding an injunctive message (conveying social approval or disapproval) eliminated the boomerang effect. The results offer an explanation for the mixed success of persuasive appeals based on social norms and suggest how such appeals should be properly crafted.