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Multiple mental categorizations of culture-laden website design
Abstract
We advance the argument that a culture-laden retail website design elicits multiple mental categorizations in consumers: categorizations in relation to the consumers’ own culture and categorizations in relation to the product category. We study interactions of these mental categorizations and examine which of the two types dominates the other in terms of the strength of its impact on attitude toward the website and purchasing intentions. Further, we challenge the relevance of the well-known “identity accessibility effect” as we demonstrate that successful activation of a chronic cultural identity through exposure to a culture-laden website design is contingent on the suitability of the product category to accommodate cues of that culture. The tests of the study’s hypotheses rely on data from an initial thought listing test, and a subsequent experiment using data gathered from French mainstream and Maghrebian minority consumers living in France.
... Logo, a aculturação pode ocorrer de forma individual ou coletiva, levando a mudanças sociais e culturais que extrapolam aquelas que participam deste processo (Berry, 1997). Especificamente se tratando da aculturação exercida através do consumo, o processo passa a se debruçar acerca da agência dos consumidores em relação a exaltar, incorporar, equilibrar ou ignorar valores de uma cultura estrangeira diante dos significados de sua cultura original através de relações mercadológicas (Bartikowski et al., 2022;Kizgin et al., 2020;Li & Shao, 2023). ...
... Logo, a aculturação dos consumidores é um fenômeno que investiga como o contato de indivíduos de uma determinada cultura local com valores e significados inerentes à culturas estrangeiras, através de relações mercadológicas, os leva a ressignificar práticas interacionais e comportamentos individuais (Bartikowski et al., 2022;Kizgin et al., 2020;Li & Shao, 2023). Sobre o assunto, Luedicke (2015) credita o termo aculturação dos consumidores explica como indivíduos moldam suas práticas de consumo estabelecidas, relações de marca, status hierárquicos e identidades coletivas, de modo a evoluir como consumidores em uma situação sociocultural desconhecida. ...
A ressonância mercadológica do principal gênero musical da cultura pop coreana, denominada como K-pop, vem crescendo mundialmente ao longo dos últimos anos. Dentre os mercados consumidores, o Brasil se destaca pela maneira como os fãs deste gênero musical se articulam a valores de culturas historicamente distantes através de suas práticas de consumo. Neste contexto, o presente estudo buscou compreender como fãs brasileiros de K-pop experimentam um processo de aculturação dos consumidores. Para tanto, foram realizadas vinte entrevistas virtuais em profundidade com fãs brasileiros de K-pop de doze estados diferentes localizados nas cinco regiões do país. As entrevistas foram transcritas e organizadas, de modo a serem tratadas pela Análise de Conteúdo Interpretativa, o que permitiu a identificação de vinte e seis códigos associados a três categorias. Tais categorias refletem os resultados da pesquisa acerca das formas de aculturação dos consumidores experimentada pelos fãs brasileiros de K-pop, à saber: culto ao gênero musical, performance dos ídolos musicais e práticas comunais do fandom. Tais achados revelam que a aculturação dos consumidores se dá através da assimilação e integração de uma cultura estrangeira por meio de práticas de consumo experienciada por fãs.
... When individuals are inserted and accustomed to consuming products from the local culture and come into contact with marketing agents from a foreign culture, they begin to deal with the phenomenon of consumer acculturation (Bartikowski et al., 2022;Kizgin et al., 2020;Li & Shao, 2023). According to Cleveland et al. (2009), the interrelation of acculturation and consumption is mainly based on the concept of acculturation proposed by cultural studies to interpret how market relations lead consumers to position themselves in the face of multiple cultures with which they have contact through consumption. ...
The singularities involving fan prosumption have been highlighted as an emerging theme in consumerresearch. Among the possibilities for carrying out such investigations, it is worth dwelling on the consumer acculturation process that occurs when fans reframe values of local and global culture through virtual interactions about sports products and brands. One of the sports leagues associated with consumer acculturation is Major League Baseball (MLB), a representative media product of the U.S. culture that has interest in Brazil as a promising market for expanding its audience. Thus, the present study aims to understand how virtual interactions of Brazilian MLB fans lead to forms of consumption acculturation. To meet this objective, a Netnography was carried out between 2018 and 2022 based on messages published by Brazilian MLB fans on Twitter. Three forms of consumer acculturation were identified: assimilation, integration, and marginalization. Each indicates Brazilian fans' interest and effort in prioritizing U.S. cultural signs and values in the MLB. However, the fans' prosumption roles on the acculturation process represent the positioning of cultural identities via consumption when they recognize their relationship with cultures and others through market relations.
... The CBEC website design additionally involves method of payment, currency, exchange rate, overseas warehouse, and tariff [102]. It reflects the presentation and capability of websites by considering their usability, user-friendliness, aesthetic design, interactivity, website cultural congruency and authenticity, layout, checkout, search capabilities, and quality of information [5,10,55]. A clearly designed website considers the trilateral relationship among users, designed artifacts, and web environment, allowing customers to easily find quality information and mitigate the impact of product uncertainty, which further positively influences their intentions to buy [10,64]. ...
... Consumer researchers frequently think of belief formation and persuasion in terms of a learning process and consider categorical learning (or categorization) to explain consumer behavior. Categorization means that people learn, remember, and integrate new information as they assign new incoming information in terms of how well it fits with existing knowledge categories (e.g., Bartikowski et al., 2022;Rosch & Lloyd, 1978). Drawing upon categorization ideas, the article by Besharat et al. (2024), in this SI, enhances our understanding of how and why emerging market consumers choose ethical products, focusing on the context or organic products (tea, coffee), and considering consumer data from three emerging markets (India, South Africa, and Iran). ...
Despite the economic, social, and environmental importance of emerging countries, most existing research into ethical consumerism has focused on developed market contexts. We introduce this Special Issue (SI) and provide a comprehensive thematic literature review considering three broad categories or aspects of ethical consumerism research, (1) contexts of ethical consumption, (2) forms of ethical consumerism, and (3) approaches to explaining ethical consumer behavior. We summarize the articles of this SI as part of the thematic literature review to provide an understanding of how these articles and this SI’s overall contribute to ethical consumerism research. Each article in this SI offers new insights into a specific field of ethical consumerism while focusing on emerging market contexts. Overall, this SI expands knowledge related to the dynamics and challenges of ethical consumerism and offers future research directions in this area.
... These differences in local poverty between provinces are well known among Chinese people (Wang & Wan, 2015), leading us to assume that geographic information signals the level of poverty of sellers. Moreover, it is well known that information on a product's or brand's origin (i.e., the country-of-origin, COO) serves as an important signal driving consumer behavior (e.g., Bartikowski & Berens, 2021;Bartikowski et al., 2022;Peterson & Jolibert, 1995). Therefore, information on the geographical origin of a product (i.e., poorer vs. wealthier regions) may reinforce consumers' charitable motivations and the effects stemming from the campaign tag indicating that the campaign has the purpose of local poverty alleviation. ...
We explore success drivers of reward-based crowdfunding for poverty alleviation in China. The results from our econometric modeling using data from 4375 reward-based crowdfunding campaigns suggest that poverty alleviation campaigns, as compared to ordinary ones, benefit from higher funded amounts, larger backer numbers, and greater success rates. The results also suggest that poverty alleviation campaigns perform better when the products sold originate from poorer (as compared to wealthier) regions and when price premiums are lower (as compared to higher). We corroborate important findings from the field study with an experimental study, showing that the consumer’s feeling of warm glow accounts for the positive effects of poverty alleviation campaigns (as compared to ordinary) campaigns. We expand the applications of warm-glow theory into the context of reward-based crowdfunding campaigns for poverty alleviation and offer new insights into success drivers of such campaigns.
... The authors' main approach is to shape the request structure to effectively avoid the undesired targets. Bartikowski et al. [5] investigate the importance of categorization approaches of a website design. The authors claim that website content that is presented to user has a categorization by the navigation tools. ...
Concurrent lifelong education of individuals requires more robust online tools due to avoid vast unorganized data. In this work, a web site and a mobile application of the web site have been developed to provide an online tool for theoretical resource management and to facilitate a hub fow downloading theoretical resources. The project is named as "Resources and Community for College Students-REPO". The website helps students to find and download all type of resources about their trainings. It is useful in the way that it makes an easier way to search and download books online. REPO is the first online platform which deals with Iraqi students and their martials. The website includes two sections, in which an administration exists at the first section and provided contents are presented at the second section. The administration section (admin) initiates with a login screen. The admin has the highest authority to modify all content in the web site, which is abbreviated as CRUD (create, read, update, delete) operation for all those parts (Users, Blog, Resources, Forum, Project). The mobile app replicates the web sites in mobile devices.
... Kekuatan tampilan website dalam meningkatkan minat membeli ditemukan pada penelitian lainnya (Pelet & Taieb, 2022). Tampilan website yang sesuai dengan budaya konsumen dan memberikan kejelasan kategorisasi produk membangun persepsi yang baik terhadap website tersebut dan menumbuhkan minat membeli (Bartikowski et al., 2022). Kepercayaan terhadap brand merupakan prediktor terhadap intensi konsumen dalam membeli brand yang ditampilkan pada website UMKM. ...
Website plays an important role for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) to introduce the product and develop their business. This research aims to investigate the factors that influence brand trust and the consumer intention to buy the product through the website of MSME. Quantitative research was performed by online survey with a purposive sampling method involving 196 respondents who have purchased through the website of MSME. Structural Equation Modelling was used to analyze the data. The findings of the study indicate that the website appearance was the factor that builds consumers’ trust in the brand which finally drives the intention to buy online. Website memegang peranan penting bagi usaha mikro, kecil, dan menengah (UMKM) untuk memperkenalkan produk dan mengembangkan usahanya. Penelitian ini bertujuan menggali faktor-faktor yang dapat memengaruhi kepercayaan terhadap brand dan minat beli konsumen untuk berbelanja melalui website UMKM. Penelitian kuantitatif dilakukan dengan survei daring dengan metode purposive sampling melibatkan 196 responden yang berbelanja melalui website UMKM. Structural Equation Modeling digunakan untuk menganalisis data. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa tampilan website merupakan faktor yang membangun kepercayaan terhadap suatu brand yang akhirnya mendorong minat konsumen dalam berbelanja secara daring.
In the era of Industry 4.0, characterized by the convergence of digital technologies and physical systems, the transformation of business models is paramount for sustainable industrial growth. This research explores the critical role of AI-driven data analytics in shaping digital business models within this dynamic landscape. The study investigates the interplay between technology readiness, innovation potential, automation and control, and privacy and security considerations in the context of Industry 4.0. Our findings reveal that technology readiness serves as a catalyst for innovation potential, emphasizing the importance of a robust technological infrastructure. Moreover, innovation potential plays a substantial mediating role in the linkage between technology readiness and privacy and security dynamics, highlighting the symbiotic relationship between innovation and security in the digital business arena. The study underscores the significance of automation and control in safeguarding privacy and fostering security, emphasizing the need for automated, data-driven approaches in crafting innovative and secure business models. Furthermore, it advocates for a multifaceted approach that fosters synergies between technological advancements and ethical considerations. Policy implications include the promotion of collaboration between industries, academia, and governments to catalyze innovative solutions grounded in feasibility and sustainability. Regulatory frameworks should encourage automation and control measures to protect consumer privacy, and policies must remain adaptable to the fast-paced developments in AI and Industry 4.0. This research illuminates the pivotal role of AI in shaping digital business model innovations in Industry 4.0. It emphasizes the importance of technology readiness, innovation potential, and ethical considerations in creating a dynamic and secure digital business ecosystem. The study envisions a future where digital business model innovations drive growth, efficiency, and resilience in Industry 4.0, shaping a sustainable and progressive industrial sector.
Purpose
This study explores the influence of heritage brand extension on consumer purchase intention and analyses the effects of pop culture involvement. The extension of heritage brands is becoming increasingly difficult because such an extension needs to be consistent with the unique characteristics of brands and resonate with consumers. However, few scholars discuss the influence of consumers' level of pop culture involvement on brand extension and purchasing behaviour.
Design/methodology/approach
Taking time-honoured brands as an example, this study established a conceptual model based on a comprehensive review of the literature, and then tested the model using a sample of 255 respondents who were familiar with one of the selected Chinese time-honoured brands. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the relationships amongst brand extension fit, pop culture involvement, perceived value and purchase intention.
Findings
Time-honoured brand extension fit has a positive impact on consumer purchase intention, and this path is significantly influenced by the mediation mechanisms of perceived value. Situational pop culture involvement can significantly strengthen the relationship between time-honoured brand extension fit and perceived value, whereas enduring pop culture involvement does not.
Originality/value
The results clarify and expand on the different roles of cultural involvement in time-honoured brands and broaden research on the influence of cultural involvement in this regard. This study has significant theoretical value for the inheritance and revival of heritage brands and provides a reference for the practice of time-honoured brands.
We study how various place-related identity dispositions (ethnic identity, identification with global consumer culture, cosmopolitanism, immigrant consumers’ acculturation to a host society) affect ethnic consumers’ global brand advocacy within and outside their home country. With data collected from n = 1,101 ethnic Chinese born in China and living in three countries (China, Canada, France), we shed light on the consistency or generalizability of these dispositions as predictors of brand advocacy in relation to global brands from six countries and eight product categories. We offer conceptual and empirical contributions to literatures on market globalization, the roles of place-related identity dispositions, and global brand preference formation. We derive practical implications from the study’s findings for global market segmentation and targeting in general, and the global targeting of Chinese diasporas in particular.
The importance of well-established and customer-friendly firms’ websites has increased in the context of the digitalization of the economy. The COVID-19 pandemic has become a new driver for the development of Internet communications between manufacturers and consumers. This article explores the relationship between the Internet traffic of companies’ websites of and their sales volumes and profitability. We apply panel data regression analysis and model of Prais–Winsten regression with panel standard error adjustment, which provides conservative and reliable estimates. In the sample of 268 observations drawn from 67 Russian firms operating in the big-ticket industries of car manufacturing and real estate development during the period of 2017- 2022 characterized by a major exogenous shock, we demonstrate that internet traffic exerts a positive effect on firm sales. At the same time, this positive effect on sales is accompanied by a negative effect of internet traffic on firm profitability. The negative effect on profitability is particularly pronounced for younger firms that are likely to face severe resource constraints and can thus be said to sacrifice profitability to ensure sales. In such situation, application of cost-effective strategies may be critical for younger firms. Younger firms should pay particular attention to the contents of their websites to ensure that they provide enough adequate information that will help win the trust of new customers.
Despite humanoid service robots having attracted considerable research attention, it remains unclear how consumers respond to some specific human characteristics of robots. Drawing from theories on social categorization and identification, we study the role of consumer perceived control as a psychological mechanism to explain how human-robot gender congruity alters consumers’ affective reactions (feelings of comfort in the service encounter and service brand attitudes). We also consider that such gender congruity effects may be contingent on the individual cultural value of masculinity. We demonstrate experimentally that human-robot gender congruity (vs. incongruity) elicits more positive affect, while masculinity moderates some of these effects. Moreover, perceived control mediates effects of gender congruity on affective reactions only for consumers high on masculinity. We offer three major theoretical contributions as we 1) focus on social identity theory to shed light on how human-robot gender congruity affects consumer behavior in service encounters, 2) demonstrate the role of perceptions of control as a psychological process variable to explain these effects, and 3) provide insights into the role of the cultural value of masculinity as a factor that shapes human-robot gender congruity effects.
The authors examined how identity primes and social distinctiveness influence identity salience (i.e., the activation of a social identity within an individual's social self-schema) and subsequent responses to targeted advertising. Across 2 studies, individuals who were exposed to an identity prime (an ad element that directs attention to the individual's social identity) and who were socially distinctive (minorities in the immediate social context) expressed systematically different evaluations of spokespersons and the advertisements that featured them. Specifically, Asian (Caucasian) participants responded most positively (negatively) to Asian spokespeople and Asian-targeted advertising when the participants were both primed and socially distinctive. No main effects of identity primes or social distinctiveness were found. The implications of these findings for identity theory, advertising practice, and intervention communications are discussed.
This open access book provides an empirical account of the psychological and social experiences of 3500 African migrants to 6 European countries: Germany, Spain, Italy, The Netherlands, France, and the UK. It discusses the psychosocial motivations for migration from Africa, who migrates where, and stressful pre- and post-migration factors affecting the social and psychological wellbeing of migrants. The book also includes a detailed exploration of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) among African migrants. Addressing and offering solutions to pre- and post-migration problems in Africa and Europe as well as the problems associated with the perilous journeys involved, this unique study is a must-read for anyone interested in cross-cultural psychology and social science, and particularly in migration and mental health.
This paper examines the effects of firm motivation (an intrinsic or extrinsic interest in their product) on perceptions of brand authenticity and anticipated product quality. Specifically, studies 1 and 2 show that an intrinsic motivation increases authenticity perceptions which, in turn, increase perceived product quality, even for negatively regarded products. Studies 3a and 3b demonstrate that motivation affects perceived product quality (through perceived authenticity) by influencing deliberate attribute‐level inferences consumers make about the product, and Study 4 demonstrates that the positive effect of intrinsic motivation (through authenticity) disappears in the presence of objective product attribute information, when such inferences are no longer necessary. These findings suggest that authenticity perceptions are malleable, and they shed light on the mechanism through which brand authenticity leads consumers to anticipate that a brand's products will be higher in quality.
This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose a conceptual framework that highlights the reinforcing nature of global consumer culture (GCC). In doing so, this paper highlights a dialectic process in which consumers trade-off, appropriate, indigenize and creolize consumption into multiple GCCs.
Design/methodology/approach
The approach is conceptual with illustrative examples.
Findings
GCC is a reinforcing process shaped by global culture flows, acculturation, deterritorialization, and cultural and geographic specific entities. This process allows consumers to indigenize GCC, and GCC to contemporaneously appropriate aspects from myriad localized cultures, producing creolized cultures.
Research limitations/implications
Marketing research and practices need to shift away from the dichotomous view of global and local consumption fueled by a misleading view of segmentation. Instead, marketers should focus on identifying the permutations of emerging GCCs, how these operate according to the context and accordingly position their marketing mix to accommodate them.
Originality/value
The proposed model reviews and integrates existing literature to highlight fundamental research directions that present a comprehensive overview of GCCs, its shortcomings and future directions.
This research argues that the meaning embedded in consumption symbols, such as commercial brands, can serve to represent and institutionalize the values and beliefs of a culture. Relying on a combined emic-etic approach, the authors conducted 4 studies to examine how symbolic and expressive attributes associated with commercial brands are structured and how this structure varies across 3 cultures. Studies 1 and 2 revealed a set of "brand personality" dimensions common to both Japan and the United States (Sincerity, Excitement, Competence, and Sophistication), as well as culture-specific Japanese (Peacefulness) and American (Ruggedness) dimensions. Studied 3 and 4, which extended this set of findings to Spain, yielded brand personality dimensions common to both Spain and the United States (Sincerity, Excitement, and Sophistication), plus nonshared Spanish (Passion) and American (Competence and Ruggedness) dimensions. The meaning of these brand personality dimensions is discussed in the context of cross-cultural research on values and affect, globalization issues, and cultural frame shifting.
Our study offers a novel approach to investigating whether and when culturally customized websites are an effective way to influence consumers in their online purchase decisions. In particular, informed by extant studies on metacognitive experiences and processing fluency, we examine the underlying mechanism whereby increased cultural congruence derived from a culturally customized website may influence the subjective experience and increase willingness to pay (WTP) online. In order to address these issues, we have conducted two empirical studies that (1) identify cultural differences between the websites of Korean and U.S. travel agencies and (2) investigate the influence of culturally customized websites on WTP in these two markets. The results show that the cultural dimension of uncertainty avoidance is associated significantly with processing fluency, which mediates the consumers' WTP. In particular, culturally customized websites are more likely to be effective for Korean consumers who have high uncertainty avoidance compared with U.S. consumers who have low uncertainty avoidance. We found that when Korean consumers experience cultural incongruence, they feel a need to exert increased effort in order to process information, which mediates their WTP. However, cultural congruence does not have a significant effect on U.S. consumer WTP. The study has important implications for both academics and managers when developing and employing culturally customized websites to communicate with their consumers.
This study examines how the valence of cultural cues in the environment moderates the way biculturals shift between multiple cultural identities. The authors found that when exposed to positive cultural cues, biculturals who perceive their cultural identities as compatible (high bicultural identity integration, or high BII) respond in culturally congruent ways, whereas biculturals who perceive their cultural identities as conflicting (low BII) respond in culturally incongruent ways. The opposite was true for negative cultural cues. These results show that both high and low BIIs can exhibit culturally congruent or incongruent behaviors, and have implications for understanding situations where high and low BIIs might adapt differently.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to focus on two questions that are especially pertinent to international marketers. Is a strong ethnic identity (EID) generally incompatible with a globally‐oriented disposition (cosmopolitanism: COS), and to what extent is the EID‐COS relationship stable across cultures and countries? What roles do EID and COS play on consumer behavior alongside key demographic variables, and how do these relationships vary across countries and across consumption contexts?
Design/methodology/approach
Using a sample of consumers drawn from eight countries, this study identifies and compares bases for international market segmentation. The antecedent roles of EID, COS, and the four demographics variables on the behaviors associated with nine product categories are examined.
Findings
The findings imply that consumers are complementing an identity rooted in their traditional culture with one that is globally‐oriented. The roles played by demographic and psychographic variables varied considerably, not only across product categories, but moreover, across country samples.
Research limitations/implications
The study focuses more on consumer goods and less on intangible services. The sample and sampling approach place some limits on generalizability.
Practical implications
The results provide insights for international managers into when (i.e. product categories) and where (i.e. locations) marketing strategies could be standardized across national frontiers, and when and where these strategies should be customized or “glocalized.”
Originality/value
The paper makes a significant contribution to the international market segmentation literature, demonstrating the variable impact of demographics and identity across consumer behaviors. The findings bolster the notion that many cultures have the innate facility to glocalize, that is, to absorb foreign or global ideas with the best practices and bond these with native customs. The results further imply that globalization takes on many forms throughout the world.
Marketers have increasingly employed positioning strategies to appeal to either global or local consumer cultures. How-ever, little is known about the characteristics of consumers most likely to respond to such positioning. The authors find that the collective identities of global and national identification are strongly related to responsiveness to global and local consumer culture positioning (GCCP and LCCP, respectively). The results also show that personality predisposes people to adopt collective identities. The personality traits of openness to experience and agreeableness are significantly related to global and national identity, respectively. On the basis of these findings, the authors present implications with regard to developing GCCP and LCCP strategies that are congruent with consumers' personality and associated collec-tive identity. Keywords: global and local consumer culture positioning, global identity, national identity, attitude toward the ad, five-factor theory of personality, self-verification theory
The current paper reviews all high quality studies investigating the impact of the cultural congruency of websites on measures of website effectiveness. In order to be able to present a comprehensive overview of the findings, the various performance measures included in the different studies are integrated within the WEBQUAL framework [Loiacono et al. 2007]. Hypotheses are formulated and subsequently tested for the different effectiveness variables. Results are summarized using vote count and descriptive summary. The purpose is to generate robust conclusions, since the results of the individual studies are very scattered. The main conclusion is that the literature provides sound empirical support for the positive impact of cultural congruency on the performance measures "usefulness", "ease of use", "positive attitudes", "positive intentions", and "overall effectiveness". For some performance measures, however, support for the positive effect of cultural congruity is weak or missing. Based on this comprehensive, in-depth overview, research gaps are identified and suggestions for further research are provided.
Through three studies, we investigated the impact of consumers’ global versus local identities on the evaluation of global products (products with the same specifications and packaging for consumers from around the world) versus local products (products with specifications and packaging tailored for local markets). The results show that consumers with an accessible global identity prefer a global (more than a local) product and consumers with an accessible local identity prefer a local (more than a global) product. Of note, this effect was reversed, either by an explicit instruction about accessible identities being nondiagnostic (study 1) or implicitly by inducing a differentiative (vs. integrative) processing mode (study 2).
Motivations to engage in retail shopping include both utilitarian and hedonic dimensions. Business to consumer e-commerce conducted via the mechanism of web-shopping provides an expanded opportunity for companies to create a cognitively and esthetically rich shopping environment in ways not readily imitable in the nonelectronic shopping world. In this article an attitudinal model is developed and empirically tested integrating constructs from technology acceptance research and constructs derived from models of web behavior. Results of two studies from two distinct categories of the interactive shopping environment support the differential importance of immersive, hedonic aspects of the new media as well as the more traditional utilitarian motivations. In addition, navigation, convenience, and the substitutability of the electronic environment to personally examining products were found to be important predictors of online shopping attitudes. Results are discussed in terms of insights for the creation of the online shopping webmosphere through more effective design of interactive retail shopping environments.
Marketers offering Web-based shopping typically try to provide a convenient, safe, and pleasant online environment, appropriate to addressing shoppers' functional goals. They might also try to create an experience that encourages more escapist elements of “flow”, a sense of deep involvement that is intrinsically enjoyable, because they assume that this enhanced experience leads to more online buying. The present research suggests that utilitarian flow elements that facilitate shopping may indeed increase purchasing. However, hedonic elements of flow are found to be unrelated to online buying, although they are positively related to outcomes associated with pathological Internet use.
First impression bias refers to a limitation of human information processing in which people are strongly influenced by the first piece of information that they are exposed to, and that they are biased in evaluating subsequent information in the direction of the initial influence. The psychology literature has portrayed first impression bias as a virtually “inherent” human bias. Drawing from multimedia literature, this study identifies several characteristics of multimedia presentations that have the potential to alleviate first impression bias. Based on this literature, a set of predictions was generated and tested through a laboratory experiment using a simulated multimedia intranet.
Half of the 80 subjects were provided with a biased cue. Subjects were randomly assigned to four groups: (1) text with first impression bias cue, (2) multimedia with first impression bias cue, (3) text without biased cue, and (4) multimedia without biased cue. The experimental task involved conducting a five-year performance appraisal of a department head. The first impression bias cue was designed to provide incomplete and unfavorable information about the department head, but the information provided subsequently was intended to be favorable of his performance.
Results show that the appraisal score of the text with biased cue group was significantly lower than the text only (without biased cue) group. On the other hand, the appraisal score of the multimedia with biased cue group was not significantly different from the multimedia only (without biased cue) group. As a whole, the results suggest that multimedia presentations, but not text-based presentations, reduce the influence of first impression bias.
This research extends the concept of salesperson customer orientation to Internet marketing by conceptualizing and studying the effects of Web site customer orientation on perceived Web site quality and consumer behavior. This research also adapts the concept of brand/store personality to Internet marketing by investigating the effects of Web site personality on perceived Web site quality and consumer purchase intention. The model is tested on apparel Web sites using data from multiple sources. Implications of managing Web site personality and Web site customer orientation are discussed.
Identity theory and social identity theory are two remarkably similar perspectives on the dynamic mediation of the socially constructed self between individual behavior and social structure. Yet there is almost no systematic communication between these two perspectivies; they occupy parallel bur separate universes. This article describes both theories, summarizes their similarities, critically discusses their differences and outlines some research directions. Against a background of metatheoretical similarity, we find marked differences in terms of 1) level of analysis, 2) the role of intergroup behavior, 3) the relationship between roles and groups, and 4) salience of social context and identity. Differences can be traced largely to the microsociological roots of identity theory and the psychological roots of social identity theory. Identiy theory may be more effective in dealing with chronic identities and with interpersonal social interaction, while social identity theory may be more useful in exploring intergroup dimensions and in specifying the sociocognitive generative details of identity dynamics.
This article examines how ads with different combinations of source and nonsource cues activate culture-bound cognitions among members of a dominant culture and members of a subculture within that dominant culture. As participants in both the dominant culture and their own subculture, members of subcultures are posited to possess knowledge of both groups. As such, their reactions to mainstream advertising are expected to be similar to those of members of the dominant culture. However, because members of the dominant culture are not as familiar with the subculture, their reactions to cues contained in subculture-targeted ads will differ from those of members of the subculture. Results of an experiment show that dominant culture source cues activate highly internalized dominant cultural models for all participants, leading to self-referencing and favorable ad attitudes. However, subculture source and nonsource cues interact to activate subcultural knowledge, induce self-referencing, and enhance ad attitudes only among members of the subculture. Copyright 2002 by the University of Chicago.
The objective of this paper is to provide insights into the localisation imperative in international marketing. The authors argue that the cultural dynamics of international markets requires companies to develop localisation strategies and deliver digital content that resonate with international consumers. This paper attempts to provide insights to support e-commerce marketers in comprehending the importance of cultural customisation on websites and other digital content. Lastly, this study provides managerial insights into how to culturally customise digital content.
The concept of acculturation has been based on the assumption of an adaptation process, whereby immigrants lose aspects of their heritage cultures in favour of aspects of a host culture (i.e. assimilation). Past research has shown that acculturation preferences result in various possibilities and influence consumption behaviour. However, the impact of social media on consumer acculturation is underexplored, although the social purpose and information sharing online is utilized for a variety of social purposes. Recent studies have shown the transformation from an offline to an online context, in which social networks play an integral part in immigrants’ communications, relationships and connections. This study merges the views from a number of leading contributors to highlight significant opportunities and challenges for future consumer acculturation research influenced by social media. The research provides insights into the impact of social media on consumer acculturation.
Purpose
While it is essential to further research the growing diversity in western metropolitan cities, little is currently known about how the members of various ethnic communities acculturate to multicultural societies. The purpose of this paper is to explore immigrants’ cosmopolitanism and acculturation strategies through an analysis of the food consumption behaviour of ethnic consumers in multicultural London.
Design/methodology/approach
The study was set within the socio-cultural context of London. A number of qualitative methods such as in-depth interviews, observation and photographs were used to assess consumers’ acculturation strategies in a multicultural environment and how that is influenced by consumer cosmopolitanism.
Findings
Ethnic consumers’ food consumption behaviour reflects their acculturation strategies, which can be classified into four groups: rebellion, rarefaction, resonance and refrainment. This classification demonstrates ethnic consumers’ multi-directional acculturation strategies, which are also determined by their level of cosmopolitanism.
Research limitations/implications
The taxonomy presented in this paper advances current acculturation scholarship by suggesting a multi-directional model for acculturation strategies as opposed to the existing uni-directional and bi-directional perspectives and explicates the role of consumer cosmopolitanism in consumer acculturation. The paper did not engage host communities and there is hence a need for future research on how and to what extent host communities are acculturated to the multicultural environment.
Practical implications
The findings have direct implications for the choice of standardisation vs adaptation as a marketing strategy within multicultural cities. Whilst the rebellion group are more likely to respond to standardisation, increasing adaptation of goods and service can ideally target members of the resistance and resonance groups and more fusion products should be exclusively earmarked for the resonance group.
Originality/value
The paper makes original contribution by introducing a multi-directional perspective to acculturation by delineating four-group taxonomy (rebellion, rarefaction, resonance and refrainment). This paper also presents a dynamic model that captures how consumer cosmopolitanism impinges upon the process and outcome of multi-directional acculturation strategies.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to offer a framework for considering the interplay between local (national) and global (world-based) identities and consumption practices with attention to various conceptualizations and measurements of consumer cultural identity.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a conceptual paper reviewing major works on consumer cultural identities and offering a framework for future considerations of the interplay between global and local identities.
Findings
The framework identifies two dimensions which underlie consumer cultural identity conceptualizations and measurements: first, consumer engagement with globalization–localization discourses, and second, more general identity beliefs vs consumption-based identity beliefs. Clustering and categorical measure approaches (vs a compensatory approach) are preferred for identifying and exploring global/local/glocal and unengaged consumer cultural identity segments. Research foci should guide use of global and/or local general identity vs consumption-based identity beliefs as predictors of marketplace outcomes or as segmentation variables.
Research limitations/implications
The conceptualization of consumer cultural identity is based on Berry et al .’s (1986) early work on acculturation and Arnett’s (2002) bicultural identity theorizing, and thus the authors acknowledge four consumer segments, those with: stronger global (weaker local) identity, stronger local (weaker global) identity, strong global and local identities and those unengaged with global–local discourses. The authors review measurement approaches to examine consumer cultural identity and determine that categorical and clustering (vs compensatory) approaches are consistent with the conceptualization of consumer cultural identity segments.
Practical implications
International marketers can gain insights into major conceptualizations and measurements of consumer cultural identity, and understand the advantages and limitations of different measurement approaches. The authors highlight two important dimensions underlying cultural identity that demand managers’ attention and consideration for strategic decisions. Social implications – this paper brings attention to various conceptualizations and measures of consumer cultural identity, highlighting the need to further examine differences between various cultural identity segments, specifically the unengaged consumers and glocally engaged consumers.
Originality/value
The paper provides a broadened lens to understanding conceptualizations and measurements of consumer cultural identity, identifying two dimensions underlying consumer cultural identity: consumer engagement with globalization–localization discourses, and more general identity beliefs vs consumption-based identity beliefs.
Considerable research in consumer experimental psychology has examined the self-expressive role of brands but has found little support for the premise that the interaction of the personality traits associated with a brand and those associated with an individual's self-concept influence attitudes. The current research focuses on the influence of the malleable self-concept on consumer attitudes toward a brand, based on the its personality associations. The results of two experiments demonstrate that traits that are made accessible by salient situational cues and those that are chronically accessible (schematic traits) positively influence consumer attitudes toward a brand based on its personality associations. More important, these effects are tested in a set of theory-based interactions that rely on the self-monitoring individual difference variable. Self congruity is enhanced for low versus high self-monitoring subjects, whereas situation congruity is enhanced for high versus low self-monitoring subjects. Together, these experiments shed light on the self-expressive use of brands and the role of the malleable self-concept in influencing consumer attitudes.
This research tests the notion that consumers misattribute feelings of certainty about their attitudes, or more broadly their ‘feeling right,’ to their attitudes about objects. Specifically, high (as compared to low) levels of website cultural congruity may induce greater certainty about consumers' attitudes toward retail websites, which affects the extremity of their attitudes toward the site as well as their purchase intentions. We test this issue experimentally by differentiating: (a) types of internet access devices (regular computers vs. touchscreen devices) and (b) reactions of ethnic majority (French) and ethnic minority (Maghrebian) consumers in France. The findings show that attitude certainty acts as a key mediator between website cultural congruity, attitudes toward the site and purchase intentions. The effects of website cultural congruity are stronger when consumers use touchscreen devices than regular computers, and stronger for French ethnic majority than for Maghrebian ethnic minority consumers.
This paper defines hedonic consumption as those facets of consumer behavior that relate to the multisensory, fantasy and emotive aspects of product usage experience. After delineating these concepts, their theoretical antecedents are traced, followed by a discussion of differences between the traditional and hedonic views, methodological implications of the latter approach, and behavioral propositions in four substantive areas relevant to hedonic consumption—mental constructs, product classes, product usage and individual differences. Conclusions concern the usefulness of the hedonic perspective in supplementing and extending marketing research on consumer behavior.
The authors argue that what consumers learn from the experience of using products is not a simple matter of discovering objective truth. They frame the problem of learning from experience as a four-stage process (hypothesizing—exposure—encoding—integration) with three moderating factors (familiarity with the domain, motivation to learn, and the ambiguity of the information environment). The framework is used to identify where learning from product consumption experience is most open to managerial influence. The authors discuss strategic tools for managing experiential learning and consider applications to the simulation of learning in concept and pre-test-market product testing.
The role of culture in web design has been increasingly researched. At this juncture, a comprehensive review of research, exploring website cultural localization issues, is overdue. Thus, this study aims to review and synthesize the findings from 90 previous studies in this field and provide implications for building a future research agenda. The paper provides a systematic review of a] The manifestation of cultural values in websites, b] The investigation of cultural markers in websites, and c] Influence of culture on users' perceptions of online stimuli. It elucidates the methods used in the investigations, along with main findings, limitations, and future research directions. The review of previous studies suggests that the web is not a culturally neutral medium, local cultural elements are an important part of web design, and that multinationals are culturally adapting their web content. Finally, the past studies make a compelling case for culturally adapting web content to meet online user expectations.
Unlike the abundance of research on brand- and consumer-related determinants of global/local brand preference, little is known about whether/how the product category affects consumer choices between local and global brands. Drawing from schema theory, the authors (a) argue that consumers rely on their product category schemata to form perceptions of global vs. local brand superiority, (b) introduce a compact scale to measure these perceptions, and (c) identify their key antecedents and consequences. Two studies in developed and emergent markets empirically support the hypotheses across multiple product categories, for both real and fictitious brands. Results indicate that consumers perceive global brands as superior to local in product categories with strong functional character and extensive symbolic capacity. Moreover, brands congruent with category superiority perceptions are preferred because of their justifiability, while brands deviating from these perceptions are avoided due to their proneness to normative criticism. The findings imply that global/local brand preference is largely formed at the product category level and advocate category-specific strategies for global/local brand management.
While customer orientation is accepted as a core marketing principle, this research suggests that an opposing orientation-product orientation-may offer an advantage. Managers who follow a product orientation focus on products that interest and inspire them rather than on products that fulfill consumers' desires. This research suggests that a consumer's perception that managers follow a product orientation is consistent with prior conceptualizations of brand authenticity. That research suggests that brands perceived as authentic are evaluated more positively, yet that research does not empirically assess brand authenticity's effects nor suggest its antecedents. To fill this gap, the authors develop a conceptualization and model of brand authenticity grounded in self-determination theory, attribution theory, and extant authentic human brand research. Brand authenticity is defined as the extent to which consumers perceive that a brand's managers are intrinsically motivated in that they are passionate about and devoted to providing their products. The model proposes four antecedents of brand authenticity-two related to rare brand behaviors (uniqueness and scarcity), and two related to stable brand behaviors (longevity and longitudinal consistency). It also proposes two perceptual outcomes of brand authenticity-expected quality and trust. Two 2 × 2 experiments (n = 136 for Study 1; n = 155 for Study 2) demonstrate a positive impact of the antecedents on brand authenticity and of brand authenticity on the outcomes. Brand authenticity mediates these effects.
Two follow-up studies of scales that measure attitudes toward websites show that the scales remain reliable and robust across substantial changes in websites, respondents, and methods of administration. These studies suggest that student respondents may be adequate when research addresses methodological issues such as scale development. They also suggest that adequate sampling of stimuli may be at least as important as, if not more important than, adequate sampling of respondents.
The authors draw on the phenomenon of processing fluency to develop a memory-based account of target and nontarget market effects related to consumer evaluations of culture-specific website designs. The test of the study's hypotheses relies on longitudinal experimental data from Tunisian minority and French majority consumers in France. The psychological mechanisms that drive website evaluations appear to differ for the two populations. French majority consumers are alienated by culturally incongruent website design, but this negative effect is alleviated by repeated exposure. Tunisian minority consumers tend to prefer website design with a French look and feel, and repeated exposure enhances this effect. The results from an explorative post hoc study echo these findings and suggest that effects of culture-specific website design on consumer website evaluations are contingent on the website product category.
Organizational Identity presents the classic works on organizational identity alongside more current thinking on the issues. Ranging from theoretical contributions to empirical studies, the readings in this volume address the key issues of organizational identity, and show how these issues have developed through contributions from such diverse fields of study as sociology, psychology, management studies and cultural studies. The readings examine questions such as how organizations understand who they are, why organizations develop a sense of identity and belonging where the boundaries of identity lie and the implications of postmodern and critical theories' challenges to the concept of identity as deeply-rooted and authentic. Includes work by: Stuart Albert, Mats Alvesson, Blake E. Ashforth, Marilynn B. Brewer, George Cheney, Lars Thoger Christensen, C.H. Cooley, Kevin G. Corley, Barbara Czarniawska, Janet M. Dukerich, Jane E. Dutton, Kimberly D. Elsbach, Wendi Gardner, Linda E. Ginzela, Dennis A. Gioia, E. Goffman, Karen Golden-Biddle, Mary Jo Hatch, Roderick M. Kramer, Fred Rael, G.H. Mead, Michael G. Pratt, Anat Rafaeli, Hayagreeva Rao, Majken Schultz, Howard S. Schwartz, Robert I. Sutton, Henri Taijfel, John Turner, David A. Wherren, and Hugh Willmott. Intended to provide easy access to this material for students of organizational identity, it will also be of interest more broadly to students of business, sociology and psychology.
Cross-cultural psychology has demonstrated important links between cultural context and individual behavioural development. Given this relationship, cross-cultural research has increasingly investigated what happens to individuals who have developed in one cultural context when they attempt to re-establish their lives in another one. The long-term psychological consequences of this process of acculturation are highly variable, depending on social and personal variables that reside in the society of origin, the society of settlement, and phenomena that both exist prior to, and arise during, the course of acculturation. This article outlines a conceptual framework within which acculturation and adaptation can be investigated, and then presents some general findings and conclusions based on a sample of empirical studies.
Postmodern consumers use brands to create an authentic self and to reconnect to place, time, culture and others. Although previous research has identified that consumers draw on a range of cues in order to attribute authenticity to branded objects, no scales exist to measure the construct of brand authenticity. Building on the existing literature, this paper uses quantitative methods to develop a psychometrically robust measure of brand authenticity from a consumer's perspective. Findings demonstrate convergent, discriminant and predictive validity, whereby 14 items represent three interrelated first order factors labeled quality commitment, sincerity and heritage that correspond with a higher order brand authenticity construct. This study extends our understanding of the consumption of authenticity. Moreover, it provides a tool by which firms can evaluate the effectiveness of strategic decisions designed to deliver an authentic brand offering to consumers. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.
The authors investigate the moderating roles of brand equity and purchasing risk in the relationships between website cultural congruity (WCC) and two dependent variables: attitude toward the website (AST) and trust in the e-vendor. An exploratory study identifies typical French website design elements (graphic design and layout factors) to use in a subsequent experimental study to manipulate WCC. The results reveal that the effect of WCC on AST increases when brand equity is weak; for trust, both brand equity and purchasing risk act as moderators. The interaction between brand equity and purchasing risk reveals that WCC only influences trust when brand equity is weak. Overall, the results suggest that strong brand equity outweighs the effects of WCC in terms of improving site attitudes and reducing purchasing risk, with notable managerial and research implications.
This paper links findings from research on different age types to branding literature, and adds insight into how to rejuvenate a brand through the use of endorsers in advertisements. The article addresses the yet under-represented value of demographic characteristics of endorsers in affecting brand perception, and introduces the importance of the existence and strength of individual mental images of typical brand users in the process of such association transfers. Based on theoretical perspectives from personality transfer, (social) categorization, imagery, and advertising literature, the study proposes and tests several conditions for which age association transfer from endorser to brand takes place. Results show that using endorsers can be an effective way to influence consumers' brand age perceptions and to rejuvenate a brand. In doing so, it is important to pay attention to the existence and strength of mental images of typical brand users.
Drawing on categorization theory, this empirical study focuses on the critical role of congruency in prototypical brand extensions. A survey, measuring reactions to 18 proposed extensions involving six well‐known brands (Xerox, Kleenex, Band‐Aid, Scotch Tape, Coke, Sony Walkman), was administered to a sample of graduate students. For each prototypical brand, there were three proposed extensions: congruent, moderately congruent, and incongruent. Preliminary analyses, using a series of MANOVAs and post hoc pairwise difference tests, revealed robust variations across the six brands with respect to the level of extension congruency. Using multiple‐item indicators for three latent constructs (attitude towards parent brand, extension fit, and extension success) along with two additional variables (prototypicality and manufacturing complexity), we developed and tested three structural equation models linking these aforementioned variables, for congruent, moderately congruent, and incongruent extensions. Results indicate that—irrespective of the level of extension congruency—perceptions of fit had the strongest influence on extension success. However, while parent brand affect directly and indirectly influenced success for congruent brand extensions, these parent‐brand associations played no significant role for moderately congruent and incongruent brand extensions. Implications for brand managers and directions for future research are also discussed.
Mounting empirical evidence shows that consumers often associate brands with the wrong country of origin (COO) or are unable to classify a brand to any COO. In this study, the authors investigate the consequences of brand origin misclassification and nonclassification on consumers' brand image evaluations and associated purchase intentions. Drawing from categorization theory, the authors test hypotheses regarding the impact of brand strength and COO image on misclassification gains and losses on a sample of U.K. consumers. The results show that both misclassification and nonclassification have mostly adverse consequences on both brand evaluations and purchase intentions. The findings further show that strong brands are not immune to misclassification and stress the importance of ensuring that consumers are aware of a brand's true COO.
This paper defines hedonic consumption as those facets of consumer behavior that relate to the multisensory, fantasy and emotive aspects of product usage experience. After delineating these concepts, their theoretical antecedents are traced, followed by a discussion of differences between the traditional and hedonic views, methodological implications of the latter approach, and behavioral propositions in four substantive areas relevant to hedonic consumption-mental constructs, product classes, product usage and individual differences. Conclusions concern the usefulness of the hedonic perspective in supplementing and extending marketing research on consumer behavior.
Allport (1954) recognized that attachment to one's ingroups does not necessarily require hostility toward outgroups. Yet the prevailing approach to the study of ethnocentrism, ingroup bias, and prejudice presumes that ingroup love and outgroup hate are reciprocally related. Findings from both cross-cultural research and laboratory experiments support the alternative view that ingroup identification is independent of negative attitudes toward outgroups and that much ingroup bias and intergroup discrimination is motivated by preferential treatment of ingroup members rather than direct hostility toward outgroup members. Thus to understand the roots of prejudice and discrimination requires first of all a better understanding of the functions that ingroup formation and identification serve for human beings. This article reviews research and theory on the motivations for maintenance of ingroup boundaries and the implications of ingroup boundary protection for intergroup relations, conflict, and conflict prevention.
La psychologie interculturelle a montré qu'il existait des rapports étroits entre le contexte culturel et le développement comportemental de l'individu. Cette relation établie, l'effort des recherches interculturelles a de plus en plus porté sur ce qu'il advenait des individus quand ils tentaient de refaire leur vie dans une culture différente de leur culture d'origine. Les conséquences psychologiques à long terme de ce processus d'acculturation sont très variables, dépendant de variables sociales et personnelles qui renvoient à la société de départ, à la société d'accueil et à des phénomènes qui existent avant, mais qui émergent pendant la période d'acculturation. Cet article esquisse un schéma conceptuel à partir duquel acculturation et adaptation peuvent ětre étudiées, puis présente quelques conclusions et résultats généraux tirés d'un échantillon de travaux empiriques. On envisage des applications possibles à la politique et aux programmes d'insertion en prenant en considération les couts et les bénéfices sociaux et psychologiques émanant de l'adoprion d'une orientation pluraliste et intégrationniste.
Culturally relevant products, services, and communications play a crucial role in the success of ethnic targeted marketing. Employing a bi-dimensional approach, two studies examine how cultural relevance of product attributes interacts with acculturation level, and situational and contextual factors to affect product attribute evaluations (PAE) of Hispanic consumers. Across both studies, cultural relevance had main effects on PAE. In Study 1, cultural relevance interacted with cultural situations to affect PAE. Hispanic consumers evaluated Hispanic (or Mainstream) relevant product attributes more favorably when exposed to a Hispanic (or Mainstream) cultural situation. In Study 2, cultural relevance interacted independently with cultural primes and acculturation level to significantly affect PAE. PAE shifted as a result of cultural primes and moved toward being typical to the activated cultural identity. Results are discussed in the context of consumer acculturation, social identity-based consumption, biculturalism, and cultural frame shifting.
Recent growth in international trade, globalisation, migration and tourism has led to the creation of large ethnic subcultures and ethnic minority-owned retail enterprises in a number of Western countries such as the UK. This has contributed towards the development of a multicultural marketplace whereby both ethnic and mainstream retailers coexist with the ambition of serving consumers of different ethnic backgrounds. The paper argues that consumers of different ethnic backgrounds are skilled navigators who frequently engage in culture swapping to sample the many tastes, themes and sounds of different cultures. Retailers of different ethnic background in such a context play the role of cultural intermediaries who facilitate this culture swapping by promoting co-existence, tolerance and freedom of lifestyles among consumers of different ethnic backgrounds. The paper discusses the implications for retailers. The paper is based on an ethnographic study of ethnic minority and mainstream consumers in the UK.
This study examines patterns of cultural adaptation of an ethnic minority as manifested in consumption of traditional ethnic and mainstream culture foods. A survey, containing multiple measures of several ethnic identification and acculturation dimensions, along with consumption frequencies of both traditional and mainstream culture foods, was administered to a sample of ethnic Lebanese residing in a predominately French-speaking urban area. The results confirm that ethnic identity and acculturation are distinct processes, providing strong support for dual process models of cultural adaptation. A series of structural equation models linking the twin cultural influences to the consumption of traditional home and mainstream host food categories found little support for the linearity assumption between cultural adaptation and consumption behavior. Rather, the relationship between ethnic identity, acculturation, and consumption behaviors appears to be far more complex, and specific to the food category under consideration. Mapping these patterns of cultural adaptation, we articulate a new typology, relating the extent and particular combinations that home and host cultural influences impact consumption behavior.