Selling and Buying Aspects of Used Products That Are Brand Anthropomorphized

Abstract

This dissertation establishes the impact of brand anthropomorphism on used product transactions from both buyers’ and sellers’ perspectives. That is, we show that brand anthropomorphism leads sellers to set higher selling prices for used products and buyers to set lower buying prices. We theorize that these outcomes occur because sellers develop stronger emotional connections toward their brands that persist even after they have decided to end (sell) their relationships with the brand, whereas buyers apply a relationship-dissolution stigma (a pervasive stereotype toward people who dissolved their relationships) toward anthropomorphized used products. We further demonstrate important boundary conditions for these core effects. That is, we show that a seller’s favorable attitude toward the past enhances the positive impact of brand anthropomorphism on selling prices of used products, whereas a buyer’s creative mindset attenuates the negative impact of brand anthropomorphism on buying prices of used products. Finally, we provide critical managerial implications of the impact of anthropomorphizing a brand in the refurbished marketplace.Ph.D., Marketing -- Drexel University, 201