Shopping for apparel: how can kiosk systems help?

When shopping for apparel, many consumers seek advice from friends and family or store personnel. In-store kiosk systems might serve as an alternative decision support system. In the present study we address the key question of how such kiosk systems are evaluated by consumers. We conducted three focus group discussions with regular apparel shoppers aged between 23 and 39 years. In sum, qualitative information from 15 participants was subject to a qualitative content analysis with the aim of gaining a more comprehensive understanding of how apparel shoppers experience the shopping process. Getting a more in-depth understanding of the needs and wishes associated with the apparel shopping process gives a basis for evaluating the potential acceptance of electronic decision support systems in apparel shopping. Although our study is exploratory in nature, we are able to draw an initial picture of how kiosk systems could be used in apparel shopping. (authors' abstract

Measuring Affective Information Processing in Information Systems and Consumer Research – Introducing Startle Reflex Modulation

Over the last two decades, scholars in information systems and consumer research have started to successfully apply methods from neuroscience to research questions on emotional aspects related to IS or consumption behavior. However, there is still a lack of understanding regarding which particular facets of emotion can actually be measured by the various neuroscientific techniques. Especially when it comes to their ability to measure underlying affective information processing, some neuroscientific methods are more suitable than others. We discuss startle reflex modulation as one possibility for validly measuring the valence of affective information processing. The biologically deep-rooted startle reflex (eye-blink as a response to, e.g., an acoustic startle probe) is a valid measure of affective information processing, which is the basis of all emotions. We review three examples of startle reflex modulation having been successfully applied in the context of IS and consumer neuroscience and propose directions for further research

Sponsoring, brand value and social media

The increasing involvement of individuals in social media over the past decade has enabled firms to pursue new avenues in communication and sponsoring activities. Besides general research on either social media or sponsoring, questions regarding the consequences of a joint activity (sponsoring activities in social media) remain unexplored. Hence, the present study analyses whether the perceived image of the brand and the celebrity endorser credibility of a top sports team influence the perceived brand value of the sponsoring firm in a social media setting. Moreover, these effects are compared between existing customers and non-customers of the sponsoring firm. Interestingly, perceived celebrity endorser credibility plays no role in forming brand value perceptions in the case of the existing customers. Implications for marketing theory and practice are derived. (authors' abstract

Longitudinale Betrachtung der Kognitiven Dissonanz

Im Verlauf des (Kauf-)Entscheidungsprozesses sind die Konsumenten zahlreichen psychologisch zu erklärenden internen Phänomenen ausgesetzt. Kognitive Dissonanz ist ein zentrales relevantes Konstrukt in diesem Zusammenhang. Aus Sicht der Marketingforschung ist das psychologische Befinden der Konsumenten während des gesamten Entscheidungsprozesses von Interesse. Die Autorin wählt den Anwendungsbereich der Reiseentscheidung. Durch Einsatz der Tagebuchmethode werden relevante Konstrukte wie wahrgenommenes Risiko, Kognitive Dissonanz und Zufriedenheit während des gesamten Reiseentscheidungsprozesses sowohl qualitativ als auch quantitativ untersucht. Die Erkenntnisse zur Entwicklung psychologischer Phänomene im Zeitverlauf liefern einen wichtigen Beitrag zur Dissonanzforschung und erlauben das Ableiten zentraler Implikationen für das praxisorientierte Marketing

Longitudinale Betrachtung der Kognitiven Dissonanz

Im Verlauf des (Kauf-)Entscheidungsprozesses sind die Konsumenten zahlreichen psychologisch zu erklärenden internen Phänomenen ausgesetzt. Kognitive Dissonanz ist ein zentrales relevantes Konstrukt in diesem Zusammenhang. Aus Sicht der Marketingforschung ist das psychologische Befinden der Konsumenten während des gesamten Entscheidungsprozesses von Interesse. Die Autorin wählt den Anwendungsbereich der Reiseentscheidung. Durch Einsatz der Tagebuchmethode werden relevante Konstrukte wie wahrgenommenes Risiko, Kognitive Dissonanz und Zufriedenheit während des gesamten Reiseentscheidungsprozesses sowohl qualitativ als auch quantitativ untersucht. Die Erkenntnisse zur Entwicklung psychologischer Phänomene im Zeitverlauf liefern einen wichtigen Beitrag zur Dissonanzforschung und erlauben das Ableiten zentraler Implikationen für das praxisorientierte Marketing

Objective Measures of Emotion Related to Brand Attitude: A New Way to Quantify Emotion-Related Aspects Relevant to Marketing

With this study we wanted to test the hypothesis that individual like and dislike as occurring in relation to brand attitude can be objectively assessed. First, individuals rated common brands with respect to subjective preference. Then, they volunteered in an experiment during which their most liked and disliked brand names were visually presented while three different objective measures were taken. Participant's eye blinks as responses to acoustic startle probes were registered with electromyography (EMG) (i) and their skin conductance (ii) and their heart rate (iii) were recorded. We found significantly reduced eye blink amplitudes related to liked brand names compared to disliked brand names. This finding suggests that visual perception of liked brand names elicits higher degrees of pleasantness, more positive emotion and approach-oriented motivation than visual perception of disliked brand names. Also, skin conductance and heart rate were both reduced in case of liked versus disliked brand names. We conclude that all our physiological measures highlight emotion-related differences depending on the like and dislike toward individual brands. We suggest that objective measures should be used more frequently to quantify emotion-related aspects of brand attitude. In particular, there might be potential interest to introduce startle reflex modulation to measure emotion-related impact during product development, product design and various further fields relevant to marketing. Our findings are discussed in relation to the idea that self reported measures are most often cognitively polluted

Established liked versus disliked brands: brain activity, implicit associations and explicit

Consumers' attitudes towards established brands were tested using implicit and explicit measures. In particular, late positive potential (LPP) effects were assessed as an implicit physiological measure of motivational significance. The implicit Association Test (IAT) was used as an implicit behavioural measure of valence-related aspects (affective content) of brand attitude. We constructed individualised stimulus lists of liked and disliked brand types from participants' subjective pre-assessment. Participants then re-rated these visually presented brands whilst brain potential changes were recorded via electroencephalography (EEG). First, self-report measures during the test confirmed pre-assessed attitudes underlining consistent explicit rating performance. Second, liked brands elicited significantly more positive going waveforms (LPPs) than disliked brands over right parietal cortical areas starting at about 800 ms post stimulus onset (reaching statistical significance at around 1000 ms) and lasting until the end of the recording epoch (2000 ms). In accordance to the literature this finding is interpreted as reflecting positive affect-related motivational aspects of liked brands. Finally, the IAT revealed that both liked and disliked brands indeed are associated with affect-related valence. The increased levels of motivation associated with liked brands is interpreted as potentially reflecting increased purchasing intention, but this is of course only speculation at this stage. (authors' abstract

Vulnerable consumers : marketing research needs to pay more attention to the brain health of consumers

We propose here that marketing research should increase consideration of the brain health of consumers, and argue that it would help both extend our current knowledge of vulnerable and other marginalised groups, as well as extend generalizability and external validity of marketing research in general. We show that such a focus would help enrich methodology, especially around causal inference, as well as impact on our understanding of a number of key emerging themes in marketing research. We particularly focus on the consumer behaviour around digitalisation, as well as compulsive buying behaviour. Further, we show that increasing consideration of consumer brain health will further efforts towards inclusivity of marketing, and help continue progress towards marketing research as a force for good

Reduzierte Bearbeitung – fruchtbarere Böden? Ergebnisse aus Parzellenversuchen und von Praxisbetrieben

Steigert pfluglose Bodenbearbeitung im Ökolandbau den Humusgehalt? Oder Bodenfruchtbarkeit bzw. Erträge? Feld- und Praxisversuche des Schweizer FiBL gehen u.a. diesen Fragen nach, auch in einer Variante mit biodynamischen Präparaten