The Neglected Unity-in-Variety Principle: A Holistic Rather Than a Single-Factor Approach in Conceptualising a Visual Merchandise Display

While retailers cannot stress enough the fact that, in reality, a variety of store design cues combine to make a merchandise’s visual display (VMD), the product presentation research focuses mostly on investigating the effect of a single retail display cue, at a time, on consumer product evaluations. But, is “unity-in-variety” a neglected principle in the product presentation research? Scholars are increasingly suggesting more systematic study to identify combinations of key store cues that shape a product’s display for more pertinent for the retailing practice exploratory research. In response, the present article reviews the relevant literature and organises the findings to propose a qualitative typology of VMD cues that can capture, holistically, the VMD construct. The proposed typology is then confirmed in two studies. The identified VMD cues are classified into five key VMD element categories (factors) comprising display fixtures, materials, organisation, staging technique and lighting, and all factors load on one higher-order VMD construct

Configuring perceived fit to mitigate consumer animosity in the context of cross-border sport sponsorships

Research question: While cross-border sport sponsorships are widespread, such partnerships introduce a notable complication – consumers in one country may dislike the sponsor’s country of origin (COO). This raises the question as to whether animosity towards a sponsor’s COO negatively affects sponsorship outcomes, and if so, how it can be addressed. For the latter, we examine holistic sponsor-object fit as well as a set of its constituent elements. Research methods: Data collection pertained to a brand engaged in a hypothetical sponsorship. Study 1 involves a Serbian brand sponsoring the Croatia national football team and for Study 2 German sponsors of the England national football team. Survey data are analyzed using a latent modeling approach. Results and findings: Study 1 shows that animosity reduces consumers’ attitude towards the sponsorship. However, higher perceived sponsor-object fit weakens this effect. Study 2 replicates this finding, and on a more granular level establishes the moderating properties of several sub-dimensions of fit. Congruence in color, personality and status ameliorate animosity. Implications: We outline implications for sponsors operating in environments where their COO invokes animosity and how sponsor-object fit may mitigate this