“I made it work”: how using a self-assembled product increases task performance

Although it is well established that consumers have an increased valuation for self-assembled products, less is known about how using such products influences objective consumption outcomes. Across three experiments, the current research demonstrates that consumers perform better on tasks when they use a product they have self-assembled—as opposed to an identical but ready-to-use product. We show that this effect results from an increase in self-efficacy and rule out possible alternative accounts (i.e., product efficacy beliefs, performance motivation, feelings of psychological ownership, and product liking). In addition, we demonstrate that the self-assembly effect emerges only when consumers actually use the self-assembled product, is robust when product assembly requires different amounts of time and effort, and is not merely the result of a question-behavior effect. Theoretical contributions and opportunities for future research are discussed

A Conceptual replication of the differential price framing effect in the field

Across a series of 10 laboratory and online studies, Allard, Hardisty, and Griffin (2019) demonstrated an increased preference for premium, higher-priced products over standard products when consumers were presented with the additional cost of the higher-priced option (i.e., differential price framing; e.g., “for $20 more”) rather than with its total price (i.e., inclusive price framing; e.g., “for$60 total”); a phenomenon referred to as the differential price framing effect. In this paper, we conceptually replicate this effect in a field experiment that focuses on the application of a differential price framing strategy to a specific product format; namely, multipacks of identical products. Consistent with the differential price framing effect, the present study shows—based on 45,626 add-to-cart events and 30,426 completed product purchases on an online retailer’s website—that the choice shares of higher-priced options increase when a differential price framing strategy is used. However, compared to non-consequential add-to-cart activities, this bias is considerably less pronounced in actual purchase patterns

“I Made It Work”: How Using a Self‐Assembled Product Increases Task Performance

Although it is well established that consumers have an increased valuation for self‐assembled products, less is known about how using such products influences objective consumption outcomes. Across three experiments, the current research demonstrates that consumers perform better on tasks when they use a product they have self‐assembled—as opposed to an identical but ready‐to‐use product. We show that this effect results from an increase in self‐efficacy and rule out possible alternative accounts (i.e., product efficacy beliefs, performance motivation, feelings of psychological ownership, and product liking). In addition, we demonstrate that the self‐assembly effect emerges only when consumers actually use the self‐assembled product, is robust when product assembly requires different amounts of time and effort, and is not merely the result of a question‐behavior effect. Theoretical contributions and opportunities for future research are discussed

The Paralyzed Customer: an Empirical Investigation of Antecedents and Consequences of Decision Paralysis the Paralyzed Customer: An Empirical Investigation of Antecedents and Consequences of decision Paralysis

This article makes a further contribution to the identification of effects on consumer choice behavior under high product variety. Based on previous research a structural equation model is developed that involves both quantitative and qualitative characteristics of variety. Therefore a novel construct is introduced that refers to the tendency to disengage and evade the choice process by choosing an avoidant option. In order to evaluate consequences of these tendencies toward paralysis, their impact on customer satisfaction is assessed. The model is empirically tested with regard to the German cellular phone market. Implications for business practice and future research are deduced. [url]: http://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/1006816/eacr/vol9/E-09 [copyright notice]: This work is copyrighted by The Association for Consumer Research. For permission to copy or use this work in whole or in part, please contact the Copyright Clearance Center at http://www.copyright.com/. 417 European Advances in Consumer Research Volume 9, © 2011 the Paralyzed Customer: An Empirical Investigation of Antecedents and Consequences of decision Paralysis Frank Huber Gutenberg, University of Mainz, Germany Sören Köcher, TU Dortmund University, Germany Frederik Meyer, Gutenberg University of Mainz, Germany Johannes Vogel, Gutenberg University of Mainz, Germany ABStRACt This article makes a further contribution to the identification of effects on consumer choice behavior under high product variety. Based on previous research a structural equation model is developed that involves both quantitative and qualitative characteristics of variety. Therefore a novel construct is introduced that refers to the tendency to disengage and evade the choice process by choosing an avoidant option. In order to evaluate consequences of these tendencies toward paralysis, their impact on customer satisfaction is assessed. The model is empirically tested with regard to the German cellular phone market. Implications for business practice and future research are deduced