THERE IS ONLY THE WORKING CLASS
How intermittent feedback drives consumer impatience
THERE IS NO CONSUMER CLASS
News from the Journal of Consumer Psychology
Peer-Reviewed PublicationResearchers from Fudan University’s School of Management published a new paper in the Journal of Consumer Psychology that provides original insights about the impact different types of feedback consumers have on consumers’ psychological state.
Specifically, the research examines “piecemeal” feedback informing consumers of their progress or performance during each step of an online process such as making a purchase, playing a computer game, or customizing a product. The work compares intermittent feedback with “lump sum” feedback offered at the end of a process.
The article, recently published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, is authored by Haichao Lin, Qian Xu, and Liyin Jin and offers a deeper understanding of how external factors impact consumers’ internal experience. Previous research has focused on how feedback reinforces consumer behavior but not on how different types of feedback affect consumers’ mindset and subsequent actions.
The authors found that intermittent feedback helped consumers connect their actions to progress toward a goal. This association generated a sense of impatience compared to those who only received lump sum feedback at the completion of a goal. For example, piecemeal feedback such as “You have completed Step 1 in this customization, please proceed to Step 2…” provides consumers with the satisfaction of accomplishing an action. This reward boosts their motivation to quickly complete the next, generating greater impatience.
Through a series of five studies, the research team found that regular feedback forms a strong, reliable action-outcome association, spurring consumers to pursue prompt results in subsequent related or unrelated situations.
“This effect is robust regardless of whether the valence of feedback is positive or negative, whether the outcome involves gain or loss, and whether the form of feedback is monetary or informative,” the authors found.
The timing of piecemeal feedback is significant. The researchers discovered that piecemeal feedback increases consumer impatience only when it is provided at a fixed pace (rather than at a varied schedule) and immediately following specific behaviors that are directed toward action (rather than inaction).
The researchers propose several avenues for future research related to their findings including whether the effect of piecemeal feedback on consumer impatience holds if consumers are told beforehand about the feedback procedure. Given that the team measured consumer impatience immediately after receiving feedback, they suggest future studies could delay such measurement to explore how long the activated action–outcome persists.
Full article and author contact information available at https://myscp.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jcpy.1347
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About the Journal of Consumer Psychology
The Journal of Consumer Psychology publishes top-quality research articles that contribute both theoretically and empirically to our understanding of the psychology of consumer behavior. The Journal is intended for researchers in consumer psychology, social and cognitive psychology, judgment and decision making, and related disciplines. It is also relevant to professionals in advertising and public relations, marketing and branding, consumer and market research, and public policy. Published by the Society for Consumer Psychology since its founding in 1992, JCP has played a significant role in shaping the content and boundaries of the consumer psychology discipline. Dr. Lauren Block (Lippert Professor of Marketing at the Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College) serves as the current Editor-in-Chief.
About the Society for Consumer Psychology (SCP)
The Society for Consumer Psychology is the premier voice to further the advancement of the discipline of consumer psychology in a global society. Building upon the Society's excellence in mentoring young behavioral scientists, the SCP facilitates the generation and dissemination of intellectual contributions and promotes professional development and research opportunities for its members around the globe. Dr. Tiffany White, Associate Professor of Business Administration and Bruce and Anne Strohm Faculty Fellow at Gies College of Business, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, currently serves as the President.
JOURNAL
Journal of Consumer Psychology
METHOD OF RESEARCH
News article
SUBJECT OF RESEARCH
People
ARTICLE TITLE
Feedback-induced action–outcome associations increase consumer impatience
Why consumers forgo front-row seats: Sacrificing experience quality for togetherness
News from the Journal of Consumer Psychology
Peer-Reviewed PublicationResearchers from, Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School, Harvard University’s Harvard Business School, and University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, published a new paper in the Journal of Consumer Psychology that provides novel insights about how consumers make trade-offs between experience quality and togetherness.
The paper offers sheds new light on the choices people make when presented with the option of improving an activity separately (with first-class airline tickets, for example) or sharing that experience in nearby physical proximity with a “close other” such as a romantic partner, dear friend, or family member.
The article, “A desire to create shared memories increases consumers' willingness to sacrifice experience quality for togetherness,” recently published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, is authored by Ximena Garcia-Rada, Michael I. Norton, and Rebecca K. Ratner.
The research team found that consumers prioritize physical togetherness with relationship partners over opportunities that would improve an experience in real time. For instance, a couple in a movie theater would choose to sit together in the front row, craning their necks, rather than take two non-adjacent seats in rows with better views for both. A desire to “create shared memories” drives this behavior, according to a pilot study and five experiments conducted by the team. This dynamic is more pronounced when a consumer and their partner are offered “asymmetrical” or different experience qualities – with one person receiving a better quality option than the other. In contrast, the authors found that people are less likely to sacrifice experience quality when they are with someone to whom they do not feel close.
In one experiment conducted in a university behavioral lab, the authors discovered that students chose to eat two chocolates together with a friend rather than four chocolates they each could consume apart. In another study, more participants chose two adjacent seats very far from the stage over two non-adjacent seats close to the stage when asked to imagine attending a Cirque du Soleil performance with a close friend as opposed to a casual acquaintance.
In marketing-based experiment, the team found that framing an activity as functional rather than pleasurable increased the likelihood that close partners would choose a higher-quality experience over togetherness. Specifically, to some participants, researchers described a train ride as a fun part of an excursion. To others, they positioned it as a utilitarian part of an excursion that would get them to their destination.
“More participants accepted a free upgrade – even though it would require sitting apart from their companion -- when they perceived the activity as utilitarian, because they cared less about creating shared memories during the train ride,” the authors said.
These findings convey important insights for marketers seeking to fill airplanes, concert halls, amusement parks and other consumer experiences.
Additionally, the authors suggest “marketers can increase uptake by reassuring consumers that they can create shared memories even if apart.”
Full article and author contact information available at: https://myscp.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jcpy.1352
About the Journal of Consumer Psychology
The Journal of Consumer Psychology publishes top-quality research articles that contribute both theoretically and empirically to our understanding of the psychology of consumer behavior. The Journal is intended for researchers in consumer psychology, social and cognitive psychology, judgment and decision making, and related disciplines. It is also relevant to professionals in advertising and public relations, marketing and branding, consumer and market research, and public policy. Published by the Society for Consumer Psychology since its founding in 1992, JCP has played a significant role in shaping the content and boundaries of the consumer psychology discipline. Dr. Lauren Block (Lippert Professor of Marketing at the Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College) serves as the current Editor-in-Chief.
About the Society for Consumer Psychology (SCP)
The Society for Consumer Psychology is the premier voice to further the advancement of the discipline of consumer psychology in a global society. Building upon the Society's excellence in mentoring young behavioral scientists, the SCP facilitates the generation and dissemination of intellectual contributions and promotes professional development and research opportunities for its members around the globe. Dr. Tiffany White, Associate Professor of Business Administration and Bruce and Anne Strohm Faculty Fellow at Gies College of Business, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, currently serves as its President.
JOURNAL
Journal of Consumer Psychology
METHOD OF RESEARCH
News article
SUBJECT OF RESEARCH
People
ARTICLE TITLE
A desire to create shared memories increases consumers' willingness to sacrifice experience quality for togetherness
Unpacking consumer research: identifying trends, emerging topics, and key insights
News from the Journal of Consumer Psychology
Peer-Reviewed PublicationResearchers from Newcastle Business School, The University of Newcastle, and UNSW Business School, University of New South Wales, published a new paper in the Journal of Consumer Psychology that provides a comprehensive review of consumer research journals from both marketing and non-marketing disciplines.
By identifying gaps in the literature, the paper offers guidance for those seeking to further progress consumer research.
The article, recently published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, “’Inside’ versus ‘outside’ trends in consumer research,” is authored by Edwin Camilleri, Nitika Garg, Shah Jahan Miah.
A thriving field of study, consumer research provides relevant source material on vast range of issues studied across multiple disciplines, including choice and decision processes, lifestyle and culture, health and wellness, and existing and new technologies. Previous reviews of consumer research focused exclusively on journals, articles, and authors in the marketing field -- but not on the impact or citation frequency of specific topics from both “inside” and “outside” the marketing field.
The authors identified emerging, declining and the most impactful topics in both between 1999 and 2019. Based on a review of literature during that period, the authors found that non-marketing journals focusing on consumer research has continually increased, particularly since 2055, while the number of marketing journals publishing consumer research has remained relatively consistent.
Through a five-step process of data collection, topic modeling and analysis, the team discovered that several topics from non-marketing disciplines have grown significantly in terms of coverage and citations. For example, topics such as food waste, technology, and sustainability reflect emerging contemporary issues pertinent to consumers. Marketing scholars have taken interest and are applying various marketing concepts and theories to these subjects, adding fresh scholarship to the field.
The authors propose topics for future research based on subjects common “inside” consumer psychology literature that haven’t yet been explored in relation to the topics of emerging interest in other fields. These “gaps” include Self-Regulation, Consumption Experience and Giving Behavior.
The authors also identified the Journal of Consumer Psychology and the Journal of Consumer Research as two of the elite marketing (FT50) journals at the forefront of cutting-edge consumer psychology research.
Given that the study concluded in 2019, the authors note that marketing scholars are also now considering a range of consumer relevant issues in the wake of the pandemic, which will add additional breadth and stimulating new perspectives to the field.
Full article and author contact information available at https://myscp.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jcpy.1349
About the Journal of Consumer Psychology
The Journal of Consumer Psychology publishes top-quality research articles that contribute both theoretically and empirically to our understanding of the psychology of consumer behavior. The Journal is intended for researchers in consumer psychology, social and cognitive psychology, judgment and decision making, and related disciplines. It is also relevant to professionals in advertising and public relations, marketing and branding, consumer and market research, and public policy. Published by the Society for Consumer Psychology since its founding in 1992, JCP has played a significant role in shaping the content and boundaries of the consumer psychology discipline. Dr. Lauren Block (Lippert Professor of Marketing at the Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College) serves as the current Editor-in-Chief.
About the Society for Consumer Psychology (SCP)
The Society for Consumer Psychology is the premier voice to further the advancement of the discipline of consumer psychology in a global society. Building upon the Society's excellence in mentoring young behavioral scientists, the SCP facilitates the generation and dissemination of intellectual contributions and promotes professional development and research opportunities for its members around the globe. Dr. Tiffany White, Associate Professor of Business Administration and Bruce and Anne Strohm Faculty Fellow at Gies College of Business, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, currently serves as its President.
JOURNAL
Journal of Consumer Psychology
METHOD OF RESEARCH
Meta-analysis
SUBJECT OF RESEARCH
People
ARTICLE TITLE
“Inside” versus “outside” trends in consumer research
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