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This study aims to examine the role of face consciousness, materialism and risk of embarrassment in determining consumer purchase intention toward counterfeit luxury brand. In addition, the authors explore boundary conditions of these relationships.

Study 1, a survey research (N = 321), examines the mediating role of risk of embarrassment between face consciousness on the purchase intention toward luxury counterfeits. Study 2 (N = 345), an experimental study, examines the moderating role of brand prominence of counterfeit (i.e. whether it contains prominent brand signals). Study 3 (N = 315) explores how the above-mentioned relationships are moderated by consumers’ moral rationalization (i.e. whether consumers seek rationalization when behaving unethically).

First, this research shows that risk of embarrassment mediates the negative relationship between face consciousness and Chinese consumers’ purchase intention toward luxury counterfeits, whereas this relationship was not found between materialism and counterfeit purchase intentions. Second, this negative mediating effect holds only when the counterfeit brand is highly prominent. Third, the mediating effect depends on consumers’ moral rationalization, with a positive impact on the purchase intention toward luxury counterfeits, regardless of brand prominence.

This study represents a preliminary inquiry into the dynamics between face consciousness and materialism in influencing Chinese consumers’ purchase intention toward counterfeit luxury products. Unlike their Western counterparts, whose materialistic views of possessions predict their counterfeit luxury consumption (Davidson et al., 2019), Chinese consumers are more likely to be driven by the social implications of counterfeit luxury to communicate a prestigious social image to others on account of genuine luxuries’ high social recognition.

While Chinese consumers are one of the most potent global luxury buyers, they are immersed in the world’s biggest counterfeit luxury market. By digging into the core value of Chinese consumers (i.e. face consciousness), this research provides a number of managerial implications for luxury goods companies to engage in international efforts to educate consumers against counterfeit luxury.

This study makes at least three contributions to the counterfeit consumption literature. First, this study represents a preliminary inquiry into the dynamics between face consciousness and materialism in influencing Chinese consumers’ purchase intention toward counterfeit luxury products. Second, this research identified the complex mechanism of face consciousness as an independent variable on consumers’ purchase intention toward luxury counterfeits. Finally, the authors examined the boundary conditions of brand prominence and consumers’ moral rationalization. The findings may help luxury brand managers identify strategies to discourage counterfeit consumption.

This study examines the impact of narcissism on young luxury consumers' preferences for quiet versus loud luxury products in China and the United States. As young consumers are increasingly becoming the bedrock of global luxury growth, it is imperative for marketing researchers and practitioners to understand the psychological and social needs of these consumers.

A two-study examination of young Chinese and US luxury consumers suggests that the two types of narcissism influence luxury consumption in different ways. Study 1 is a survey of young Chinese consumers that examines how the impact of narcissism on luxury purchase is mediated by social attitude functions and moderated by social anxiety. Study 2 is an experiment conducted in both the United States and China that establishes the causal relationship between the different types of narcissism and purchase intention toward quiet versus loud luxury products.

Building on an overarching framework that integrates both the narcissism literature and social attitude function theory, this study shows that overt narcissistic (vs. covert) consumers hold a value-expressive (vs. social-adjustive) attitude toward luxury products, which leads them to prefer quiet (vs. loud) luxury. In addition, higher levels of social anxiety enhance the mediating role of narcissistic consumers' social attitude functions.

This study advances understanding of young Chinese and US luxury consumers' narcissistic consumption patterns by proposing and empirically testing a novel research model that examines the mechanisms by which overt and covert narcissism leads to a different preference of quiet and loud luxury via the routes of different social attitude functions.

This study aims to examine how international small and medium-sized enterprises (ISMEs) improve adaptive marketing capabilities (AMCs) through exploration, exploitation and ambidexterity (EEA) and thereby increase exporting performance. In addition, the present study attempts to examine conditions under which EEA can more effectively improve AMCs.

The theoretical model was tested by using survey data collected from 119 ISMEs based in the U.S. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was deployed to analyze the data.

The results show that exploration increases ISMEs’ performance through improving AMCs while ambidexterity reduces ISMEs’ performance through weakening AMCs. However, the negative influence of ambidexterity on AMCs attenuates in a dissimilar host country where ISMEs can conveniently learn new information. Finally, when ISMEs pursue exploitation in an either similar or dissimilar host country, their AMCs do not improve.

We provide empirical evidence of SMEs increasing AMCs and firm performance via EEA within the context of exporting. However, we did not collect objective financial performance of ISMEs.

Our findings provide guidance for ISMEs’ marketing managers to build AMCs by learning something new. Moreover, the findings help ISMEs effectively identify and select the most appropriate international marketing strategy depending on the similarity between host and home countries.

Our findings contribute to the literature by explicating how ISMEs can heighten marketing capability to build competitive advantages in global markets through exploration. However, ISMEs should be cautious when pursuing ambidexterity, which may weaken AMCs and finally decrease firm performance. In addition, we identify external factors that influence effectiveness of EEA in building AMCs. By doing so, the findings help ISMEs understand how to increase AMCs so as to improve competencies in fast-changing global markets.

The purpose of this study is to add insights into the business-to-business (B2B) branding literature by investigating the mechanism by which brand orientation affects relational performance in the B2B context.

A theory-based model is developed and tested using data collected from 201 Chinese B2B companies. Partial least squares analysis is used to test the hypotheses.

The results suggest that relationship commitment serves as an important means that translates a firm’s brand orientation into superior relational performance. Moreover, this positive effect is more prominent when the supplier is co-branding with its buyer. In addition, state-owned buyers are more inclined to develop affective commitment than calculative commitment when their suppliers are brand-oriented.

This study examines the research questions from only the buyer side. In addition, the causal interface of the results might be limited due to the cross-sectional nature of the data.

While brand orientation generally leads to enhanced relational performance, it depends on the buyer’s involvement in co-branding and its ownership structure.

This study is among the first to uncover the underlying mechanism by which brand orientation adds value to B2B relationships. The findings provide compelling insights for managers who are interested in promoting a brand orientation to improve relational performance within their organizations.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the impact of analytical customer relationship management (CRM) on salesperson information use behavior.

To achieve the aim of this paper, a vignette experiment was undertaken. The data used for the final analysis included 125 professional salespeople across multiple industries.

This paper focuses on the personal use of competitive intelligence. The authors find that to maximize the effectiveness of using competitive intelligence, the salesperson must become adept at both choosing the correct pa`rtners to trust and properly valuing information. Properly valuing information can be accomplished through the use of analytical CRM.

The managerial implications of this paper are straightforward yet important. CRM providers have improved the tools available to salespeople (e.g., heat maps) and have partnered with other large scale providers of customer and market information (e.g., global marketing research firms) to provide a analytical tool that is user friendly to salespeople. Yet, many firms still use simplified CRM platforms, which do little more for the salesperson than offer an opportunity to document notes. Sales firms should move toward this analytical CRM system because it improves the salesperson’s ability to value information and increases the salesperson’s ability to use intelligence to link products to buyer needs.

This paper contributes to theory through confirming the importance of analytical CRM on salesperson’s information use behavior by using a motivation, opportunity and ability framework. Additionally, a methodological contribution was made through the development of an information value scale.

This research aims to represent an initial exploration of how partitioned pricing influences consumers’ purchase decisions of new versus used products from the theoretical perspectives of prospect theory and gain/loss decision frames.

Four experiments to test the hypotheses with multiple product categories have been conducted.

Results from a series of experimental studies find that consumers prefer partitioned pricing over all-inclusive pricing for new products, whereas all-inclusive pricing is more preferred for used products. In addition, the authors demonstrate that a high-quality brand can reverse this effect for used products; specifically, consumers prefer partitioned pricing over all-inclusive pricing for a used product with a high-quality brand.

This research contributes to the literature on second-hand consumption by examining the impact of pricing strategies on consumer purchase decisions of new versus used products. This study deepens our understanding of consumer decision-making for new versus used products and it provides implications for bolstering sustainable consumption.

This study aims to fill three theoretical gaps in previous literature on exploration and exploitation: the relationship between exploration and exploitation is inconclusive; the influences of exploration and exploitation on firm performance are not consistent; and no empirical studies have integrated the antecedents of exploration and exploitation from the different research fields.

The study conducted a meta-analysis to quantitatively synthesize 143 studies with 257 independent samples to understand the relationship between exploration and exploitation and their consequences and antecedents.

The results show that exploration and exploitation are positively correlated with each other, and both of them can boost firm performance. Moreover, firm capabilities, firm size, firm age, competitive intensity, market orientation and entrepreneurial orientation positively influence exploration, and firm resources, firm capabilities, firm size, firm age, market orientation and entrepreneurial orientation positively influence exploitation. Competitive intensity negatively influences exploitation. Surprisingly, market turbulence does not significantly influence exploration or exploitation.

The results not only contribute to the theories by reconciling the inconsistent results but also provide insight for firms with guidance about under what conditions they should use what strategies.

Cuteness has grown to be a global phenomenon fueled by the explosive usage of social media. Cute stimuli are ubiquitous, but few have explored their effects on consumer decision-making; direct evidence is particularly lacking in the area of risky choices. In this research, the authors theorize and demonstrate the unintended effects of cuteness exposure on people’s risk preference.

Across five experimental studies situated in various risk contexts, including health, financial and safety, the authors demonstrate that exposure to cuteness makes consumers more risk-seeking due to the reduction of situational conscientiousness. Study 1 used an experimental lab study with a real circumstance to test the effect on the risk associated with food consumption. Study 2 used a classical gambling experiment to test the effect on financial risk. Studies 3a and 3b used a mass shooting news article to test the effect on safety risk. Lastly, study 4 tested the mediating role of low conscientiousness with the classical gambling experiment.

The findings show that exposure to cuteness makes people more likely to take risks in various domains (e.g. food consumption, safety and financial decisions).

This study tested the effect of cuteness on risk-seeking with a limited number of domains of risk. In addition, the authors tested the effect with visual cuteness stimuli, while individuals may perceive cuteness through other senses, such as sound.

The findings have implications for business owners and marketers when deciding whether and how to use cuteness to promote their products and brands, as well as to avoid potential repercussions. For example, a marketer for a new extreme sports company could use videos or images of cute animals participating in sports on the company’s social media channels to expand its market share. In addition, findings from this research would make consumers more attentive when facing cute appeals as they gain a better understanding of how exposure to cuteness could impact their own decision-making.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is the first to demonstrate that exposure to subtle, cute environmental cues has a robust effect on consumers’ risk preferences across various domains, regardless of age and gender.

This study aims to investigate the impact of a salesperson’s babyface in his/her profile picture on the number of online reviews the salesperson receives. In addition to testing the direct relationship, this study explores the moderating roles of salesperson gender and consumer involvement.

Responding to the call for field-based consumer research, the authors test their theory using an experimental design and a field study. Study 1 employs an experimental design in high and low involvement service settings to test the effect of a babyface on consumers’ intention to write online reviews. Study 2 uses field data, utilising real estate salespeople’s online profile pictures to test the effect of salespeople’s babyface on the number of online reviews they receive. It does so by using an artificial intelligence facial recognition application interface.

A salesperson’s babyface results in fewer online reviews in situations in which consumers are highly involved in the purchase process. By contrast, a salesperson’s babyface engenders more online reviews when consumers purchase low involvement services. The adverse effect of a babyface on the number of online reviews, however, attenuates when a salesperson is female.

Limited information about salespeople, a skewed number of online reviews and blurry online profile pictures from a real-world data set constitute the study’s limitations.

When consumers are highly involved in the purchase process, salespeople should appear mature in their online profile photos to engender more online reviews. However, salespeople providing low involvement services should opt for online profile pictures reflecting babyish facial features to generate more online reviews.

Research has shown that salespeople’s physical appearance plays an important role in consumers’ perceptions of salespeople and their performance. Although abundant research and practice have shown the importance of online reviews, less is known about how online profile pictures affect online reviews. Thus, building on well-studied cases of an overgeneralization effect, this work examines the extent to which salespeople’s babyface features in their online profile picture affects the number of online reviews received in a real-world setting.

This research examines whether conflicting multicultural identities may influence counterfeit consumption behavior by examining how monocultural and multicultural consumers process shame and guilt differently depending on their cultural identities. It explores how consumers’ moral emotions after buying counterfeit goods can lead to regret and reduce their likelihood of buying such goods in the future.

This research employs a multimethod, multi-sample approach with 1,694 respondents across multiple cultures to test our hypotheses. Study 1 is survey research with overseas Chinese consumers and monocultural Chinese consumers, and Study 2 is a randomized block experiment with a European multicultural sample. This design allowed us to test both mediation and moderation hypotheses, validating the effects of shame and guilt on post-purchase regret across diverse multicultural settings.

Study 1 shows that cultural identity conflict (CIC) weakens the main effects of shame and guilt on counterfeit post-purchase regret. Study 2 shows that under artificially high levels of shame and guilt, CIC no longer weakens the effects of either shame or guilt on post-purchase regret, further confirming these main effects on counterfeit post-purchase regret. Furthermore, Study 2 demonstrates that, in a natural setting without manipulation, CIC weakens the main effects of shame and guilt on post-purchase regret, further supporting CIC’s moderating effect.

This study develops a model to examine counterfeit purchasing, going beyond the point of purchase to also consider post-purchase regret and repurchase intentions. It also explores moral emotions and cultural identity factors that can discourage future counterfeit purchases by increasing post-purchase regret. Finally, it investigates how this process may vary between multicultural and monocultural consumers, given their different cultural identities.