Search results

This study aims to examine the effect of opinion leadership on individuals’ susceptibility to social influence, which eventually affects their adoption behavior and assess how these relationships vary with gender in new product adoption.

Data were collected based on a survey of young consumers regarding the adoption of new consumer electronics. The hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling and multiple sample analyses.

The study finds that opinion leaders are more sensitive to influence from others when the mechanism of status competition is at work. Although consumers who are more susceptible to normative influence tend to adopt new products later than others, those who are more susceptible to status competition are more likely to adopt earlier. The results also provide evidence for gender differences. Female leaders are more susceptible to status competition, whereas male leaders are less sensitive to informational influence. The effects of susceptibility to normative influence and status competition on adoption behavior are stronger for female than for male consumers.

The overall structural model predicts an interesting relationship between individual influence and susceptibility, as well as the effects of these factors on adoption behavior. This study also provides deeper insights into the dynamics of the social influence mechanisms at work for each gender in new product adoption.

The impact of assimilation on a consumer’s susceptibility to interpersonal influence is assessed in samples of first‐generation Armenian and Chinese immigrants to the US. We find that: (a) Chinese immigrants are more susceptible to interpersonal influence than are Anglo‐Americans who in turn are more susceptible to this influence than are Armenian immigrants, (b) Chinese immigrants are especially susceptible to the normative type of interpersonal influence and (c) Chinese immigrants’ susceptibility to both types of interpersonal influence decreases significantly as they identificationally‐assimilate, whereas Armenian immigrants’ susceptibility to both types of interpersonal influence decreases significantly as they structurally‐assimilate into the Anglo‐American macro‐culture.

The study aims to better understand the impact of susceptibility to social influence (normative and informational) on perceived risk and the consequent impacts on attitudes towards counterfeiting and intention to purchase counterfeit brands.

A single cross-sectional descriptive research was employed, and questionnaires were used to collect data from 361 counterfeit buyers. Structural equation modelling (SEM) based on partial least squares (PLS-SEM) was applied to analyse data and test the research hypotheses.

Results showed that normative susceptibility to social influence significantly increased attitudes towards counterfeiting but not purchase intention; its impact on intention was mediated by perceived risk and attitudes. Although information susceptibility to social influence increased purchase intention, it had no significant impact on attitudes and perceived risk.

The current study empirically explores the relationship between susceptibility to social influence and perceived risk in the context of non-deceptive counterfeit consumption, by integrating the foundations of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and social cognitive theory (SCT).

Interpersonal influences play a major role in shaping consumer choice decisions. This is particularly evident in the case of services, where intangibility and variability add to the decision difficulty. While all consumers are susceptible to interpersonal influence, people differ in the extent of their susceptibility to interpersonal influence, with some individuals being chronically more susceptible to social influence than others. Seeks to speculate in this paper that, in addition to individual differences, susceptibility to interpersonal influence also varies systematically across cultures with varying degrees of individualism‐collectivism.

Hypothesis is tested by investigating and comparing the structure, properties, and mean levels of the susceptibility to interpersonal influence scale across samples of French and English Canadian consumers.

It is found that: French Canadians are significantly more susceptible to normative influence than English Canadians; French Canadians score significantly lower than English Canadians on measures of individualism; and individualism has a significant negative effect on consumer susceptibility to normative influence.

By showing that French Canadians were indeed less individualistic than English Canadians, and that individualistic orientation had a significant negative effect on both the utilitarian and the value‐expressive dimensions of consumer susceptibility to interpersonal influence, hopefully it has been demonstrated that differences in susceptibility to normative influence between French and English Canadians are partly driven by cultural differences in individualistic orientation.

This study aims to empirically investigate how susceptibility to social influence in new product adoption varies with one’s structural location in a social network.

The social network data were collected based on a sociometric network survey with 589 undergraduate students. Social network analysis and ordinary least squares regression analyses were used to test the hypotheses.

This study finds that consumers with high degree centrality (i.e. hubs) who have a large number of connections to others and consumers with high betweenness centrality (i.e. bridges) who connect otherwise distant groups in social networks are both less sensitive to informational influence from others. More importantly, the authors find evidence that consumers with moderate levels of degree/betweenness centrality are more susceptible to normative influence and status competition than those with low or high degree/betweenness centrality. The inverse-U patterns in the above relations are consistent with middle-status conformity and anxiety.

This research complements social influence and new product diffusion research by documenting important contingencies (i.e. network locations) in consumer susceptibility to different types of social influence from a social network perspective.

The findings will assist marketers to leverage social influence by activating relevant social ties with effective messages in their network marketing strategies.

This research provides a better understanding of the mechanisms driving susceptibility to social influence in new product diffusion.

Chinese face refers to reputation, others’ respect or compliance which is gained through self-representation and role-playing. The purpose of this paper is to identify and distinguish the four dimensions of face construct: personal identity-face, family identity-face, friend identity-face and occupational identity-face. Based on this, the authors discuss and investigate the influence of four different face dimensions on a consumer’s need for uniqueness (CNFU).

This research uses a questionnaire survey method and convenience samples. Subjects are students from a university in Wuhan operated directly under the Ministry of Education. A total of 730 questionnaires were distributed mainly in libraries and study rooms. After eliminating invalid questionnaires, 690 questionnaires were obtained. In sum, 44.1 percent research subjects are males, and 59 percent of them are undergraduate samples; 92.5 percent subjects’ monthly disposable consumption was less than 2,000 yuan.

The result shows that the influence paths and directions are different. Specifically, personal identity-face and family identity-face restrain CNFU through promoting interdependent self-construal, and friend identity-face and occupational identity-face facilitate CNFU through enhancing the consumer’s susceptibility to normative influence.

These findings are useful for clarify contemporary Chinese individuality-seeking consumption and conformity consumption behavior, and will shed light on form strategic practices, such as brand positioning and product communication.

Using an instant response device within the context of a controlled experiment, we find that people’s self‐assessment of susceptibility to normative influence (SNI) differs substantially from the actual, or true, degree to which they are influenced by the actions of others. Actual SNI, a subconscious reaction to the behavior of those around us, can be altered when participants (falsely) believe their peers differ in their willingness to sign a new lease under various rental reduction incentives when their landlord has defaulted on his mortgage. The results are insensitive to eight alternative measures of actual SNI. This study supports the behavioral finance literature relating to herding in that we show people are very much willing to follow the lead of their peers, even in situations where information gain is not the likely derived benefit. Instead, people appear to herd in our study for social reasons.

The purpose of this paper is to examine affect of cosmopolitanism and consumers’ susceptibility to interpersonal influence on Indian consumers’ fashion clothing involvement. Moderating effect of demographics was studied.

Survey technique through self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection in both metropolitan and non-metropolitan cities in India.

Utilitarian, value expressive factors of normative influence and cosmopolitanism influence Indian consumers’ fashion clothing involvement. Type of city, income, and education moderated influence of normative values and cosmopolitanism on fashion clothing involvement.

One of the major limitations of current research was that it had a large number of respondents in the age group of 18-40 years. Future research can attempt to reduce age biasness.

The findings can prove helpful to international apparel brands marketing luxury and fashion clothing in India. However, since conformance to social norms was important for Indians, clothing manufacturers should use reference groups, opinion leaders, and celebrities to generate awareness. A blend of global and local lifestyle should be used. International luxury brands can customize their products to combine ethnic tastes.

Fashion clothing market promises immense growth opportunities in India. There is limited research to examine influence cosmopolitanism on Indian consumers’ consumption behaviour. Knowledge about influence of global lifestyle, brands, mass media, and services on Indian consumers’ behaviour can help in targeting them effectively.

The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the roles of self-esteem (SE), negative affect (NA), and consumer susceptibility to normative influence in the enactment of impulse buying behavior.

A theoretical model is developed through an extensive review of literature. Survey research is conducted to collect the data from respondents. Structural equation modeling is performed to test the model and the hypotheses.

The outcome of the study reveals that the act of impulsive buying is preceded by buying impulse (BI). BI is positively influenced by consumer susceptibility to normative influence and impulsive buying tendency (IBT). SE influences the generation of BI partially mediated by IBT.

The study is limited in its generalizability in terms of its geographic location, culture, and the context of product categories.

The findings of the study have practical implications in developing marketing communications, merchandising, and personal selling strategies.

In view of the contradictory empirical evidences in extant literature regarding the role NA the present study re-examines whether NA influences impulse buying. The study, conducted in the field setting also ascertains the external validity of the findings not tested in the prior research. Furthermore, in light of psychology literature, the relationship between SE and IBT was hypothesized and empirically established in the present study.

The purpose of this paper is to examine affect of consumer susceptibility to interpersonal influence (CSII) and demographics on ecologically conscious consumer behaviour (ECCB).

Data were collected through mall intercept technique in six cities across India.

ECCB and CSII scales were applicable in Indian context. Factor analysis revealed two factors for ECCB scale: ecologically conscious purchase behaviour and green product attitudes. Normative, informative influence of CSII and income were predictors to ecologically conscious purchase behaviour. Normative influence emerged as predictor to green attitudes.

The study focuses itself only on CSII factors. It does not examine influence of variables like personal values, risk perception, and personality on ECCB. It does not examine role of consumers’ attitude towards conservation of energy and natural resources.

The findings can be of immense use to firms marketing green brands in India. Social group acceptance and conformance is important for Indian consumers; advertising and promotional campaigns should use social groups for marketing green products. Consumer involvement and engagement can be created through social networking web sites. Ecologically concerns should be rewarded in order to encourage consumers to adopt green attitudes.

Green marketing and ecologically conscious behaviour are upcoming research areas in India. There is limited research to understand Indian consumers’ concerns about environment. ECCB and CSII scales were used as it was assumed that using scales which have been tested and validated in other cultures would give reliable results.

The purpose of this paper to use Self-Determination Theory (SDT) to explain the online brand community (OBC) identity internalization process through brand website interactivity. Secondary purpose of the research is to explore the role of several individual difference factors and brand-specific constructs in predicting brand website interactivity.

This study proposes the OBC motivation development continuum of brand website interactivity. Thus, a national panel was collected by a reputable online survey firm and a structural equation model was used to test the proposed model.

The authors examined four brand-related antecedents and mediators (brand engagement in self-concept, susceptibility of normative influence, opinion leadership, and consumer innovativeness) and found evidence of the differing roles that brand engagement in self-concept and purposive motives play as mediators to brand website interactivity.

Marketing managers can use the proposed model as a useful tool for understanding ways to target and motivate segment specific consumers in ways that will increase the effectiveness of managers’ OBC building strategies.

This study utilized SDT to explain the internalization process of brand website interactivity. Further, several individual difference factors were explored as antecedents and mediators of brand website interactivity.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between national culture and adoption of new products, ideas, or behaviour to suggest a framework for distinguishing between innovative and imitative behaviour.

The four dimensions propounded by Hofstede are used to distinguish national cultures for developing hypotheses pertaining to patterns of adoption of new products, namely innovative and imitative behaviour of consumers and the sources of influence that instigate them into such behaviours.

Results from the study provide support for some of the hypothesised effects which suggest that indeed, certain dimensions of culture are a key factor in determining whether or not consumers will display a propensity to innovate. Specifically, it was found that cultures characterised by small power distance, weak uncertainty avoidance and masculinity will demonstrate innovativeness. The findings also indicate that consumers coming from different national cultures are going to vary in their susceptibility to normative influences and interpersonal communications. Consumers coming from a large power distance, strong uncertainty avoidance and/or feminine cultures are going to be convinced into adopting new products through normative influences while those from more collectivistic cultures are more likely to be swayed by interpersonal communications.

These results offer possibilities of influencing consumers into adopting new products by using different methods that are dependent on the national culture.

This study seeks to examine the effect of two types of social influence, normative and informational, on travelers' perceptions of a destination's brand equity.

A brand equity measurement model, previously developed for a tangible product brand, is applied and validated in the context of a destination brand. The structural model is then estimated to test the effects of normative and informational influence on brand equity.

Normative but not informational influence has a significant effect on brand equity perceptions.

The empirical results help to strengthen the claim that branding principles can be readily generalized to tourism destinations.

This paper aims to examine how conflicting brand preferences between a social group and an individual may lead the individual to hide their consumption. Specifically, the authors examine the conditions under which hiding behaviour is most likely to occur and the impact of susceptibility to interpersonal influence on the decision to hide.

Two experiments were conducted using a combination of student and adult samples. Analysis of variance and regression analyses were used to test the hypotheses.

Findings suggest that individuals are most likely to hide their consumption behaviour when group sanctions for non-conformity are severe, but the likelihood of being caught is low. Further, individual differences in susceptibility to interpersonal influence are found to affect individuals’ decisions to hide their consumption behaviour.

By identifying hidden consumption behaviour as a possible response to preference conflict, this research contributes to the literature on social influence and extends our understanding of how consumers behave when influenced by social group pressure.

The present work establishes hiding behaviour (a concept which has yet to be thoroughly explored in the literature) as an alternative yet viable response to preference conflict.

To investigate the influence of word‐of‐mouth (WOM) behavior among the growing teenage female market segment in the flourishing sports market.

A sample of 118 teenaged girls, aged 13‐18, participated in the study. The theory of consumer socialization and interpersonal influence was used as the conceptual foundation to generate hypotheses concerning female teens' susceptibility to interpersonal influence, self‐esteem, and WOM behavior. Female teens' ethnicity and media habits were also investigated.

All hypotheses were either supported or partially supported, suggesting that female teens' susceptibility to interpersonal influence and self‐esteem are related to athlete WOM behavior. Additionally, African‐American teenaged girls had significantly higher media habits than Caucasian teenaged girls.

The research is based on a small sample of teenaged girls from one region of the USA. However, the sample is from a diverse socioeconomic group of teenagers, and represents a relatively unexplored, yet extremely important, consumer market segment.

The study provides insights for managers who want to learn more about the WOM behavior of one of the largest and most powerful market segments in the USA. Implications and applications are given to consumer marketers to help better serve this segment.

This paper fills a gap in the literature on female teens and what influences their WOM behavior in the enormous and growing sports market. Additionally, the paper looks at ethnicity and media habits and how these variables may impact on WOM behavior.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual model of how technology‐enabled virtual experiences contribute to community members' online trust and engagement through inducing their community identification. It also seeks to examine two types of social influence in the virtual community: within‐community normative pressure and normative pressure from outside the community.

The authors employed the structural equation modelling approach to estimate a conceptual model using survey data from participants in the World of Warcraft online game community.

The results mainly supported the hypotheses. It was shown that three types of experience could influence community members' engaging behaviour through an increase in community identification and community trust. More importantly it was found that normative pressure from outside the community exhibits a significant and inverted U‐shaped relationship with online community engagement, while within‐community normative pressure had a positive relationship with community engagement. No evidence was found to support the inverted U‐shaped relationship between within‐community normative pressure and community members' engagement.

From perspectives of virtual experience, social identity theory, social trust, and susceptibility to normative influence, the current study contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the process through which community members are willing to share what they know, participate in collective actions, and spend their time with strangers in a virtual space.

Sustainable production and consumption may reduce global warming. Disseminating environmental awareness through green advertising appeals can increase consumers’ intention to purchase green skincare products.

The study explores the boundary condition of susceptibility to normative influence (SNI) (Study 1; N = 156) and the need for uniqueness (NFU) (Study 2; N = 198) in the relationship between green appeals and customers’ intention to buy skincare products. This study employs an experimental method to test the relationships.

The findings indicate that (1) green (vs non-green) advertising appeals significantly affect the customers’ purchase intention; (2) the boundary condition of lower (vs higher) SNI strengthens the impact of green appeals on purchase intentions and (3) the moderating role of higher (vs lower) NFU strengthens the relationship between green appeals and purchase intention.

This paper sheds light on the sustainable production and consumption of skincare products through green advertising appeals to promote sustainability.

The purpose of this paper is to improve our understanding of status‐oriented Muslim consumers in Kuwait. More specifically, to study how personality traits such as materialism, susceptibility to social influence and self‐monitoring explain status consumption.

A sample of 433 consumers provided information on their status consumption orientation and the personality traits under study. Respondents expressed their opinion on the statements on a five‐point Likert scale. Factor analysis was used to explore the underlying dimensions, the reliability of the measures and the components. Regression analysis was used to predict the hypothesized relationships.

This paper hypothesized that the three personality traits, namely materialism, susceptibility to personal influence and self‐monitoring, influence status consumption among Muslim consumers in Kuwait. Based on the results, the data supported all but the effect of self‐monitoring, that is, the ability to readily alter one's behavior to fit the current situation. Also, younger consumers seem to engage in more status consumption than older ones. There is also a positive correlation between income and status consumption.

Status consumption‐oriented consumers are typically susceptible to informational and normative influence and are materialistic.

These findings can be used in market segmentation and advertising, for example, status consumers could be depicted using or consuming products in situations that imply prestige and approval from important referent groups.

The findings contribute to enlarge the psychological profile of Muslim consumers and their orientation towards consumption.

Limited attention has been paid to the cultural influences on the formation of consumer attitudes toward luxury brands (LUX). The purpose of this paper is to investigate this relationship by developing a model that additionally employs the constructs of susceptibility to normative interpersonal influence (SNII) and brand consciousness (BCO).

Sample data were gathered through surveys administered to 383 college students in the UK and Taiwan. The model of cultural influences on attitudes toward luxury brands was empirically tested using multi-group structural equation modeling to evaluate its applicability across the two countries.

Results are presented in two parts: first, the exogenous construct part of the model establishing the reliability and validity of the cultural dimension constructs (horizontal individualism, vertical individualism, horizontal collectivism, and vertical collectivism) that are antecedent to consumer SNII and 2) the endogenous part of the model in which consumer SNII affects LUX through the mediating role of BCO.

The findings in the current study are limited to a sample of college students in the UK and Taiwan, which, through representing western and Asian countries, each housing different cultures, do not span the greater number of cultures found across these countries, much less across the world. Furthermore it is assumed that there are a number of subcultures in both the UK and Taiwan that are not accounted for in this study.

An individual level of cultural orientation (e.g. horizontalism and verticalism) rather than traditionally adopted regionally defined or nationally based (Hofstede, 1980) cultural criteria should be investigated to identify more accurate market demand patterns in order to best target consumers in these markets (Sharma, 2010). In addition, appealing, vertical ad messages would be more effective in stimulating consumer motivations for consumption of luxury brands. Conversely, horizontal ad messages would be effective in demarketing approaches.

The current study is the first of its kind to explore the effect of cultural-orientation on the formation of LUX cross-nationally. As such it provides future cross-cultural researchers with valid and reliable culturally based constructs that can be used to predict consumer SNII in developing LUX. In addition, establishing the mediating role of BCO in the relationship between SNII and LUX helps marketers better understand the equity of their luxury brands, particularly in Asian countries.

This paper aims to examine the concept of “consumer animosity”, model its antecedents, and assess its influence on intention to purchase.

Survey questionnaires were distributed by a quasi‐random sample of school pupils across Taiwan to an adult member of their household, for completion and return. A return rate of 70 percent yielded 456 usable questionnaires, the data from which were analysed by the LISREL structural equation modelling software.

The results suggest that perceived personal economic hardship and the normative influence of members of a consumers' reference group have a positive impact on the phenomenon of consumer animosity, which in turn negatively affects the intentions of consumers in Taiwan to purchase products originating in mainland China and Japan. Contradicting previous studies, consumer animosity was found to be dependent on judgments of product quality.

The research model was built from data collected by non‐probability sampling in a single country. There was no evidence of sampling bias, but future studies would benefit from inclusion of more independent variables and a wider geographical scope.

The findings contain many practical lessons for planners of export marketing strategy.

Two existing theories of social behaviour are integrated with the concept of consumer animosity to explain consumption choices in an international context.