Ana Paula Kieling and Ricardo Boeing
Researchers have been exploring the consequences of the hedonic adaptation process at length. This phenomenon is characterized by the reduction of pleasure with consumption…
Abstract
Purpose
Researchers have been exploring the consequences of the hedonic adaptation process at length. This phenomenon is characterized by the reduction of pleasure with consumption experiences over time. Meanwhile, co-creation initiatives seem to be gaining traction in brand strategies. However, little is known about how individuals experience the co-creation effects in consumption. The purpose of this study is to analyse the impact of consumer co-creation experiences on predicting hedonic adaptation. Also, it aims to provide insights into the emotional aspects of consumption.
Design/methodology/approach
Three mixed-design experimental studies were conducted to explore the effects of co-creation on consumer hedonic adaptation, affective forecasting and emotional responses. Study 1 and Study 2 were conducted online with American participants. Study 3 was conducted in a laboratory setting in Brazil.
Findings
The research demonstrated that individuals predict that the path to consumption adaptation will be longer when co-creating their products co-create. However, this effect varies depending on the type of product. As for the emotional aspect, consumers attribute more positive emotions than negative ones in the context of co-creation.
Research limitations/implications
This study manipulated different conditions considering specific product types. Future research should apply this framework to other products and services to confirm the generalization of the study’s findings. Also, the authors encourage future studies that explore emotions in different co-creation scenarios.
Practical implications
Elucidating how co-creation impacts consumers’ hedonic adaptation empowers companies to leverage co-creation to cultivate positive consumer attitudes and brand loyalty. Marketing campaigns can highlight the emotional benefits of ownership and personalization. It also provides a sustainable perspective for companies, which seeks consumers who remain present over time and trust the company. Furthermore, co-creation can be used strategically for innovation management. By co-creating limited-edition trial products, companies can involve new customers, foster a sense of ownership and potentially mitigate hedonic adaptation, while gathering valuable insights for new product development.
Originality/value
This research advances the limited literature on co-creation and customer hedonic adaptation, which lies at the interface between consumer behaviour and product development. It explores how product co-creation affects consumers’ predictions and shopping experiences concerning pleasure decrease, including product value and company feedback. Additionally, it examines the role of emotions in co-creation and hedonic adaptation. This research contributes by demonstrating the impact of co-creation on adaptation, affective forecasting and emotional responses during consumption.
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As internet dividends are gradually disappearing, loyalty programs have become the panacea for monetizing traffic, attracting new customers and retaining existing customers…
Abstract
Purpose
As internet dividends are gradually disappearing, loyalty programs have become the panacea for monetizing traffic, attracting new customers and retaining existing customers. Improving their effectiveness has thus become key to enterprises’ market competitiveness. However, member customers’ hedonic adaptation to this relationship strategy undermines its effectiveness. Based on the hedonic adaptation theory, this study aims to analyze the process of member customers' hedonic adaptation to preferential treatment in loyalty programs and explore the boundary conditions of alleviating this effect.
Design/methodology/approach
This study surveyed 271 member customers in China and tested the hypothesized relationships using structural equation modeling and multigroup analysis.
Findings
Preferential treatment suffers from hedonic adaptation to member customer engagement and customer gratitude, and customer tenure is a key condition for these effects. Customer gratitude is an intermediary mechanism that explains the hedonic adaptation effect of preferential treatment to member customers engagement. In addition, the structural characteristics of loyalty programs form the boundary condition that alleviates hedonic adaptation. The authors found that high-tier and -payment strategies are more likely to mitigate hedonic adaptation of preferential treatment to customer gratitude.
Originality/value
This study elucidates the factors that influence the effectiveness of preferential treatment and provides constructive insights into customer relationship management and for improving enterprise performance.
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This study aims to understand the expectations of elderly bank customers with mobile banking services and to measure its impact on their long-term satisfaction and continued…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to understand the expectations of elderly bank customers with mobile banking services and to measure its impact on their long-term satisfaction and continued intention. The study is based on two theories, expectations-confirmation theory (ECT) and hedonic adaptation theory.
Design/methodology/approach
A self-administered longitudinal survey was completed with a sample of 208 elder customers who do not use mobile banking services. Latent growth curve modelling approach was used to determine the change in their post-adoption experience over four time points.
Findings
Results of the study confirm that the use of mobile banking services prolongs the duration of customer satisfaction and continued intention level, post-adoption, reinforcing the hedonic adaptation theory.
Research limitations/implications
Mobile banking services are going to be a significant component of the multichannel banking agenda. But it might be interesting to review other digital channels of banking services. The key contribution of this study is that it measures the expectation-confirmation link of elderly customers with mobile banking services. The study sheds light on factors that positively influence customer inclination and adoption of multichannel banking services in the long run, which is important for the commercial success of such channels.
Practical implications
The study highlights the importance of elder customers' pre-expectations, related dimensions which are important for post-adoption experiences of mobile banking services to improve customers' satisfaction and continued intention in the long run. This is crucial for the commercial success of banks.
Originality/value
This is the first such study that used the expectation confirmation model (ECT) and related it with hedonic adaptation theory to assess elderly customer's post-adoption satisfaction and continued usage of mobile banking services over time.
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Vanessa Quintal, Abhinav Sood and Ian Phau
The paper aims to empirically test a framework to predict the desire and intention to engage with an elective health-care procedure and implement a methodology to test the…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to empirically test a framework to predict the desire and intention to engage with an elective health-care procedure and implement a methodology to test the anticipated positive and negative emotions in hedonic adaptation to an elective procedure.
Design/methodology/approach
Two studies in USA and Australia (N = 1,200) confirmed the psychometric properties of the key constructs under the chemical peel condition. Two further studies in the USA and Australia (N = 1,100) explored the research question and hypotheses in the adapted model of goal-directed behaviour under the Botox condition. A survey was self-administered to online panels who had previously engaged in such elective procedures.
Findings
The findings highlighted the pragmatic implications for communication and activation strategies to safeguard consumer interests and retain their loyalty.
Originality/value
From the authors’ best understanding, neither a methodology nor a theoretical framework exists to explore hedonic adaptation to recurring engagement with elective health care. A methodology and theoretical framework will highlight the mood states and factors that predict desire and intention to engage. This can advance the research on hedonic adaptation and decision-making and offer pragmatic suggestions for communication and activation strategies to safeguard consumer interests and retain their loyalty.
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Luigi Stirpe and Antonio J. Revilla
We investigate the engagement benefits of high-performance work systems (HPWS) for long-tenured employees compared with short-tenured ones. Using a social exchange lens and…
Abstract
Purpose
We investigate the engagement benefits of high-performance work systems (HPWS) for long-tenured employees compared with short-tenured ones. Using a social exchange lens and building upon hedonic adaptation research, we propose that HPWS are less effective for engaging longer tenured employees, unless they are administered at high levels.
Design/methodology/approach
Multiple regression and post-estimation analyses of marginal effects on a sample of 30,375 employees, based on data from the 6th European Working Conditions Survey.
Findings
(1) Employee tenure negatively moderates the HPWS-engagement relationship; (2) this effect is contingent on the level of HPWS, with long-tenured employees responding comparatively better than short-tenured ones to exposure to high levels of HPWS; (3) HPWS have decreasing marginal effects on engagement—greater exposure to these systems does not linearly translate into higher employee engagement, with their decreasing returns being more noticeable for short- than long-tenured employees.
Originality/value
The study provides novel insights into the value of HPWS as motivational tools and advises managers to promote tenure-differentiated HPWS investments. It also illuminates critical issues related to the sustainability of HPWS.
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Anna Maria Frensel, Elisa Landmann, Marie-Sophie Schönitz, Florian Ulrich Siems and Piyush Sharma
This paper aims to explore the influence of social frame (worker vs animal rights), product category (hedonic vs utilitarian) and social presence (similar age, younger and older…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the influence of social frame (worker vs animal rights), product category (hedonic vs utilitarian) and social presence (similar age, younger and older) on expected shame and purchase intentions for sustainable products.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used an online experiment with a 3 × 2 between-subjects design to manipulate social frame (workers vs animal rights and a control group) and product category (hedonic vs utilitarian) with 252 young German consumers (under 30 years old).
Findings
This study finds that social frame and social presence influence expected shame, which in turn positively affects purchase intentions for sustainable products, in the presence of people with similar age, but with no difference between hedonic and utilitarian product types.
Research limitations/implications
This study tested the influence of social frame, product type and social presence on German young consumers using specific purchase scenarios. Future research may test the generalizability of the model in diverse cultural settings.
Practical implications
This study would help marketers and public policymakers identify factors that may motivate young consumers to act in a sustainable manner and to develop suitable strategies and messages to improve their pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors.
Originality/value
This study uses Schwartz’s norm activation theory to investigate the link between consumer emotions and sustainable consumption and shows that social sustainability can trigger expected shame through message framing especially in the presence of others, which in turn could increase the probability of environment-friendly product choice.
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Chunqing Li, Wenhua He and Hong Sheng
The main purpose of this study is to summarize the key literature about research on customer experience, understand the evolution of research hotspots in this research field…
Abstract
Purpose
The main purpose of this study is to summarize the key literature about research on customer experience, understand the evolution of research hotspots in this research field, build a general theoretical framework on customer experience research and finally point out directions for future research in customer experience.
Design/methodology/approach
Using CiteSpace V software which is a scientific measurement tool, this study conducts a systematic analysis of relevant literature on customer experience, and develops a general framework of customer experience research based on analysis of time-zone of citations and time-line visual knowledge map of keywords.
Findings
Based on the results of the authors’ analysis, this study found that customer experience research mainly includes the following three research areas: (1) Research on the definition and extension of customer experience; (2) Research on the influencing factors of customer experience: from both enterprise perspective and customer perspective; (3) Research on the outcomes and consequences of customer experience. The authors also analyzed the research methods used in customer experience research and found that quantitative research method based on regression model was most commonly used. Finally, the authors identified gaps in the current literature and put forward the directions for future research from four aspects: to further the understanding of the concept of customer experience; to identify more relevant influencing factors of customer experience; to explore the outcomes and consequences of customer experience; and to diversify research methods in customer experience research.
Originality/value
Overall, this study not only provides an important reference for further research in the field of customer experience, but also offers important insights to the practice.
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Yu Ying, Fengjie Jing, Bang Nguyen and Junsong Chen
The purpose of this paper is to improve our understanding of how firms can maintain longitudinal satisfaction. Previous research on longitudinal satisfaction demonstrates that the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to improve our understanding of how firms can maintain longitudinal satisfaction. Previous research on longitudinal satisfaction demonstrates that the product attributes weight on satisfaction shifts over time. However, the existing literature lacks an understanding of the intervening mechanism. Inspired by the hedonic adaptation theory, this research first argues that the shift depends on the attribute’s variability. Then, it posits that hedonic adaptation might play a mediation role in connecting the attribute’s weight and longitudinal satisfaction. Finally, the research incorporates consumer intentional activities into the antecedents of longitudinal satisfaction.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors test a series of hypotheses across two studies. Using the Slope-shift Parameter Theory and Structural Equation Modeling, data collected from smartphone owners in four MBA classes (Study 1) and eight business venues in China (Study 2) are analyzed to confirm the research model.
Findings
The findings suggest that hedonic adaptation occurs during the ownership process. It is revealed that both the attribute’s variability and consumption behavior play important roles in sustaining long-term satisfaction, confirming the mediating effects of hedonic adaptation on the relationship above.
Originality/value
The hedonic adaptation theory is applied to study the mediating role of product attribute variability and consumption behavior in sustaining customer satisfaction over time. Three contributions are offered: First, hedonic adaptation occurs during the ownership process; second, the attribute’s variability and consumption behavior both play important roles in sustaining longitudinal satisfaction; third, the mediating effects of hedonic adaptation are confirmed for the relationship between attribute’s variability and sustaining satisfaction and consumption behavior and sustaining satisfaction.
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Maria Alice Pasdiora, Vinicius A. Brei and Leonardo Nicolao
This paper aims to investigate how product upgrades influence consumers’ hedonic responses to currently owned products, focusing on the underlying attentional mechanism.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate how product upgrades influence consumers’ hedonic responses to currently owned products, focusing on the underlying attentional mechanism.
Design/methodology/approach
Six experiments were conducted, including one pilot study and five main studies, employing various stimuli and methodologies. These experiments used longitudinal designs, manipulated upgrade awareness and measured hedonic decline over time. Mediation and moderation analyses were performed to test the proposed attentional mechanism.
Findings
The studies demonstrate that awareness of product upgrades induces consumers to experience a faster hedonic decline with their current possessions. This effect occurs because upgrades prompt consumers to shift their attention away from the currently owned product. The research provides both mediation-based and moderation-based evidence for this attentional mechanism.
Research limitations/implications
The study primarily focused on product upgrades, and future research could explore this effect in nonproduct domains and investigate potential boundary conditions.
Practical implications
The findings have implications for both consumers and companies in managing product enjoyment and upgrade cycles. Consumers can make more informed decisions about upgrades, while companies can develop strategies to maintain customer satisfaction with current products.
Originality/value
This work offers a novel perspective on the influence of upgrades on consumer behavior by introducing an attention-based account of hedonic adaptation and the consequent upgrade phenomenon, contrasting with previous research that relied on justifiability or contrast effects.
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Luke Butcher, Oliver Tucker and Joshua Young
Pervasive mobile games (PMG) expand the game context into the real world, spatially, temporally and socially. The most prominent example to date is Pokémon Go (PGo), which in the…
Abstract
Purpose
Pervasive mobile games (PMG) expand the game context into the real world, spatially, temporally and socially. The most prominent example to date is Pokémon Go (PGo), which in the first 12 months of its launch achieved over 800 million downloads and huge revenues for Pokémon, its majority owner Nintendo, and its developer Niantic. Like many mobile apps and innovative services, PGo's revenue structure requires continual usage (through in-app purchases and sponsorships) as it is free to download. Thus, as many players discontinued after initial adoption, substantial drops in Nintendo's share price occurred alongside the damage to brand equity. Such a case highlights the need to extend scholarship beyond traditional ‘adoption’ and begin to truly illustrate and explain the consumer behaviour phenomenon of ‘discontinuance’, particularly in the emerging and lucrative domain of PMGs.
Design/methodology/approach
Like many emerging marketing channels before it, large-scale discontinuance of PGo occurred and still remains unexplained in the academic literature. Herein, we address this shortcoming through a consumer case study methodology analysing a variety of data sources pertaining to PGo in Australia.
Findings
The development of the P2D_PMG model provides a new conceptual framework to illustrate the distinct forms discontinuance manifests in, for the first time. Scholarly rigour of the P2D_PMGs is achieved through validating and extending Soliman and Rinta-Kahila's (2020) framework for ‘discontinuance’ through its five forms. These forms are revealed as access and on-boarding (rejection), disconfirmation and hedonic adaptation (regressive discontinuance), technological, social, third parties, and personal issues (quitting), re-occurrences of hedonic adaptation (temporary), and alternatives and iterations (replacement).
Originality/value
Conceptual contributions are made in developing a model to explain what drives PMG discontinuance and when it occurs. This is particularly crucial for products with revenue structures built on continual usage, instead of initial adoption. In deriving data from actual players and aggregate user behaviour over an extended time period, the innovative case study methodology validates new discontinuance research in a manner other methods cannot. Managerial implications highlight the importance of CX, alpha/beta testing, promotion and research, gameplay design and collaboration/community engagement.