Magnus Söderlund, Jonas Colliander, John Karsberg, Karina T. Liljedal, Erik Modig, Sara Rosengren, Sofie Sagfossen, Stefan Szugalski and Nina Åkestam
This paper aims to assess the impact of perceived effort related to packaging on overall product evaluations. Perceived effort, defined as the consumer’s perceptions of how much…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to assess the impact of perceived effort related to packaging on overall product evaluations. Perceived effort, defined as the consumer’s perceptions of how much manufacturer effort that lies behind an offer, is assumed to contribute to evaluations by signaling unobservable characteristics of an offer.
Design/methodology/approach
Three between-subjects experiments were conducted with soft drink bottles, which were subject to variation in perceived effort.
Findings
The results show that perceived effort was positively associated with overall evaluations. The results also show that the impact of perceived effort was mediated by product quality perceptions, which indicates that effort signals quality.
Originality/value
Perceived effort has to date not been examined in the packaging literature. The present findings thus imply that models of packaging characteristics and their impact on consumers would benefit from including the effort aspect.
Details
Keywords
Magnus Söderlund, Jonas Colliander and Stefan Szugalski
This paper aims to examine if the response device (smartphone vs computer) used by participants in online data collections affects their responses. The screens of smartphones and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine if the response device (smartphone vs computer) used by participants in online data collections affects their responses. The screens of smartphones and computers differ in size, and the main hypothesis here is that screen size is likely to be influential when stimuli with aesthetic qualities are shown on the screen.
Design/methodology/approach
Two experiments, in which pictures of food items were used as stimuli, were conducted. In each experiment, the screen size of the participants’ devices used for the responses was a measured factor.
Findings
Participants with large screen devices responded with a higher level of (a) positive emotions and (b) attractiveness perceptions than participants with small screen devices.
Practical implications
The results highlight that the participant’s device can be a confounding factor in research projects comprising online data collections. Screen size thereby represents an additional factor calling for caution in the “exodus to cyberspace” that characterizes many contemporary researchers’ data collection activities.
Originality/value
When data are collected online, participants’ can use devices that differ in terms of screen size (e.g. smartphones, tablets and computers), but the impact of this factor on consumer behavior-related response variables has hitherto not been examined in existing research.
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Jonas Colliander, Magnus Söderlund and Stefan Szugalski
The purpose of the paper is to examine how members at different levels in a multi-level loyalty program react when they are allowed the opportunity to compare the rewards they…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the paper is to examine how members at different levels in a multi-level loyalty program react when they are allowed the opportunity to compare the rewards they receive with the rewards received by other members. The authors believe this is crucial, as previous research often ignores the social setting in which exchanges concerning loyalty rewards take place. The authors believe such interactions in social settings are likely to induce justice perceptions, which in turn will affect customer satisfaction and repatronizing intentions.
Design/methodology/approach
The research question was addressed through a between-subjects experiment in an airline setting.
Findings
The results show that belonging to the top-tier level of a multi-level loyalty program seems to boost perceived justice. Participants assigned to this level in the experiment perceived the program as more just than did participants assigned to the lower level. Importantly though, members assigned the second-tier who compared themselves to the top-tier did not perceive to program as more unjust than did second-tier members comparing themselves to other second-tier members. The levels of customer satisfaction and repatronizing intentions followed the same pattern. In social settings, multi-level loyalty programs thus seem to be able to increase justice perceptions, customer satisfaction and repatronizing intentions of top-tier members, while at the same time avoiding the potential drawback of alienating second-tier members.
Originality/value
The study bridges the gap between research on perceived justice, loyalty programs and the effects of social settings on consumer interactions. In doing so, it brings valuable insights to both researchers and practitioners.