10.5 Consumer Mindset

The current research proposes a conceptual understanding of consumer motivations for purchasing physical media through the second-hand market. The research on motivations that drive purchases in the second-hand market and the use of nostalgic appeals in modern marketing provides a useful backdrop for research on consumers' motivations for nostalgic buying in the second-hand market. The current research proposes that purchases in the physical media market motivated by personal nostalgia may be subdivided into two categories: relive and replace.

Maslach and Jackson's concept of chronic workplace-induced employee burnout is extended to a consumer context, to that of a syndrome induced by prolonged stressors other than the workplace, which in turn affects consumer evaluation of brands.  Using the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020 to 2023 as a natural experiment, three empirical studies conducted during and soon after the pandemic use a version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) adapted to the consumer to confirm burnout's effect. Surprisingly, greater levels of emotional exhaustion lead to more favorable brand evaluations. In contrast to the workplace, a source of stress leading to employee burnout, the marketplace, specifically, the store environment and the familiar daily routine of shopping, provide a comfort and a respite from the cognitive demands of coping with prolonged stressors such as the Covid-19 pandemic. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.

Prior research on online reviews have focused on the antecedents of helpfulness in reviews (Ismagilova et al., 2020), identifying the impact of emotions, their valence (Chen and Lurie, 2013) and arousal levels (Yin et al., 2017). As titles of reviews have much higher readership (Salehan and Kim, 2016), we focus on how arousal markers (uppercase and exclamations) used in review titles influence their helpfulness. Our findings show that arousal markers influence review helpfulness for positive but not negative reviews. Specifically, we find that capitalization and exclamation marks impact perceived emotion extremity. These extreme emotions impact review helpfulness for positive but not negative reviews. Perceived informativeness of the review explains the different impact of perceived extremity for negative and positive reviews. We contribute to the existing body of knowledge about how consumers evaluate online reviews.

This study explores how consumer mindsets influence preferences for experiential versus material purchases. It examines whether priming individuals with a growth mindset (the belief that personal traits are malleable) increases preference for experiential products and how this effect varies with financial security. Two experimental studies were conducted with participants from different income levels. Study 1 demonstrated that growth mindset priming significantly increased preference for experiential products among high-income participants. Study 2 replicated these findings and identified that the effect of growth mindset on experiential preferences is moderated by expected future financial security and current money management stress. The research contributes to the understanding of implicit theories in consumer behavior, linking growth mindset to the experiential advantage and highlighting the role of financial security in shaping these preferences. These findings provide valuable insights for marketers of experiential products and policymakers aiming to enhance consumer well-being by encouraging experiential consumption.

The paper presents a thorough analysis of previous research on consumer behavior in health wearable technology devices after conducting a systematic literature review. The aim of this paper is to review and consolidate the empirical studies on consumer behavior in health wearable technology devices, identify any research gaps, and discuss potential areas for future research. A total of 32 journal articles were used for the literature review. The analysis included a descriptive investigation of publication trends, journals, most cited authors, methods, analysis techniques, theoretical foundations, and frequently discussed variables. Based on this synthesis, the review proposes a conceptual framework that emphasizes antecedents, mediators, moderators, control variables, and outcomes in this area. Additionally, the study suggests future research areas, focusing on theory, context, characteristics, and specific research methods to further advance the literature in this field.