{"title":"Gender and racial price disparities in the NFT marketplace","authors":"Yuan Yuan, Xiao Liu, Shunyuan Zhang, Kannan Srinivasan","doi":"10.1016/j.ijresmar.2024.08.008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2024.08.008","url":null,"abstract":"This paper empirically investigates the causal impact of avatar gender and race on transaction prices within the Non-Fungible Token (NFT) marketplace. The impetus behind this investigation is grounded in the observation that NFT investors frequently represent a younger, wealthier, and politically progressive demographic, which raises the question of whether this marketplace is less susceptible to prejudice and social bias. Contrary to such expectations, our analysis reveals pronounced gender and racial disparities in NFT prices. Specifically, CryptoPunks avatars are transacted at a 36.8% lower price compared to their counterparts (i.e., avatars with similar image attributes), while CryptoPunks avatars are transacted at a 30.7% lower price compared to their counterparts. We further identify that avatar features linked to high-tech or higher education attributes (e.g., 3D glasses, Virtual Reality glasses, Nerd glasses) can effectively counter these disparities. We verify the causal patterns revealed in the NFT dataset with a controlled experiment, where NFT buyers are randomly shown the comparable avatars that exhibit variations in race or gender, enabling us to evaluate the impact of these attributes on buyer choices and willingness-to-pay. The experiment confirms the (male) and (white) price premium in the NFT market and suggests that buyers exhibit a preference for NFT avatars resembling their personal identity. We offer insights into policy strategies aimed at promoting racial and gender equity within the NFT marketplace.","PeriodicalId":48298,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Research in Marketing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142257680","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Martin Schoemann, Piet van de Mosselaar, Sonja Perkovic, Jacob L. Orquin
{"title":"A method for measuring consumer confusion due to lookalike labels","authors":"Martin Schoemann, Piet van de Mosselaar, Sonja Perkovic, Jacob L. Orquin","doi":"10.1016/j.ijresmar.2024.08.010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2024.08.010","url":null,"abstract":"We propose that some products carry labels that mimic the features of certified health and sustainability labels and that such lookalike labels can confuse consumers into believing that a product has specific, desirable attributes. To address this, we develop a mouse-tracking method for measuring consumer confusion about product attributes. In Study 1, we show that lookalike labels often mislead consumers into believing a product includes a certified label, and that mouse cursor movements provide insights into confusion levels. By applying signal-detection theory to mouse cursor movements, we develop a novel metric that quantifies product attribute confusion and accurately flags products as either “attribute confusion suspect” or “attribute confusion safe”. In Study 2, we replicate our findings and show that attribute confusion is associated with a higher willingness-to-pay. In Study 3, we test the robustness of the metric under different exposure times. The novel attribute confusion metric provides marketers, policymakers, and consumer advocacy groups with a tool to design less confusing labels and can serve as evidence in cases where a product is suspected of misleading consumers or copycatting certified or trademarked labels.","PeriodicalId":48298,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Research in Marketing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142257681","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Online reviews: A literature review and roadmap for future research","authors":"Martina Pocchiari, Davide Proserpio, Yaniv Dover","doi":"10.1016/j.ijresmar.2024.08.009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2024.08.009","url":null,"abstract":"This paper reviews and synthesizes existing research on online reviews, addresses the knowledge gaps, and proposes directions for future research. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, we delve into the stages of the online review process (creation, engagement, impact, and insight) and discuss how they are affected by behavioral biases, review formats, reviewer identity, managerial interventions, and platform design. We discuss the benefits of online reviews—from boosting sales to impacting firms’ reputations and reducing information asymmetries—and the flaws that can compromise their reliability and helpfulness, including promotional reviews, behavioral biases, and context effects. Finally, we identify research gaps in the literature and propose a roadmap for future research. As technology advances and consumer needs evolve, the complexity of online reviews must be further explored to unleash novel insights, guide decisions, and better shape the future landscape of digital platforms.","PeriodicalId":48298,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Research in Marketing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142223477","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Robert Zeithammer, Lucas Stich, Martin Spann, Gerald Häubl
{"title":"Strange Case of Dr. Bidder and Mr. Entrant: Consumer Preference Inconsistencies in Costly Price Offers","authors":"Robert Zeithammer, Lucas Stich, Martin Spann, Gerald Häubl","doi":"10.1016/j.ijresmar.2024.08.006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2024.08.006","url":null,"abstract":"Consumers make price offers to sellers in a variety of domains, such as when buying cars or houses or when bidding in auctions for airline upgrades, art, or collectibles. Submitting an offer typically entails administrative, waiting, and opportunity costs. Making such costly price offers involves two intertwined decisions—in addition to determining how much to offer, consumers must also decide whether to make an offer in the first place. We examine the impact of offer-submission costs on consumer behavior using a series of incentive-compatible experiments. Our findings reveal a preference inconsistency, whereby the preferences implied by one of the decisions do not align with the preferences implied by the other. In particular, potential buyers enter more often than their offer amounts would predict based on standard economic models. This preference inconsistency is robust to two interventions designed to help consumers make offer-amount and entry decisions—(1)the provision of interactive-feedback decision aids and (2)the sequencing of the two sub-decisions in the normative order. Neither of these interventions resolves the inconsistency. Instead, the patterns of results suggest that consumers approach the offer-amount and entry decisions as if they were . We discuss the implications of our findings for the design of offer-submission interfaces, as well as for econometric attempts to infer consumer preferences from offer and bidding data.","PeriodicalId":48298,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Research in Marketing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142257723","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Herding behavior in NFT Auction: The role of visual complexity and familiarity","authors":"Peiwen Xie, Eunsoo Kim, Shun Yin Lam, Sadat Reza","doi":"10.1016/j.ijresmar.2024.08.007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2024.08.007","url":null,"abstract":"Despite the growing popularity of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in the market, they still lack established valuation guidelines. Invoking herding and auction theories, this study investigates how NFT collectors’ bidding tendencies are influenced by other collectors’ bidding decisions (herding behavior). This study also examines how NFT visual characteristics, such as complexity and familiarity, moderate herding behavior. We use a computer vision technique to quantify the visual complexity of an NFT and apply transfer learning to capture its visual familiarity. Examining data from a widely used NFT platform, we find evidence of herding behavior in such auctions. Furthermore, our results show that there are nonlinear moderating effects of visual characteristics on herding behavior. Specifically, we find that consumers exhibit a stronger herding tendency at the two extremes of complexity distribution and at the lower extreme of familiarity distribution. Further analysis of the NFT resale market suggests that auction winners consider herding in the primary sale of an NFT as a signal of high demand; thus, they are more willing to resell it and set a higher price premium in the resale. These findings can be taken as input by the NFT market platforms in their NFT display decisions to boost primary market sales and promote resale market participation. The findings can also help content creators formulate creative strategies that lead to higher bidding probability or sales performance.","PeriodicalId":48298,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Research in Marketing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142257683","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jana Möller-Herm, Sabrina A. Gottschalk, Alexander Mafael
{"title":"To post or not to post: How minority opinion and posting frequency impact online review posting","authors":"Jana Möller-Herm, Sabrina A. Gottschalk, Alexander Mafael","doi":"10.1016/j.ijresmar.2024.08.005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2024.08.005","url":null,"abstract":"Consumers are often exposed to prior reviews when considering posting themselves. We examine how finding one’s opinion in the minority (vs. majority) of previous ratings affects a consumer’s decision to post. Specifically, we contrast the posting decisions of frequent posters with those of less frequent posters. Results from seven experimental studies show that frequent posters prefer review environments in which their opinion belongs to the minority of previously posted ratings. We support these findings with additional evidence from secondary review data. This behavior sets them apart from infrequent posters, who are reluctant to share minority opinions. In addition, we show that this effect is driven by differences in how a minority post is perceived: As an opportunity to signal one’s reviewer identity or as socially risky. Based on these insights, we explore how rating platforms can motivate review posting, particularly among infrequent posters. Our findings extend previous research on social influence effects in online reviews and have implications for various stakeholders who rely on and aim to solicit reviews on rating platforms.","PeriodicalId":48298,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Research in Marketing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142176540","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Luxury branding and the creator Economy: Emerging challenges and future avenues","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.ijresmar.2024.07.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijresmar.2024.07.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This paper identifies and discusses the main issues luxury brands should focus on when building relationships with content creators. We build on the most recent scholarship into luxury brand management as well as emerging evidence from recent initiatives put in place by some pioneers in the field, as recounted in interviews by both luxury brand managers and creator economy stakeholders. Specifically, our contribution wants to address two major challenges that luxury brands are facing in setting the right content creator ecosystem: how should creators be incorporated as strategic partners in luxury brands and how to leverage creators innovate luxury brands. Both theoretical implications and a clear set of managerial guidelines to orient luxury brands’ actions in the content creator economy are provided.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48298,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Research in Marketing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2024-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142089357","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Larissa Elmor, Guilherme A. Ramos, Yan Vieites, Bernardo Andretti, Eduardo B. Andrade
{"title":"Environmental sustainability considerations (or lack thereof) in consumer decision making","authors":"Larissa Elmor, Guilherme A. Ramos, Yan Vieites, Bernardo Andretti, Eduardo B. Andrade","doi":"10.1016/j.ijresmar.2024.08.003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2024.08.003","url":null,"abstract":"Environmental sustainability is often depicted as an important attribute of consideration among consumers. Even if multiple barriers may prevent them from “walking the talk,” a common implicit assumption is that consumers think about sustainability but choose a less eco-friendly route once confronted with such obstacles (e.g., higher prices). Absent from the literature, however, is a systematic investigation of the extent to which sustainability thoughts even come to consumers’ minds. Across six studies using a diverse set of measurements (free and aided elicitation), time of purchase (past or contemporaneous), consumer contexts (online or brick-and-mortar settings), levels of consequentialism (hypothetical or incentive-compatible), and samples (Brazil, UK, and US; =7,942), our research consistently demonstrates that most consumers neglect the products’ environmental impact when making purchase decisions of fast-moving consumer goods. Environmental sustainability considerations are low in absolute terms, relative to other attributes, and even compared to participants’ own injunctive norms. Cognitive accessibility and contextual salience help explain the phenomenon. Considerations increase among consumers with strong environmental goals (e.g., high on biospheric values), for products highly prototypical of the sustainability cause (e.g., plastic bags), and when consumers are prompted with sustainability cues prior to choice (e.g., eco-labels). Methodological, managerial, and policy implications are discussed, and a simple framework to promote environmental sustainability consideration is proposed.","PeriodicalId":48298,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Research in Marketing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142176541","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Party Over Product: People Exaggerate the Influence of Political Cues on Others’ Consumption Preferences","authors":"Justin Pomerance, Leaf Van Boven","doi":"10.1016/j.ijresmar.2024.07.007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2024.07.007","url":null,"abstract":"Consumers often confront offerings that are associated with political cues. For example, a coffee company may tout its liberal relations with employees or suppliers, or may hang bathroom signs that promise to please liberals. In this research, we demonstrate that consumers overestimate how much these partisan cues influence others’ preferences, a pattern we term . We demonstrate exaggerated preference polarization in five studies, and show that it is robust across a variety of common consumption scenarios. While prior research demonstrates that people often overestimate others’ partisanship, the present research demonstrates that people overestimate the influence of partisan cues on other consumers’ preferences. This research contributes to the literature by identifying a novel way in which political polarization influences consumption behavior, especially for interpersonal decision making. This work also has important implications for firms, who should recognize that people will be more responsive to political signals when choosing for others. We discuss further contributions and directions for future research in the general discussion.","PeriodicalId":48298,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Research in Marketing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142176542","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Michiel Van Crombrugge, Niels Holtrop, Kathleen Cleeren, Els Breugelmans
{"title":"Does the online direct channel cannibalize or synergize the retail Network? The moderating impact of retailer competitive strength","authors":"Michiel Van Crombrugge, Niels Holtrop, Kathleen Cleeren, Els Breugelmans","doi":"10.1016/j.ijresmar.2024.08.001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2024.08.001","url":null,"abstract":"Manufacturers in the retailing sector extensively use online sales points of their own, known as online direct channels. This form of manufacturer encroachment offers consumers the possibility to purchase directly from the manufacturer and hence may cannibalize retailer sales. However, it may also create synergy effects by increasing brand awareness, which may create additional retailer sales. In this research, we investigate the cannibalistic versus synergetic nature of the relationship between an established online direct channel and the retail network and assess whether retailer characteristics related to competitive strength impact this relationship. Using unique sales data from the toy industry and vector autoregressive modeling, we find that the short-term cross-channel price elasticity of online direct channels on retailer sales is negative and significant, indicating a synergetic relationship on average. However, the impact is heterogenous across retailers. Our analysis reveals that acquisition utility components of competitive strength, such as price and innovativeness, especially for large items, can enhance synergetic effects and mitigate the risk of cannibalization. Transaction utility components, such as online presence or the number of physical stores, do not play a moderating role.","PeriodicalId":48298,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Research in Marketing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141945413","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}