Look but Don’t Touch! The Impact of Active Interpersonal Haptic Blocking on Compensatory Touch and Purchase Behavior

Ringler, Christine; Sirianni, Nancy J.; Gustafsson, Anders; Peck, Joann

doi:10.1016/j.jretai.2019.10.007

Cited by 26 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Our paper reveals the socio-psychological motives of consumers for engaging in online retailing and shopping of virtual goods. A previous study by Ringler et al (2019) suggests that compensatory behaviour due to psychological reactance (e.g. loss of freedom) can emerge when consumers have restricted access to touch the products on display, which is a characteristic of online retail.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We measured the compensatory consumption concept indirectly, such as lack of time (utility), the need for virtual achievements or online recognitions (competition), mood-related issues (self-indulgence) and lack of belongingness (social interaction). A previous study by Ringler et al (2019) suggests that compensatory behaviour due to psychological reactance (e.g. loss of freedom) can emerge when consumers have restricted access to touch the products on display, which is a characteristic of online retail.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pay to play in freemium mobile games: a compensatory mechanism

Syahrivar

Chairy

Juwono

et al. 2021

IJRDM

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PurposeA rarely discussed type of indulgence good is “virtual” goods featured in freemium games, one of the most important platforms for online retailing. The freemium business model becomes popular amid the growth of mobile games and smartphones. The purpose of this research is to look into the factors that influence the intention to play freemium games and purchase in-game virtual goods, as well as to compare male and female millennial gamers in Indonesia, Southeast Asia's largest mobile gaming market. This research discusses the phenomenon in the context of compensatory consumption.Design/methodology/approachThis quantitative research used an online questionnaire for data collections. A total of 275 millennial mobile gamers were selected via purposive sampling. In total, there are six factors incorporated in this research: utility, self-indulgence, social interaction, competition, the intention to play freemium games and the intention to pay for virtual goods. This research used structural equation modelling (SEM) via AMOS software to test the hypotheses.FindingsThis research reveals that (1) utility is a negative predictor of the intention to pay for virtual goods, (2) self-indulgence is a positive predictor of the intention to play freemium games, (3) there is a mediation effect of the intention to play freemium games on the relationship between self-indulgence and the intention to pay for virtual goods, (4) social interaction is a positive predictor of the intention to pay for virtual goods, (5) competition is a positive predictor of the intention to play freemium games, (6) there is a mediation effect of the intention to play freemium games on the relationship between competition and the intention to pay for virtual goods and (7) the intention to play freemium games is a positive predictor of the intention to pay for virtual goods.Research limitations/implicationsThis research has several limitations: first, half of the study’s millennial respondents were students whose gaming expenditures might depend on their parents or guardians' willingness to accommodate their gaming activities. Therefore, there might be some biases in the intention to pay for virtual goods. Second, the numbers of female respondents outweigh male respondents (44.4% males), hence the sample representativeness issue in a slightly male-dominated gaming industry in Indonesia. Third, the game genres the millennial respondents mostly played were the battle royale and the shooter games. Other game genres (e.g. puzzles) might involve a different mechanism. Lastly, the authors measured the compensatory consumption concept indirectly, such as by measuring variables associated with lack of time (utility), the need for virtual achievements or online recognitions (competition), mood-related issues (self-indulgence) and lack of belongingness (social interaction).Practical implicationsGame developers and online retailers (e.g. Google Play Store, Android App Store and Microsoft Store) should incorporate competition, indulgence and social interaction elements when designing and promoting freemium games. Based on the results of this research, a combination of these three elements improves the likelihood of purchasing virtual goods via online retail platformsOriginality/valueThis is the first research to demonstrate a link between online retailing and compensatory consumption, particularly in the context of freemium games. This research extends the literature on online retailing in the context of freemium games, which has received little attention. In addition to theoretical support, this research provides new empirical evidence for previously unexplored and unsupported relationships.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pay to play in freemium mobile games: a compensatory mechanism

Syahrivar

Chairy

Juwono

et al. 2021

IJRDM

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The sense of touch, or haptics is regarded as a sensory gateway through which information passes (Sheldon and Arens, 1932; cited by Peck and Childers, 2003a). Direct experiences and haptic cues obtained through the haptic system in relation to a specific product have diagnostic power and help potential purchasers infer its quality (Childers and Peck, 2010;Ringler et al, 2019). This relates to the concept of need for touch (hereafter NFT), which reflects consumers' preference for haptic information.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Need for touch and online consumer decision making: the moderating role of emotional states

Zheng

Bensebaa

2021

IJRDM

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PurposeWith the growth of online shopping, during which consumers are not able to touch products, there is much for researchers and marketers to learn about the underlying role of the need for touch (NFT) in driving online shopping decisions. Consumers' emotional state prior to purchase is considered a situational variable that affects their attitude and behaviour. This study explores the effects of consumers' NFT and pre-purchase emotional states on their online decision-making behaviour, examining perceived quality, confidence in product judgment and intention to purchase.Design/methodology/approachA field experiment was conducted using a scenario presenting buying a sweater as a real purchase opportunity available to participants. A convenience sample of two hundred ninety-eight university students at a university in the southeast of France was used in this study. A 2 (NFT: high/low determined by a median split) × 2 (emotional states: high/low level) analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to further examine the interaction of NFT and emotional states in consumer decision making.FindingsThe results indicate that autotelic NFT and positive emotional states experienced before shopping have an impact on consumers' decisions in relation to perceived quality, confidence in product judgment and intention to purchase. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that instrumental vs autotelic NFT affects consumer decision making, with mixed support found for negative emotional states acting as possible moderators.Originality/valueThis study advances the NFT field and leads to insights regarding online consumer purchase decision making by exploring instrumental vs autotelic NFT and pre-purchase emotional states as antecedents of consumer decisions.

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“…For consumers, touch is used by people to engage with and to understand products through haptic information (Jha et al , 2020; Lederman and Klatzky, 1993; Peck and Childers, 2003b; Ranaweera et al , 2021). However, much of the prior research has adopted a narrow perspective, treating haptics as a single independent variable that affects other marketing constructs (Krishna et al , 2010; Krishna and Morrin, 2008; Peck and Johnson, 2011; Peck and Wiggins, 2006; Ringler et al , 2019). For example, a stream of research in marketing has examined person-based individual differences in the need for touch (Citrin et al , 2003; Grohmann et al , 2007; Peck and Childers, 2003a; Ringler et al , 2019; Webb and Peck, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

When consumers touch: a conceptual model of consumer haptic perception

Ranaweera

2021

SJME

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Purpose Touch plays an important role in the evaluations of products. However, prior quantitative touch research does not present a holistic perspective of haptics. This study aims to provide a more comprehensive understanding of haptic information that consumers attain from touch. Design/methodology/approach Adopting a qualitative research approach, semi-structured, depth interviews were conducted with industry experts. Findings Based on the findings, this research proposes a conceptual model of consumer haptic perception consisting of seven key influences, namely, the effects of haptic sensation, haptic perception, the influence of individual factors, the influence of external environmental factors, the multi-dimensionality of haptics, haptic cue congruity and haptic dominance. Practical implications This study suggests firms to understand the importance of consumers’ haptic perception as an opportunity to engage an individual’s heart and mind through information attained through touch. Originality/value This is the first study in marketing to propose a conceptual model of haptics comprising several new haptic influences. This model contributes to the emerging literature of sensory marketing by providing directions for future touch research by capturing the dynamic nature of haptics.

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Look but Don’t Touch! The Impact of Active Interpersonal Haptic Blocking on Compensatory Touch and Purchase Behavior

Cited by 26 publications

References 42 publications

Pay to play in freemium mobile games: a compensatory mechanism

Pay to play in freemium mobile games: a compensatory mechanism

Need for touch and online consumer decision making: the moderating role of emotional states

When consumers touch: a conceptual model of consumer haptic perception

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