Sadness bright as glass: the acceptance of emotionally sensitive radical innovation

Abstract

The existing literature acknowledges the importance of emotions in consumer decision-making and the challenges of radical innovation adoption; however, the literature seldom combines these two streams. The purpose of this study was to analyse potential adopters' considerations concerning an innovation that is targeted at intense negative emotions. Choosing a case-study strategy enabled us to focus on extremely negative emotions (related to death) and the acceptance of a radical innovation (a memorial stone made of glass). In this study, we applied a longitudinal mixed-methods approach. Data were collected via interviews with consumers (357 respondents), the entrepreneur and her employee. Findings show that an emotionally sensitive radical innovation evokes more intense emotions and emotional ambivalence among consumers. Its acceptance also seems to depend on the age and gender of the customers and requires cultural change. A lengthy adoption process seems to be characteristic of emotionally intensive innovation. This study has implications for managers facing the challenge of creating new markets for a radical innovation that involves extreme emotions on the part of consumers. Theoretically, the study contributes to both innovation adoption and consumer decision-making literature.

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