The Role of Product Originality, Usefulness and Motivated Consumer Innovativeness in New Product Adoption Intentions

Abstract

Prior research has posited that product attributes are primary drivers of success that a firm must consider to develop a competitive advantage. Two product attributes, originality and usefulness, have been identified in the literature as significant dimensions of new product success. Customer demands differ, and more purchase intentions toward a new product depend on how consumers connect the product attributes to their own individual characteristics. Studying motivated consumer innovativeness as a personality trait may improve our understanding of the motivations for adopting innovations; however, questions remain regarding whether the effects of originality and usefulness on consumers' intentions to adopt are different when levels of these attributes are matching or dissimilar and what the relationship is between these effects and motivated consumer innovativeness. This study seeks to empirically investigate these effects and their relations by collecting data from 560 potential consumers in China. This paper uses hierarchical regression analysis to test hypotheses in four product domains as representative of higher or lower levels of usefulness and originality. The research shows that new product originality affects consumers' intentions to adopt new products only if it matches the level of new product usefulness. The results also reveal that motivated consumer innovativeness has a positive moderating role on the relationship between new product originality and consumers' new product adoption intentions when both attributes are at a lower level. The theoretical and practical implications for new product development and marketing communications are discussed.

New Product Creativity Antecedents and Consequences: Evidence from South Korea, Japan, and China

“…Meta-analyses lend some support to this notion with findings of a product advantage-product performance link (Henard and Szymanski, 2001). Yet as novelty increases, it may reach a point of becoming so unfamiliar that the product is perceived as very risky by buyers (Li et al, 2014). Very novel products tend to be rejected because they signal uncertainty (Goldenberg, Lehmann, and Mazursky, 2001).…”

Generating and Assessing Consumer’s Innovation Adoption through Consumer Innovativeness, Innovation Characteristics and Perceived Brand Innovativeness

“…Midgley & Dowling (1978) have suggested cross-sectional technique by emphasizing that it measures the construct deeply and more abstractly; which is related to individual's personality. Moreover, recent studies take innovativeness as a personality trait and highlight that consumer innovativeness remains as an important concept to understand the adoption of new products and predict consumer's innovative buying behavior (Li et al, 2015).…”

Chinese Consumers’ Perceptions of Medical Emergency Identification Systems

“…Highly original products often require a period of learning and adjustment by the consumer and this tends to slow the adoption process [14]. Chinese consumers are generally more comfortable with familiar products that don't require a change of habit [15,16]. The aforementioned however found that where high degrees of novelty are accompanied by high levels of usefulness, then Chinese consumers may perceive the new product to be superior, resulting in increased positive adoption.…”