Unique like everybody else? The dual role of consumers' need for uniqueness

Ruvio, Ayalla

doi:10.1002/mar.20219

Cited by 127 publications

(109 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Bagwell and Bernheim (1996) argue that status symbols are not only used to signal one's own social status but are also misused to imagine a higher status. 2) Products used to express uniqueness compared to friends and colleagues: To be respected and admired and to gain a social identity, individuals can show uniqueness relative to friends and colleagues (Fromkin 1972;Ruvio 2008;Simonson & Nowlis 2000;Snyder 1992;Snyder & Endelman 1979;Synder & Fromkin 1977;. Consumers could seek unusual goods that are likely to be considered good choices by friends or colleagues to signal their uniqueness.…”

Section: Scarcity Of Conspicuous Consumption Goodsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Are scarce products always more attractive? The interaction of different types of scarcity signals with products' suitability for conspicuous consumption

Gierl

Huettl

2010

International Journal of Research in Marketing

242

238

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Section: Scarcity Of Conspicuous Consumption Goodsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Are scarce products always more attractive? The interaction of different types of scarcity signals with products' suitability for conspicuous consumption

Gierl

Huettl

2010

International Journal of Research in Marketing

242

238

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“…In this realm, novelty seeking is found to be conceptually indistinguishable from the willingness to adopt new products (i.e., inherent innovativeness). Thus, a consumer who expresses a willingness to adopt a new product is also necessarily expressing a desire for novel experiences, which manifests itself in the form of acceptance of new ideas, partaking of new services, and obtaining new tangible goods (Hirschman, 1980;Ruvio, 2008). Hirschman's definition of innovativeness is herein adopted due to its acknowledgment of an early adopter's innate attraction to products that are new.…”

Section: Innovativenessmentioning

confidence: 99%

A structural look at consumer innovativeness and self‐congruence in new product purchases

Cowart

Fox

Wilson

2008

Psychology and Marketing

148

112

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Consumer innovativeness and new product purchasing literatures are replete with solid yet unrelated theories that have not been considered simultaneously as part of a larger psychological framework. This oversight limits the ability of practitioners to effectively target the valuable consumer innovators market segment. In this study, an approach/avoidance framework of new product purchase intentions is discussed and empirically tested via structural equation modeling. Consumer innovativeness, self-congruence, and satisfaction play the role of approach mechanisms, while perceived risk acts as an avoidance mechanism. The authors combine a set of related yet disconnected theories, while suggesting a means of appealing to consumer innovators through a specific form of self-congruence. A sample of 741 students is employed to examine these issues. Several notable findings are highlighted, including verification of indirect relationships between the independent variables and behavioral intent. Revenue from new products plays a pivotal role in the expansion of many firms. For instance, Kraft Foods derives $800 million in annual sales from new product launches each year (Dahm, 2002). The success of a launch often hinges on the manufacturer's ability to convince consumers of the item's novelty. Therefore, it is insightful for marketers seeking growth through new product launches to gain an understanding of how consumers form behavioral intentions related to innovative new products.While consumer perceptions and responses to new product launches have been studied extensively in consumer behavior since the introduction of the Bass model of diffusion of innovation (Bass, 1969), a major gap remains. The intervening psychological process between the individual trait of innovativeness and the behavior of new product adoption is not well understood. As a function of this, marketers often fail to appropriately segment and target innovators, potentially hindering, and sometimes even eliminating, diffusion attempts. This research begins to address this gap by applying approach/avoidance theory (Carver, Sutton, & Scheier, 2002) to model the interplay between the personality trait of innovativeness, self-concept as embodied in self-image congruence, affect as embodied in satisfaction, risk perceptions, and the outcome of behavioral intentions. Approach/avoidance theory was adopted following a review of relevant literatures, during which alternative theories were considered. It was concluded that approach/avoidance theory provided the best foundation for the proposed model, as it is primarily based on the belief that much of human behavior consists of attempts to create and maintain conformity to desired goals (Carver, Sutton, & Scheier, 2002). As such, it is a plausible conceptual framework for understanding how the aforementioned constructs drive behavioral intent.It is theorized herein that innovators are more sensitive to the incentives of new product purchases than are other consumers. Conversely, innovators are less attun...

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“…Confirmation of this characteristic comes from findings that while market mavenism is positively related to susceptibility to normative influence and to a consumer need for uniqueness, it is also positively related to a tendency to conform (Clark & Goldsmith, 2005;Goldsmith et al, 2006). Initially these traits appear to contradict each other, but uniqueness can be used for differentiation and social approval purposes at the same time (Ruvio, 2008), and when they are considered from a reference group perspective they make sense. The market maven uses brands, knowledge of market information and marketplace helping behaviour in order to gain status within the group, not to be different from the group (Goldsmith et al, 2006).…”

Section: Group Factorsmentioning

confidence: 98%

The baby boomer market maven in the United Kingdom: an experienced diffuser of marketplace information

Sudbury-Riley

2016

Journal of Marketing Management

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This study identifies and profiles market mavens among the baby boomer generation in the United Kingdom. Boomers are an important market segment, yet most advertising targets younger audiences, making word-of-mouth communications crucial among this older cohort. Findings suggest boomer mavens place great importance on 'respect' values, are particularly concerned with fashion and compared with non-mavens are more likely to try new brands, watch more television, hold positive attitudes towards advertising and seek out bargains. The study is useful to those businesses wishing to target a mature consumer who people perceive as a good source of marketplace information and who likes introducing new brands to others. ARTICLE HISTORY

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Unique like everybody else? The dual role of consumers' need for uniqueness

Cited by 127 publications

References 39 publications

Are scarce products always more attractive? The interaction of different types of scarcity signals with products' suitability for conspicuous consumption

Are scarce products always more attractive? The interaction of different types of scarcity signals with products' suitability for conspicuous consumption

A structural look at consumer innovativeness and self‐congruence in new product purchases

The baby boomer market maven in the United Kingdom: an experienced diffuser of marketplace information

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