The Impact of Product Tagging on Trust and Purchase Intention: A cross-cultural perspective in visual e-commerce

The present study aims to examine the opportunity of in-app shopping, more specifically, analyzing the influence of product tags and cultural background on consumers’ trust and purchase intention. For this purpose, a comparison was made between European and South American female consumers from two cultures: the Netherlands and Paraguay. A total of 225 subjects, 143 from the Dutch background and 82 from the Paraguayan background, participated in an experimental survey where they judged an Instagram product page (product tag: present vs. absent). The analysis of the results revealed that the Paraguayans had higher purchase intentions than the Dutch. Additionally, the presence of a text appeal in the visual product presentation had a direct positive effect on consumers’ purchase intentions and perceived trust in the shopping environment, for both the Dutch and Paraguayan cultural groups. In virtual web shops, perceiving trust is a decisive point for purchase intentions. This study contributes to the fast-growing investigations on social media effectiveness and visual marketing as an informative and persuasive tool. The findings pinpoint the synergic value of visual and textual cues of product presentation online in the atmospheric trust of in-app shopping.

Shipment Tracking, Delivery Speed, and Product Presentation as Antecedents of Repurchase Intention

The chapter aims at understanding the predictors of attitude and repurchase intention with online shopping in India by using signaling theory. This research validates shipment tracking, delivery speed, and product presentation as new predictors influencing attitude towards online purchase. It also validates trust as a mediator between attitude and repurchase intention. Data was collected through a self-administered and structured questionnaire targeting online shoppers in North Indian states. A sample of 519 online shoppers was considered in this research. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to evaluate the interrelationships among constructs. To examine the hypothesized relationships, path analysis was carried out. The findings of the chapter revealed that delivery speed and product presentation had a significant positive impact on attitude towards online shopping. In contrast, shipment tracking emerged as non-significant antecedent of attitude. The study further empirically provides the evidence that trust mediates the relationship between attitude and repurchase intention.

EXPRESS: Observing Product Touch: The Vicarious Haptic Effect in Digital Marketing and Virtual Reality

Retail is rapidly evolving to construct virtual environments for consumers. Online product images, videos, and virtual reality (VR) interfaces enliven consumer experiences and are a source of product information. Since consumers are unable to physically touch products in these digital environments, this research considers vicarious touch, or the observation of a hand in physical contact with a product in a digital environment. Across eight studies, the authors use images, GIFs, and VR to show that vicarious touch affects consumers’ psychological ownership and product valuation due to the active nature of product touch which results in a felt sense of body ownership of the virtual hand. This is termed the vicarious haptic effect. Results demonstrate that it is not simply enough to have a hand in an advertisement, the hand must be touching a product. The vicarious haptic effect is strongest for people who become highly stimulated by an immersive VR experience (i.e., measured via the elevation in heart rate). The vicarious haptic effect is attenuated if the viewed interaction does not represent a diagnostic hand movement. The authors discuss theoretical and managerial implications for digital product presentation in order to encourage feelings of product ownership and valuation.

Mechanism Linking AR-Based Presentation Mode and Consumers’ Responses: A Moderated Serial Mediation Model

The technological development of online product presentation modes (e.g., augmented reality, virtual reality) will greatly impact the future of e-retailing. The potential benefits of applying these new technologies for e-retailers need further investigation. Based upon the stimulus-organism-response (S–O-R) model, this study examines the effect of AR-based presentation modes on consumer patronage intention, with the mediating role of immersion, enjoyment, perceived product risk and attractiveness of the online store. Furthermore, it explores the moderating effect of technophilia that reflects consumers’ positive attitude towards technology. A single factor between-subject experiment study was conducted with a sample of 420 university students. Results suggest that the serial indirect effects of AR presentation on patronage intention through immersion/enjoyment/perceived product risk and attractiveness of online store are conditional upon the level of technophilia. Technophilia is a critical factor that explains consumers’ psychological and behavioral responses when they are using new technologies. The study provides new knowledge for e-marketing practitioners, as well as AR literature by indicating how and when new technology-based presentation works in evoking consumers’ patronage intention.

Webcam Eye Tracking for Monitoring Visual Attention in Hypothetical Online Shopping Tasks

Online retailers are challenged to present their products in an appropriate way to attract customers’ attention. To test the impact of product presentation features on customers’ visual attention, webcam eye tracking might be an alternative to infrared eye tracking, especially in situations where face-to-face contact is difficult. The aim of this study was to examine whether webcam eye tracking is suitable for investigating the influence of certain exogenous factors on customers’ visual attention when visiting online clothing shops. For this purpose, screenshots of two websites of two well-known online clothing retailers were used as stimuli. Linear regression analyses were conducted to determine the influence of the spatial position and the presence of a human model on the percentage of participants visiting a product depiction. The results show that products presented by human models and located in the upper middle area of a website were visited by more participants. From this, we were able to derive recommendations for optimising product presentation in online clothing shops. Our results fit well with those of other studies on visual attention conducted with infrared eye tracking, suggesting that webcam eye tracking could be an alternative to infrared eye tracking, at least for similar research questions.

A Review of the Preservation of Hard and Semi-Hard Cheeses: Quality and Safety

Cheese is a dairy product with potential health benefits. Cheese consumption has increased due to the significant diversity of varieties, versatility of product presentation, and changes in consumers’ lifestyles. Spoilage of hard and semi-hard cheeses can be promoted by their maturation period and/or by their long shelf-life. Therefore, preservation studies play a fundamental role in maintaining and/or increasing their shelf-life, and are of significant importance for the dairy sector. The aim of this review is to discuss the most effective methods to ensure the safety and sensory quality of ripened cheeses. We review traditional methods, such as freezing, and modern and innovative technologies, such as high hydrostatic pressures, chemical and natural vegetable origin preservatives, vacuum and modified atmosphere packaging, edible coatings and films, and other technologies applied at the end of storage and marketing stages, including light pulses and irradiation. For each technology, the main advantages and limitations for industrial application in the dairy sector are discussed. Each type of cheese requires a specific preservation treatment and optimal application conditions to ensure cheese quality and safety during storage. The environmental impact of the preservation technologies and their contribution to the sustainability of the food chain are discussed.

Designing a Healthy Food-Store Intervention; A Co-Creative Process Between Interventionists and Supermarket Actors

Background: Without consideration for the food system in which healthy food-store interventions (HFIs) are implemented, their effects are likely to be unsustainable. Co-creation of HFIs by interventionists and food-store actors may improve contextual fit and therefore the effectiveness and sustainability of interventions, but there are few case studies on the topic. This study aims to provide insights into the integration of knowledge from contextual actors into HFI designs, through a co-creative process, to illustrate potential challenges, advantages, and outcomes. Methods: We describe the co-creative design of an HFI in a Dutch supermarket chain, conducted through three increasingly in-depth design phases. Each phase consisted of a cycle of theorizing (gather insights from literature, feedback, and pilot studies), building (develop intervention designs), and evaluating (interviews or workshops with supermarket actors, to explore barriers and facilitators for sustainable implementation), feeding back into the next phase (drafting adapted intervention designs, based on feedback, and research input). Interview transcripts underwent a qualitative content analysis. Results: We co-creatively designed four types of interventions to promote healthier food choices in supermarkets: (1) price strategies, (2) product presentation and positioning, (3) signage, and (4) interactive messaging. Interventions were aligned with the culture, structures and practices of the supermarket chain, while simultaneously challenging these system characteristics. For example, the idea of price promotions on healthy foods was well-received and encountered only practical barriers, which were easily resolved. However, the specification of tax-like price increases on unhealthy foods led to substantial resistance on cultural and commercial grounds, which were resolved through support from a key supermarket actor. Conclusion: Our results illustrate the potential benefits of co-creation approaches in HFI design. We reflect on the value of more easily accepted interventions to develop collaborative momentum and more radical interventions to drive more substantial changes.

Neural Correlates of Garment Fit and Purchase Intention in the Consumer Decision-Making Process and the Influence of Product Presentation

In today’s competitive e-commerce markets, it is crucial to promote product satisfaction and to quickly identify purchase intention in decision-making consumers. The present investigation examined the relationship between perceived garment fit and purchase intention, together with how product presentation methods (mannequin versus self-model) contribute to decision-making processes of clothing. Thirty-nine female volunteers were scanned using fMRI while performing an online shopping task. In Part 1, univariate analysis was conducted between garment fit and product presentation factors to assess their effects on purchase deliberation. In Part 2, univariate, multivariate pattern, and psychophysiological interaction analyses were carried out to examine the predictive ability of fit evaluation and product presentation on purchase intention. First, garment fit × product presentation interaction effects on purchase deliberation were observed in the frontopolar cortex, superior frontal gyrus, anterior cingulate cortex, and posterior cingulate cortex. Part 2 demonstrated neural signals of the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, premotor cortex, supplementary motor area, superior parietal lobule, supramarginal gyrus, superior temporal sulcus, fusiform gyrus, and insula to distinguish subsequent purchase intentions. Overall, the findings denote directed exploration, visual and action processing as key neural processes in decision-making that uniquely reflect garment fit and product presentation type during purchase deliberation. Additionally, with respect to the effects of purchase intention on product evaluation, the evidence conveys that mental interactions with products and social cognition are fundamental processes that capture subsequent purchase intention at the product evaluation stage.