Márcia Maurer Herter

“Man, I shop like a woman!” The effects of gender and emotions on consumer shopping behaviour outcomes

Purpose – Research suggests that women demonstrate higher levels of shopping satisfaction, recommendation, return intentions, and hedonic shopping than men. However, is it possible to reduce the effects of gender on shopping behaviour? The purpose of this paper is to explore how the interaction between gender and emotions affects consumers’ shopping behaviour outcomes. Design/methodology/approach – Two studies show the effects of gender and emotions on shopping behaviour outcomes. Study 1 is a field experiment that tests the effects of gender and emotions (positive vs neutral) on consumer satisfaction, recommendation, and return intentions. Study 2 is a laboratory experiment that explores the effects of gender and emotions (positive, neutral, and negative) on hedonic shopping. Findings – Results demonstrate that positive (vs neutral) emotions increase shopping behaviour outcomes for men, to reach the same level as for women. The findings also indicate that retail environment perception mediates the effect...

“Man, I Shop Like a Woman!” Effects of Gender and Emotions on Consumer Shopping Outcomes and Perceptions of Retail Environments

Previous studies in retailing have suggested that gender influences the way people shop. Women are more affected by store environment elements and more likely to enjoy shopping than men. However, is it possible to reduce these gender effects and to enhance men’s shopping outcomes? Drawing on gender and emotions literature, the authors suggest that emotions moderate gender effects on shopping outcomes (i.e. satisfaction, recommendation to others, and return intentions). This study tests the effects of emotions in two conditions: positive emotions (triggered by background music) and neutral emotions (control group, no music). Results demonstrate that positive (vs. neutral) emotions increase shopping satisfaction, recommendations, and return intentions for male consumers, in the same level as female consumers. In addition, the findings indicate that store environment perception mediates the effects of gender and emotions on shopping outcomes.

Saving the Planet or Saving the Brand? How Brand Strength Influences Consumers’ Perceptions of Brand Sustainability

Sustainability actions, such as ecolabels, are increasingly prevalent among companies. However, relatively little is known about consumer response to these actions for brands. The authors propose that the degree to which ecolabels enhance consumers’ perceptions of brand sustainability depends on brand strength (i.e., the differential effect of brand knowledge on consumer response to the brand). Two studies demonstrate that brand strength changes the impact of ecolabels on consumers’ perceptions of brand sustainability and purchase intentions. The findings suggest that consumers use ecolabels as cue for brand sustainability for weak brands (i.e., brands without significant positive brand equity), but not for strong brands (i.e., brands with significant positive brand equity). In addition, results suggest that sustainability mediates purchase intentions, but these effects are stronger for weak brands than for strong brands.

“Are Blondes More Hedonic than Brunettes?” Stereotype Effects on Willingness to Pay for Hedonic and Utilitarian Products

This research examines the fit between stereotypes and hedonic and utilitarian products. We suggest that the product-stereotype fit and gender influence consumers’ willingness to pay for a product. Stereotypes were activated by showing participants two versions of advertising (hedonic and utilitarian) with a blonde (vs. brunette) spokesperson. Results from a pilot study show that the blonde stereotype increases willingness to pay for hedonic products and brunettes for utilitarian products; these effects are only valid for men, but not for women. The paper presents the implications for the advertising of utilitarian and hedonic products.