Maud Herbert

What Do We Really Need? Questioning Consumption Through Sufficiency

This article introduces the concept of sufficiency, its specific dual nature (voluntary and obligatory), and its collective implications to the literature on sustainability. Sufficiency implies a reorganization of consumption priorities and is introduced by a discussion of consumerism and the dominant social paradigm. Long interviews with sufficient people show the complexity of the construct, which creates semantic oppositions around the notion of having (everything vs. nothing and not nothing vs. not everything). After a semiotic analysis of people’s interpretation of sufficiency, we propose a reflection about the use of macromarketing tools to better enhance and enact sufficiency in a collective way.

An exploration of servicescapes’ exclusion and coping strategies of consumers with “hidden” auditory disorders

Purpose The purpose of this study is both to explore how people with “hidden” auditory disorders experience exclusion in servicescapes and to unfold the coping strategies they set up to deal with it. Design/methodology/approach Findings from 15 semi-structured interviews and participant observations with individuals suffering from auditory disorders are presented through the paper. Findings The findings indicate that individuals with auditory disorders deploy three types of coping strategies when exposed to sensory overload in servicescapes: choosing between physical servicescapes, opting for electronic devices and e-servicescapes and delegating shopping to relatives. Practical implications The study underlines how, through temporary or permanent modifications of servicescape cues, service providers give consumers opportunities to bypass situations involving sensory overload. Implications for e-servicescapes and public policy are also raised. Originality/value The findings reveal how the coping strategies used by individuals with auditory disorders contribute to their exclusion from the marketplace on the basis of both individual characteristics and types of servicescapes.

Collaborative practices and consumerist habitus: An analysis of the transformative mechanisms of collaborative consumption

In 2010, collaborative consumption was raised up as a disruptive and even revolutionary mode of consumption. Adopting a theoretical and methodological framework inspired by the praxeology of Pierre Bourdieu, this article offers a study of this transformative prophecy. Qualitative data were collected incrementally and using various methods. Their analysis reveals that consumers identify and adopt these activities above all in practical ways shaped by commercial mechanisms. Although influenced by this consumerist habitus, some collaborative practices are also based on an alternative market mindset. Furthermore, consumers identify a space for practices between which they navigate in dynamic ways. Based on these mechanisms and the level of perceived socialisation inherent in collaborative activities, we propose to discuss the consumerist habitus, the transformative potential of such practices and the challenges ahead for marketing research.

L’approche vidéographique dans la recherche en marketing : Quel protocole méthodologique ?

Résumé Cet article propose un protocole de la méthode vidéographique en recherche marketing. Sa finalité est de contribuer à enrichir la boîte à outils du chercheur en présentant comment la vidéographie académique peut être mise en œuvre et en identifiant les challenges et les opportunités d’une telle démarche. Offrir un guide concret aux chercheurs permet aussi de répondre aux appels pour une plus large diffusion de la méthode au sein de la communauté académique. L’article présente à la fois l’application et l’évaluation de la méthode vidéographique via quatre phases successives : pré-production, production, post-production et diffusion. Ce protocole se fonde sur l’analyse de la genèse des recherches vidéographiques, majoritairement nord-américaines, fertilisée par l’analyse du corpus de productions francophones présentées lors de conférences nationales et internationales. L’objectif est d’apporter une vision élargie et non ethnocentrique qui permet de rendre explicite le processus méthodologique et les divers choix inhérents pour aider au développement de travaux créatifs et innovants.

Going liquid: French food retail industry experiencing an interregnum

ABSTRACT By calling the present condition of the French food retail industry an interregnum, this research considers the impact of liquid modernity on this sector and looks for signs of a new order at a designing stage. Nine experts representing large retailers and entrepreneurs using alternative modes of food retailing were interviewed. An interpretive analysis reveals a wide diversity of changes. Following Bauman’s liquid metaphor, we identify shock, transformations, and crisis in food retailing, which we describe as phases that mark the dynamics in the shift from solid to liquid retailing. We discuss how retailers are adapting and deploying tactics both to respond and belong to these liquid times and how retailers can regain some legitimacy by claiming a role in territorial sovereignty.

Pratiques collaboratives et habitus consumeriste : une analyse des mecanismes transformatifs de la consommation collaborative

En 2010, la consommation collaborative a été intronisée en tant que mode de consommation disruptif, voire révolutionnaire. En adoptant un cadre théorique et méthodologique inspiré de la praxéologie de Pierre Bourdieu, ce travail interroge cette prophétie transformative. Des données qualitatives ont été collectées selon différentes méthodes et de manière incrémentale. Leur analyse révèle que les consommateurs distinguent et adoptent ces activités d’abord en exerçant un sens pratique façonné par des dispositions marchandes. Bien qu’influencées par cet habitus consumériste, certaines pratiques collaboratives relèvent également d’une logique de marché alternatif. Les consommateurs identifient en outre un espace de pratiques entre lesquelles ils naviguent de manière dynamique. Ces mécanismes et le degré de socialisation perçue des activités collaboratives permettent de discuter de l’habitus consumériste, du potentiel transformatif des pratiques et des enjeux pour la recherche en marketing.