Appearance and media popularity affecting experiential gift-giving

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore the effect of popularity appeals (appearance popularity and media popularity) on online experiential gift purchase intention based on different types of givers (close or distant givers) and different gift attributes (conspicuous or inconspicuous gifts), a novel research consideration.Design/methodology/approachThis study was conducted with two experiments and examined four hypotheses. These hypotheses were examined using a 2 × 2 between-subjects design, and a two-factorial variance analysis was conducted.FindingsThis study found that for close givers, appearance popularity appeals created a greater purchase intention than media popularity appeals. That is, gift-givers faced appearance popularity rather than media popularity, driving them to face a strong feeling of excitement for their idol worship. This finding implies that the human brand theory works.Practical implicationsThe empirical results can shed light on brand or product managers in raising the ratio of appearance popularity appeals to marketing in online experiential gift-giving. Gift marketers should accurately understand the current trends and social preferences using a database and big data analysis tools.Originality/valueThis study is the first to investigate whether the two types of popularity appeals affect gift purchase intention in online experiential gifts.