Affiliation:
1. Consumer Research Lab, School of Management and Marketing Curtin University Perth Western Australia Australia
2. School of Molecular and Life Sciences Curtin University Perth Western Australia Australia
Abstract
AbstractNaturalness is a significant driver of food‐related choices. However, there is scarce knowledge of how textual cues could be utilised to enhance the effectiveness of naturalness claims. Drawn from construal level theory, we attempted to examine how different methods of framing naturalness affect consumers in online vs. offline shopping contexts. Study 1 employed a 2 (abstract vs. concrete) × 2 (online vs. offline) experiment with 127 respondents and demonstrated that concrete framing heightens positive attitudes via increased perceived concreteness of the message, especially in offline shopping situations. Study 2 employed a 4 (abstract vs. control vs. concrete without mentioning natural vs. concrete mentioning natural) × 2 (online vs. offline) experiment with 173 respondents and replicated findings from Study 1. Furthermore, Study 2 ruled out alternative explanations of message authenticity, transparency and credibility and indicated that the effect of message framings is truly driven by the congruency between consumers' construal level and message framings. Interestingly, no significant effect of abstractly framed naturalness claims was observed in online shopping situations, contradicting existing studies. This suggests that other psychological mechanisms may interplay and hinder the effectiveness of abstract framing in our study. Taken together, the current research demonstrate that consumers' mental representation varies across shopping platforms and how it affects their evaluation of different methods of message framing.
Subject
Applied Psychology,Social Psychology
Reference104 articles.
1. “Natural” labeling and consumers' sentimental pastoral notion;Amos C.;The Journal of Product and Brand Management,2014
2. Healthy through presence or absence, nature or science?: A framework for understanding front‐of‐package food claims;André Q.;Journal of Public Policy & Marketing,2019
3. The effect of price promotions on consumer shopping behavior across online and offline channels: Differences between frequent and non‐frequent shoppers;Arce‐Urriza M.;Information Systems and e‐Business Management,2017
4. Austrade. (2021).A Culinary Treasure of the Sea: Australian Abalone.https://rarefoodsaustralia.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Austrade-Abalone-Report-2021.pdf
5. Babin L. A. Burns A. C. &Biswas A.(1992).A framework providing direction for research on communications effects of mental imagery‐evoking advertising strategies. ACR North American Advances.