Gurumurthy Kalyanaram, NYIT, former professor and Dean, reports on product evaluation and consumer experience. Research by Srinivasan and till is the basis for the following report. The following material is directly abstracted from their manuscript.
Indirect information and personal experience are the primary sources contributing to consumer beliefs about product attributes.
Indirect information and personal experience are the primary sources contributing to consumer beliefs about product attributes.
The superiority and power of personal experience as an information source stems partly from the fact that people confer special status to inferences and conclusions drawn from personal knowledge (Hoch and Deighton 1989 p 2). In addition, information acquired from one's own experience is perceived to be more interesting, trustworthy, diagnostic and memorable (Kempf and Smith 1998). Findings from research in consumer behavior also confirm that the affect derived from personal experiences with a brand is stronger and more clearly defined than information obtained from passive forms of advertising (Smith and Swinyard 1982).
The impact of consumer experience on attribute beliefs varies, depending on the type of attribute. Several studies in consumer behavior indicate that personal experience (advertised messages) has the greatest impact on beliefs about experience (search) attributes (Wright and Lynch 1995; Kempf and Smith 1998). Kempf and Smith (1998) describe consumer experiences (i.e., product trials) as a nondiagnostic tool for nonexperiential attributes. Yet, they acknowledge product experiences could lead consumers to make inferences about credence attributes even in the absence of any meaningful evidence (p. 327). Under these circumstances, proliferation of non-analytic inferences (those based on heuristic connections between known and inferred facts) is quite plausible as consumers use their beliefs about experience attributes to construct beliefs about credence attributes. Drawing these type of conclusions about the quality of intangible or ambiguous attributes is not surprising given that non-analytical inferences are easily generated and do not require causal or logically reasoning (Alba and Hutchinson 1987p. 421). Conversely, consumer experiences are less likely to reveal new information about search attributes whose properties permit consumers to establish highly accurate beliefs without the benefit of consumption. Therefore, drawing inferences about search attributes based on one's impressions of experience attributes should be less likely.
Pre-consumption beliefs about the probability of outcomes for an attribute set the standard for evaluating attribute/product performance (Oliver and Winer 1997). According to Oliver (1980), consumers form expectations about a products' performance prior to consumption and they use these expectations as a basis for comparing performance outcomes. He identifies the disconfirmation of expectations as the extent to which attribute performance meets, exceeds or falls below consumers' pre-trial/consumption expectations or beliefs (p. 461). Confirmation occurs when pre-purchase expectations are met, positive disconfirmation when if outcomes are better than expected and negative disconfirmation if outcomes occurs when performance is as expected. Therefore, consumers' initial product experiences serve as some manner of strengthening of attribute beliefs initially constructed from indirect sources (e.g., advertising messages, product packaging or word-of-mouth communications). Moreover, disconfirmation of positive or negative attribute beliefs is possible.
Please refer to other articles by Gurumurthy Kalyanaram, NYIT, former professor and Dean on his website: http://www.gurumurthykalyanaram.com/nyit.html
The impact of consumer experience on attribute beliefs varies, depending on the type of attribute. Several studies in consumer behavior indicate that personal experience (advertised messages) has the greatest impact on beliefs about experience (search) attributes (Wright and Lynch 1995; Kempf and Smith 1998). Kempf and Smith (1998) describe consumer experiences (i.e., product trials) as a nondiagnostic tool for nonexperiential attributes. Yet, they acknowledge product experiences could lead consumers to make inferences about credence attributes even in the absence of any meaningful evidence (p. 327). Under these circumstances, proliferation of non-analytic inferences (those based on heuristic connections between known and inferred facts) is quite plausible as consumers use their beliefs about experience attributes to construct beliefs about credence attributes. Drawing these type of conclusions about the quality of intangible or ambiguous attributes is not surprising given that non-analytical inferences are easily generated and do not require causal or logically reasoning (Alba and Hutchinson 1987p. 421). Conversely, consumer experiences are less likely to reveal new information about search attributes whose properties permit consumers to establish highly accurate beliefs without the benefit of consumption. Therefore, drawing inferences about search attributes based on one's impressions of experience attributes should be less likely.
Pre-consumption beliefs about the probability of outcomes for an attribute set the standard for evaluating attribute/product performance (Oliver and Winer 1997). According to Oliver (1980), consumers form expectations about a products' performance prior to consumption and they use these expectations as a basis for comparing performance outcomes. He identifies the disconfirmation of expectations as the extent to which attribute performance meets, exceeds or falls below consumers' pre-trial/consumption expectations or beliefs (p. 461). Confirmation occurs when pre-purchase expectations are met, positive disconfirmation when if outcomes are better than expected and negative disconfirmation if outcomes occurs when performance is as expected. Therefore, consumers' initial product experiences serve as some manner of strengthening of attribute beliefs initially constructed from indirect sources (e.g., advertising messages, product packaging or word-of-mouth communications). Moreover, disconfirmation of positive or negative attribute beliefs is possible.
Please refer to other articles by Gurumurthy Kalyanaram, NYIT, former professor and Dean on his website: http://www.gurumurthykalyanaram.com/nyit.html