Revealing obstacles to the consumer imagination

Document Type

Article

Abstract

The research proposes that the consumer imagination combines information about a current sensory stimulus (product) with triggered episodic memories to use as inputs in making product evaluations. Two studies reveal that the consumer imagination can be suppressed when preferred haptic sensory information is missing and when a situation is unambiguous, reducing the need for relying on episodic memory. The research findings support the general notion that the consumer imagination enhances purchase intentions compared to considering product attributes because the imagination enables consumers to integrate the information in a more efficient way. In both studies, perceived ownership mediates the effect. Contributions to theory and practical implications are provided. © 2014 Society for Consumer Psychology.

Publication Title

Journal of Consumer Psychology

Publication Date

1-1-2014

Volume

24

Issue

3

First Page

363

Last Page

372

ISSN

1057-7408

DOI

10.1016/j.jcps.2014.01.003

Keywords

consumer imagination, episodic and semantic memory

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