Two essays on technology-enriched consumption practices /c by Lijing Zheng

Abstract

Technology has permeated consumers’ everyday tasks and interactions. In this thesis, I examined two phenomena in which people consume and encounter products in a different way from the past, which is realized by digital technology and haptic technology respectively. In the first essay, I looked at an emerging access-based consumption mode in which consumers gain access to products without obtaining ownership. Consumers also rented things in the past. But with digital technology, consumers can rent products in a more convenient and flexible way. Examples are dockless shared bikes and scooters. Specifically, I examined whether this technology-facilitated access-based consumption mode will influence consumers’ prosocial orientation. Across one correlational study, one field study, and four controlled experiments using various samples and intentional and behavioral measures, I demonstrated that access-based consumption mode lowers consumers’ prosocial orientation through a reduced sense of responsibility to the products in use and to other people’s welfare. This research contributes to the literature of sharing economy and consumption mode by identifying a new consequence of access-based consumption mode. I also proposed two feasible interventions to curb the negative, that is, to highlight perceived social connection and contract salience in consumption experience. In the second essay, I examined the role of haptic technology in mobile advertising. Prior research has examined haptic effects with a focus on different interfaces and the functionality of touch gestures. In this essay, I turned to the content of screen touch gestures. Specifically, I drew on the literature of ritual and proposed that incorporating ritual elements in screen touch gestures to access mobile advertising will elevate consumers’ interest in the brand, because ritual elements will induce perception of symbolism and uniqueness in the gestures. I conducted four controlled experiments with hypothetical brands and two field studies with real brands, and demonstrated that ritual-like screen touch gestures in mobile advertising increased consumers’ self-reported brand interest, real coupon claims and number of “Likes” for a brand’s online post. This work contributes to the literature by linking the research on touchscreen and ritual, and provides useful implications for marketers about how to design haptic content in mobile advertising.