• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.83-105
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• 2013

During recent decades, the number of mixed attribute products (henceforth mixed products), which have both utilitarian and hedonic benefits, has increased dramatically. Despite these products' growing popularity, academic research has paid little attention to them, and there remains a gap between theory and the real world. Hence, our study was undertaken to understand consumers' perceptions about and behaviors toward mixed products, as well as factors affecting the evaluation and choice of these products. We divided mixed attribute products into two categories: mixed utilitarian products (utilitarian products adding hedonic attributes) and mixed hedonic products (hedonic products adding utilitarian attributes). We then showed how adding different attributes affects consumers' perception, willingness to pay (WTP), and the choice of mixed attribute products compared to pure utilitarian or pure hedonic products. We conducted an experiment using a within-subject design. A total of 160 office workers and college students participated in the study. The pure utilitarian product used in the study was orange juice, and the mixed utilitarian product was carbonated orange juice. The pure hedonic product was chocolate, and the mixed hedonic product was polyphenol enriched chocolate. Results showed that consumers perceived a mixed utilitarian product to be less utilitarian, less pleasurable and more guilty than a pure utilitarian product. On the other hand, a mixed hedonic product was perceived to be more utilitarian, less pleasurable and less guilty than a pure hedonic product. Also, WTP for a mixed hedonic product was higher than WTP for a pure hedonic product, but WTP was lower for a mixed utilitarian product than for a pure utilitarian product. Furthermore, mixed hedonic products were likely to be evaluated more favorably when they were presented together with pure hedonic products, more so than when they were presented alone. Finally, when compared to low self-control participants, high self-control participants chose mixed hedonic products more frequently. The present study contributes to the existing literature on utilitarian and hedonic consumption by adding to the sparse literature on the consumption of products that have both utilitarian and hedonic purposes. Also, our research findings provide several useful implications for practitioners in related fields. First, the current study provides marketers with a useful guide for understanding consumers' perceptions of these types of products, and helps to predict how adding different attributes influences these products. Second, this study has examined the conditions that may moderate the evaluation and choice of hedonic base products and this finding will serve as a good reference for marketers of mixed hedonic products in marketing communication strategy, in-store marketing and targeting. Specifically, comparative advertising with a pure hedonic product will be beneficial for a mixed hedonic product. Also, displaying mixed hedonic products near pure hedonic products may enhance the effectiveness of in-store marketing of mixed hedonic products.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.635-645
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• 2011

This study explores the differences in product evaluation and approach behaviors as well as the effects of product evaluation on approach behaviors of utilitarian and hedonic products in on-line and off-line settings. A total of 332 subjects participated in the experiments to assess product evaluation and approach behaviors for utilitarian and hedonic clothing products in on-line and off-line settings. The results show that even though the same stimulus was presented, consumers' product evaluation of utilitarian clothing (i.e., t-shirts) was higher in the off-line setting than in the on-line setting while the approach behavior of hedonic clothing was better in the on-line setting than in the off-line setting. In addition, color was a crucial factor generating positive approach behaviors for utilitarian clothing while style and quality were core factors influencing the approach behaviors of hedonic products in an on-line setting. There was no consistency in the results of the important factors affecting approach behaviors of utilitarian and hedonic clothing in an off-line setting. The conclusion suggests implications for marketing based upon the results of this study.

• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.37-53
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• 2016

The purpose of this study is to show that the effectiveness of utilitarian versus hedonic attributefocused advertisement on product evaluation depends on the arousal level of positive emotion, and to explore mediation effect of cognitive response to utilitarian attribute-focused advertisement and affective response to hedonic attribute-focused advertisement on the effectiveness of utilitarian versus hedonic attribute-focused advertisement. This research employs a 2 (arousal level: mild vs. elevated) × 2 (advertisement type: utilitarian vs. hedonic) between-subjects design, and 200 undergraduate students participate in the experiment, in which there are 50 students at each experimental group. The results of ANCOVA with positive emotion level as a covariate on advertised product evaluation show significant interaction effect of arousal level and advertisement type, and no effect of positive emotional level. Both of the mediation effects of the cognitive response and those of the affective response are significant. Participants under mild (elevated) arousal of positive emotion more positively evaluate the product in utilitarian (hedonic) attribute-focused advertisement. The positive effect of utilitarian (hedonic) attributefocused advertisement on product evaluation is partially mediated by cognitive (affective) response to the advertisement when consumers are under the mild (elevated) arousal of positive emotion. The results of this study show that advertisers should use utilitarian (hedonic) attribute-focused advertisement to consumers under the mild (elevated) arousal of ambient positive emotion, which should be searched by exploring what kind of event they have experienced.

• Design Convergence Study
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.333-345
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• 2016

Recently, an intelligent product in which information and robotic technologies are applied to an existing common product, called a mother product has been developed. In order to develop intelligent products which could be accepted by users, various intelligent product design methods have been introduced considering various interaction aspects or intelligent parts to be made. However, as an intelligent product is originated in a mother product, intelligent product design methods based on product attributes need to be explored. In this study, the impact of intelligent product types by product attributes on users' acceptance was investigated by comparing hedonic intelligent products and utilitarian intelligent products. An experiment was executed with child slippers as a case. As a result, participants evaluated utilitarian intelligent products more positively than hedonic intelligent products. They showed higher purchase intention and willingness to pay toward utilitarian intelligent products than hedonic intelligent products. In the case of child slippers, even though the hedonic attributes could be expected as they are child products, utilitarian attributes were perceived as much more important than hedonic attributes as the child slippers are related to the floor noise which is a severe social problem.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.279-292
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• 2011

This research explores the differences of two consumption behaviors from the thinking style they elicit. Specifically, we predict that more utilitarian attributes(vs. hedonic attributes) may be used when evaluating utilitarian products whereas more hedonic attributes(vs. utilitarian attributes) may be used when evaluating hedonic products. In addition, this research considered two different thinking styles: rational thinking style and experiential thinking style, and try to find out whether different product attribute information could elicit different thinking style and whether the thinking style has any effect on product evaluation. The data reported in this research demonstrates the following results. Firstly, people use different criteria when judging different types of product. That is, when judging utilitarian product, they are more likely to use utilitarian attribute as evaluation criteria, on the contrary they inclined to use hedonic attribute as evaluation criteria when choosing hedonic product. Secondly, different types of attribute informations could elicit different thinking style. Utilitarian attribute informations elicit rational thinking style whereas hedonic attribute informations elicit experiential thinking style. Finally, if people engage in rational thinking elicited in processing utilitarian attribute informations, the evaluation of utilitarian product is enhanced. But even though people engage in experiential thinking in processing hedonic attribute informations, the evaluation of hedonic product is not improved.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.247-258
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• 2008

The purposes of this study were to investigate influences of consumer's shopping value, brand alliances and apparel product involvement on purchasing behavior. The subjects of 172 hedonic shopping value and 208 utilitarian shopping value were chosen to participated for data collection. The data was analyzed by factor analysis, cluster analysis, and ANOVA. The main results of study were summarized as follows: 1. When an Internet Private Brand(PB) did not form brand alliance with a National brand(NB), utilitarian shopping value consumers did not differ in preference irrespective of whether product involvement was high or not. However, when the PB formed brand alliance with well-known NB, they showed higher preference for the high involvement apparel product than the low involvement product. 2. When an Internet PB did not form brand alliance with well-known NB, the utilitarian shopping value consumers' word-of-mouth intention did not differ between the high involvement apparel product and low involvement apparel product. 3. It was revealed that when an Internet PB did not form brand alliance, the utilitarian shopping value consumers showed higher intention to purchase than that of the low involvement product.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.247-263
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• 2023

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of the compulsive hoarding behavior of consumers on the intention to purchase hedonic and utilitarian types of products. Design/methodology/approach - The online and offline survey was conducted and a total of 210 domestic data were collected. Simple and multiple regression analysis and ANOVA were conducted to analyze the data. Findings - First, the consumers'compulsive hoarding behavior had a significantly positive influence on the purchase intention. According to the analysis results of the sub-factors, however, only 'Difficulty Discarding' had a significant influence on the purchase intention, while 'Clutter' and 'Acquisition' did not. Second, as the results of identifying the moderating effect by product type in the purchase intention in accordance with the consumers'compulsive hoarding behavior, their compulsive hoarding behavior had a significant influence on only the intention to purchase hedonic products but not on the intention to purchase utilitarian ones. Similarly, the results of analyzing the sub-factors showed that only'Difficulty Discarding' significantly influenced the intention to purchase hedonic types of products, but 'Clutter' and 'Acquisition' were not significantly influential to both the hedonic and utilitarian types of products. Research implications or Originality - First, this study is meaningful in that it expanded the research discussion on compulsive hoarding behavior by conducting empirical research on this behavior in the general public, which is unlike the previous studies that focused on only severe pathological compulsive hoarding behavior. Second, it identified that the consumers'compulsive hoarding behavior could cause purchase behaviors that were different depending on the type of product by searching the purchase intention with divided types of products (hedonic and utilitarian).

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.26 no.3_4
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• pp.548-559
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• 2002

Value is one of the most useful variable for achieving marketing concept that satisfy consumer needs. The issue related to which value consumers have when they're shopping and which effect this shopping value has on the process of consumer satisfaction formation, would be helpful to understand the post-purchase behavior as well as the process of pre-purchase decision making. Therefore, the objective of this study was to clarify differences in the process of satisfaction formation in relation to the type of shopping value. The study was conducted in three steps. Through the two steps, measurement instruments were developed. At the last step, judgement sampling method were utilized to collect the data and subjects were 614 university students. Factor analysis, cluster analysis, frequencies, t-test, and structural equation model analysis were used to analyze the data. Two groups regarding shopping value were found, which included consumers with hedonic shopping value and consumers with utilitarian shopping value. Overall, the results revealed a similar tendency in the process of satisfaction formation between two groups. But the tendency, which expressive product performance was related to the positive consumption emotion more than instrumental product performance was and instrumental product performance was related to the negative consumption emotion more than expressive product performance was, was clearer in consumers with utilitarian shopping value than in those with hedonic shopping value. In consumers with utilitarian shopping value, expressive product performance has a greater effect on satisfaction than instrumental product performance did, but in consumers with utilitarian shopping value, expressive product performance showed a similar effect on satisfaction with instrumental product performance. Understanding of the post-purchase behavior of the consumers with hedonic shopping value and the consumers with utilitarian shopping value and practical administration of the differences of the two groups would contribute to build useful marketing strategies.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.50 no.7
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• pp.81-96
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is to understand consumer values derived from products by the contemporary consumers, as the meaning of a product is extended from the functional utilities to the mediums of fulfilling consumer values. Consumer values have been researched from the marketers' perspectives and, thus, the scales to measure consumer values tend to be too abstract and not always reflective of the consumers' perspectives. Holbrook's typology of consumer values is utilized and the products are classified into four groups according to the product characteristic of the utilitarian versus hedonic, and the consumption spaces of the indoor and outdoor. The findings are as follows. First, the values of efficiency, excellence, ethics, and spirituality are more likely derived from utilitarian products, while the value of play is more likely derived from the hedonic products. Second, the values of efficiency, excellence, and ethics are more likely derived from the indoor products, and values of playfulness, esthetics, status, and respect are more likely derived from the outdoor products. Third, the most frequently mentioned values are the efficiency, playfulness, and status. Fourth, the list of products answered as being representative for four types of products are short to include obvious products such as TV, mobile phone, computer, car, refrigerator, and MP3 player. Both the utilitarian and hedonic values are derived from TV, computer, and mobile phone, while the utilitarian value from refrigerator and car, and the hedonic value from MP3 player, digital camera, and game consoles. The results imply that consumer values should be carefully understood and reflected in developing new products in order to successfully fulfill consumers' underlying needs and requirements.

• The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.73-81
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• 2018

Purpose - When indulging in hedonic items is construed as wasteful and evokes anticipated regret or guilt, consumers are more likely to seek reasons to justify their indulgence. Justification requirement for spending on indulgences over necessities could lead to the places of their finding the ways that mitigate the anticipated regret and guilt. However the previous research focusing on consumers' own great effort leading to positive outcomes has not given much attention to other's outcomes induced from his or her little or no efforts, by which consumers could feel envy. The guilt associated with consumers' indulgence could vary according to envy type felt according to their evaluation about other's outcomes and their self construal level. Current research explored the envy type's effects on consumers' spending on hedonic products, and moderation effects of self construal level on the envy type's effects. Research design, data, and methodology - 2(envy type: benign versus malicious) × 2(self construal level: high versus low) between-subjects design was employed. Data for empirical analysis were from 173 undergraduate participants. ANOVA was used to verify hypotheses. Results - The tendency of choosing utilitarian product versus hedonic product was moderated by the envy type. The participants who felt benign envy were more likely to choose utilitarian product versus hedonic product than those who felt malicious envy were. And the tendency of benign envy-felt participants' choosing hedonic versus utilitarian product was more weakened to those with lower-level self construal than to those with higher-level self construal. However the tendency of malicious envy-felt participants' choosing hedonic versus utilitarian product was not moderated by the self construal level. Conclusions - This research could advance the theory related to indulgent hedonic consumption by exploring the effects of self construal level and envy type on hedonic indulgence. In view of the results from current study, marketers should make efforts of communicating and selling utilitarian products to persuade consumers with lower-level construal when they feel benign envy to others. And they should conduct marketing acts for hedonic products to persuade consumers when they feel malicious envy to others.