nep-mkt 2026-01-19 papers

on Marketing

Issue of 2026–01–19
two papers chosen by
Marco Novarese, Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale

The role of novelty in consumer curiosity by product type By Marie Beck
Consumer Behavior in Grocery Shopping: The role of Income in Food Choice and Price Sensitivity By Krasovskaia, Elena; David R. Just, David R.

The role of novelty in consumer curiosity by product type

By:	Marie Beck (LUMEN - Lille University Management Lab - ULR 4999 - Université de Lille)
Abstract:	Purpose This study explores the joint effect of product novelty and experiential novelty on consumer-specific curiosity, particularly for high-involvement utilitarian and hedonic products. Unlike prior research that examined these novelties separately, this study investigates their synchronous adoption to understand how novelty management influences consumer curiosity. Design/methodology/approach Two experiments tested the effect of product and/or experiential novelty on consumer curiosity across product types (utilitarian or hedonic). A pilot study (N = 48) validated the hedonic vs utilitarian nature of the selected products. Study 1 (N = 322) examined novelty effects for a utilitarian product (refrigerator), while Study 2 (N = 707) tested the same effects for a hedonic product (photograph). Findings For utilitarian products, neither form of novelty alone significantly increases curiosity, but their combination creates a synergistic effect. For hedonic products, all types of novelty (product, experiential or both) enhance curiosity, confirming hedonic consumers' attraction to novelty-driven experiences. Research limitations/implications The study is limited to online shopping contexts. Future research should explore physical retail settings, longitudinal effects and moderators such as consumer innovativeness or sensation-seeking. Practical implications For utilitarian products, brands and retailers should combine product novelty with immersive experiential novelty (e.g. augmented reality). For hedonic products, brands and retailers could develop any types of novelty to elicit curiosity. There is therefore greater organizational flexibility in innovation projects for hedonic products. Originality/value This research refines theories of curiosity, innovation adoption and product categorisation, emphasising that novelty's effectiveness depends on context and product type (utilitarian or hedonic).
Keywords:	utilitarian product, hedonic product, experiment, curiosity, novelty, novelty curiosity experiment hedonic product utilitarian product
Date:	2025–12–18
URL:	https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05420515

Consumer Behavior in Grocery Shopping: The role of Income in Food Choice and Price Sensitivity

By:	Krasovskaia, Elena; David R. Just, David R.
Abstract:	This paper investigates how income influences consumer behavior in grocery shopping, focusing on food choices and price sensitivity. We introduce a behavioral framework grounded in a two-stage “putty-clay” decision-making process. In the flexible “putty” phase, consumers filter out items from the set of all alternatives based on price- and preference-related rationales; in the more rigid “clay” phase, choices are made from a constrained set that becomes habitual over time. We hypothesize that low-income consumers form smaller and more rigid sets due to budget constraints and perceived unaffordability, limiting their responsiveness to price changes. Using detailed purchase data from the NielsenIQ Consumer Panel, we find that choice set size increases with income and that price sensitivity is attenuated within the constrained sets. These findings challenge standard demand models by revealing that low-income consumers, while generally price-sensitive, may fail to adjust optimally due to behavioral and structural constraints. Our framework highlights how the two-stage choice process contributes to food and nutrition insecurity, offering implications for policy interventions aimed at expanding choice flexibility and improving food access for economically vulnerable populations.
Keywords:	Institutional and Behavioral Economics
Date:	2025
URL:	https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea25:360712

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