Examining post-purchase consumer responses to product automation

Leah Warfield Smith (), Randall Lee Rose (), Alex R. Zablah (), Heath McCullough () and Mohammad “Mike” Saljoughian ()
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Leah Warfield Smith: University of Arkansas, Walton College of Business
Randall Lee Rose: University of South Carolina, Moore School of Business
Alex R. Zablah: University of Tennessee, Haslam College of Business
Heath McCullough: Auburn University, Harbert College of Business
Mohammad “Mike” Saljoughian: University of Tennessee, Haslam College of Business

Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 2023, vol. 51, issue 3, No 2, 530-550

Abstract: Abstract Automation is increasingly being introduced into a variety of consumer products, ranging from vacuum cleaners to autonomous vehicles. While automation provides convenience and efficiency benefits consumers value, related evidence suggests it can also undermine post-purchase consumer product responses of importance to managers (e.g., brand loyalty). Using insights derived from Amazon customer reviews, a survey of product owners, a virtual reality lab, and two vignette experiments, we formally explore this possibility and find that automation is indeed a double-edged sword. That is, we uncover that automation has undesirable effects on post-purchase outcomes because it interferes with psychological ownership formation. We also find that, depending on consumer identity motives (e.g., task-related vs. technology-related) and product design affordances (e.g., a remote access feature), this effect can be strengthened, weakened, or even reversed. Our findings offer managers needed guidance on how to counter automation’s dark side through identity-based targeting and product design.

Keywords: Automation; Psychological ownership; Identity; Design affordances; Text analysis; Propensity score matching (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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DOI: 10.1007/s11747-022-00900-8

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