Judging by the wristwatch: Salespersons’ responses to status signals and stereotypes of luxury clients

Marie-Cécile Cervellon (), Fanny-Juliet Poujol () and John F. Tanner Jr
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Marie-Cécile Cervellon: EDHEC - EDHEC Business School - UCL - Université catholique de Lille
Fanny-Juliet Poujol: CEROS - Centre d'Etudes et de Recherches sur les Organisations et la Stratégie - UPN - Université Paris Nanterre
John F. Tanner Jr: ODU - Old Dominion University [Norfolk]

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Abstract: This paper investigates how the activation of a customer stereotype affects salespersons' interpersonal orientation in the context of luxury car purchases. The results of three complementary studies (observation in-situ, survey among luxury car clients, lab-experiment among apprentice-salespeople) indicate that status trumps gender; Gender-stereotypes are activated only when status is not, indicating the expectancy-based nature of sales stereotyping. Our research highlights the mechanism that leads to privileged behaviors: salespeople attribute a higher purchase budget to clients with visible signs of status. Addressing changes in customer orientation is particularly important in luxury retail settings where service excellence is a priority.

Keywords: customer stereotypes; interpersonal orientation; status; gender; luxury retail; luxury car industry (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.parisnanterre.fr/hal-03122118
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

Published in Journal of retailing and consumer services, 2019, 51, pp.191-201. ⟨10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.04.013⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-03122118

DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.04.013

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