It grows on you: Perceptions of sales/service personnel with facial hair

Sarah Mittal and David H. Silvera

Journal of Business Research, 2021, vol. 132, issue C, 604-613

Abstract: Service and sales personnel researchers have long been interested in the effects of physical appearance on sales and service outcomes. In the current work, we examine a specific physical feature—facial hair. Interestingly, evolutionary psychologists have found that facial hair does not consistently increase perceived attractiveness (Dixson & Vasey, 2012; Dixson, Vasey, & Brooks, 2013), but it does serve as an indicator of masculine traits. The present research examines how males with beards are perceived in a sales/service specific context. We present five studies, in which the power of the beard (versus other facial hair styles or no hair) is evident. Sales personnel with a beard are perceived as having more expertise across various industries; furthermore, increased perceptions of expertise predict higher ratings of trustworthiness and, subsequently, increase consumers’ purchase likelihood.

Keywords: Sales personnel; Service personnel; Expertise; Trustworthiness; Evolutionary psychology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:132:y:2021:i:c:p:604-613

DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.11.031

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