The role of mindfulness in response to product cues and marketing communications

This article aims at integrating mindfulness into consumer decision-making process. Specifically, it integrates consumer mindfulness as a moderator of the relationship between intrinsic and extrinsic product cues and product evaluation. Based on cue evaluation theory, elaboration likelihood model, and mindfulness literatures, a conceptual framework explaining how individual mindfulness moderates the relationship between product cues and marketing communication, and consumer quality perceptions and product evaluation is presented. While product cues have impact on mindful consumers' quality perceptions and product evaluations, intrinsic product cues nonetheless make a stronger impact than extrinsic product cues. Furthermore, marketing communications have less impact on mindful consumers' product evaluations. The proposed framework contributes to extant research on consumer product evaluations and consumer psychology literature in general by integrating the individual mindfulness concept into consumer cue utilisation processes, and highlighting its crucial role in consumer response to marketing communications. Marketers should carefully examine and consider the mindfulness level of the current and potential customers in each market environment before developing their marketing mix. It concludes with managerial implications for B2B and international marketing and future research directions.