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Consumer cynicism and perceived deception in vanity sizing: The moderating role of retailer (dis)honesty

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  • Ketron, Seth

Abstract

While prior scholarship has acknowledged the overall positive influence of vanity sizing on consumer outcomes, no work to date has addressed the psychological process that occurs when consumers suspect retailers of dishonest sizing information. This is an important process to understand because perceptions of deceptive retailer motives lead consumers to react negatively to the product and the retailer, regardless of the retailer's actual motives. Thus, this research utilizes attribution theory to examine perceived deception as a mediator between consumer cynicism (a dispositional trait) and consumer outcomes. The results reveal that at higher levels of consumer cynicism, prior knowledge of deceptive sizing practices has an amplifying effect on the influence of consumer cynicism on perceived deception, while retailer honesty with sizing issues helps to block this influence. Further, perceived deception leads to reduced consumer outcomes, confirming prior findings in the literature.

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  • Ketron, Seth, 2016. "Consumer cynicism and perceived deception in vanity sizing: The moderating role of retailer (dis)honesty," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 33-42.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:33:y:2016:i:c:p:33-42
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2016.07.018
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    Cited by:

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    2. Ketron, Seth & Williams, Miranda, 2018. "She loves the way you lie: Size-related self-concept and gender in vanity sizing," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 248-255.
    3. Narwal, Preeti & Rai, Shivam, 2022. "Individual differences and moral disengagement in Pay-What-You-Want pricing," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 528-547.
    4. Demsar, Vlad & Sands, Sean & Rosengren, Sara & Campbell, Colin, 2022. "Ad creativity in a negative context: How a thanking message frame enhances purchase intention in times of crisis," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    5. Ketron, Seth & Spears, Nancy, 2017. "Liar, liar, my size is higher: How retailer context influences labeled size believability and consumer responses to vanity sizing," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 185-192.
    6. Aghakhani, Hamed & Main, Kelley J., 2019. "Can two negatives make a positive? Social exclusion prevents carryover effects from deceptive advertising," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 206-214.
    7. Cagla Pinar Utkutug, 2024. "The mediating effect of consumers’ perceived ethicality in the relationship between consumer cynicism/material values and affective commitment," Journal of Marketing Analytics, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(3), pages 583-598, September.
    8. Enis Yakut & Ayse Gul Bayraktaroglu, 2021. "Consumer reactions to product recalls: the effects of intentionality, reputation, and public apology on purchase intentions," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 91(4), pages 527-564, May.

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