IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/joreco/v70y2023ics0969698922002612.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Show me insides: Investigating the influences of product exploded view on consumers’ mental imagery, comprehension, attitude, and purchase intention

Author

Listed:
  • Cheng, Peiyao
  • Zhang, Chao

Abstract

With the popularity of e-commerce, consumers purchase durable products online more frequently. In order to effectively communicate information about products, various product presentation formats have been developed (e.g., 3D views, 360-degree rotatable views, and enlarged pictures). This study focuses on the usage of exploded view in digital product presentation. Exploded view clearly shows what technical components are included in a product, where these components are positioned, and how these technical components are assembled. Seeing internal components could facilitate consumers processing of product function and attributes, but it might be overwhelming for consumer processing. To understand how exploded view influences consumer processing, this study investigates the influence of product function description (concrete vs. abstract) and product view (normal vs. exploded view) on consumers' comprehension, attitude and purchase intention. Drawing on construct-level theory, we expect the construal congruence between product view and textual description makes positive effects. Through two controlled experiments (N = 815), results demonstrate that the influence of product view changes with abstractness of description. When processing concrete product descriptions, participants' imagery vividness was facilitated by exploded view, which further led to enhanced comprehension, improved attitude and higher purchased intention. When encountering abstract product descriptions, normal product view led to higher comprehension and attitude. Mental imagery vividness mediated the interaction influence between textual descriptions and pictorial views. These results provide guidelines for marketers’ effective usage of exploded views in e-commerce contexts.

Suggested Citation

  • Cheng, Peiyao & Zhang, Chao, 2023. "Show me insides: Investigating the influences of product exploded view on consumers’ mental imagery, comprehension, attitude, and purchase intention," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:70:y:2023:i:c:s0969698922002612
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2022.103168
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969698922002612
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jretconser.2022.103168?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kim, Kyuha & Lee, Sungmi & Choi, Yung Kyun, 2019. "Image proximity in advertising appeals: Spatial distance and product types," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 490-497.
    2. McGill, Ann L & Anand, Punam, 1989. "The Effect of Vivid Attributes on the Evaluation of Alternatives: The Role of Differential Attention and Cognitive Elaboration," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 16(2), pages 188-196, September.
    3. Tingchi Liu, Matthew & Phau, Ian & Teah, Min, 2017. "“First in first out†or “last in first out†: Presentation of information order on evaluation of utilitarian products," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 148-155.
    4. Gavilan, Diana & Avello, Maria & Abril, Carmen, 2014. "The mediating role of mental imagery in mobile advertising," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 34(4), pages 457-464.
    5. Petia K. Petrova & Robert B. Cialdini, 2005. "Fluency of Consumption Imagery and the Backfire Effects of Imagery Appeals," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 32(3), pages 442-452, December.
    6. Maier, Erik & Dost, Florian, 2018. "Fluent contextual image backgrounds enhance mental imagery and evaluations of experience products," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 207-220.
    7. Wu, Kewen & Vassileva, Julita & Zhao, Yuxiang & Noorian, Zeinab & Waldner, Wesley & Adaji, Ifeoma, 2016. "Complexity or simplicity? Designing product pictures for advertising in online marketplaces," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 17-27.
    8. Maier, Erik & Dost, Florian, 2018. "The positive effect of contextual image backgrounds on fluency and liking," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 109-116.
    9. Heckler, Susan E & Childers, Terry L, 1992. "The Role of Expectancy and Relevancy in Memory for Verbal and Visual Information: What Is Incongruency?," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 18(4), pages 475-492, March.
    10. Mahnke, R. & Benlian, Alexander & Hess, Thomas, 2015. "A Grounded Theory of Online Shopping Flow," Publications of Darmstadt Technical University, Institute for Business Studies (BWL) 72630, Darmstadt Technical University, Department of Business Administration, Economics and Law, Institute for Business Studies (BWL).
    11. Bone, Paula Fitzgerald & Ellen, Pam Scholder, 1992. "The Generation and Consequences of Communication-Evoked Imagery," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 19(1), pages 93-104, June.
    12. Wanke, Michaela & Bohner, Gerd & Jurkowitsch, Andreas, 1997. "There Are Many Reasons to Drive a BMW: Does Imagined Ease of Argument Generation Influence Attitudes?," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 24(2), pages 170-177, September.
    13. Laurie Balbo & Florence Jeannot & Justine Estarague, 2015. "The fit between message framing and social distance: An efficient way to promote pro-social health behaviors," Post-Print hal-02057559, HAL.
    14. Kim, Seeun & Baek, Tae Hyun & Yoon, Sukki, 2020. "The effect of 360-degree rotatable product images on purchase intention," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    15. Min Zhao & Darren W. Dahl & Steve Hoeffler, 2014. "Optimal Visualization Aids and Temporal Framing for New Products," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 41(4), pages 1137-1151.
    16. Sun, Chunhua & Fang, Yuan & Kong, Meng & Chen, Xiayu & Liu, Yezheng, 2022. "Influence of augmented reality product display on consumers’ product attitudes: A product uncertainty reduction perspective," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    17. Mick, David Glen, 1992. "Levels of Subjective Comprehension in Advertising Processing and Their Relations to Ad Perceptions, Attitudes, and Memory," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 18(4), pages 411-424, March.
    18. Algharabat, Raed & Abdallah Alalwan, Ali & Rana, Nripendra P. & Dwivedi, Yogesh K., 2017. "Three dimensional product presentation quality antecedents and their consequences for online retailers: The moderating role of virtual product experience," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 203-217.
    19. Kim, Minjeong, 2019. "Digital product presentation, information processing, need for cognition and behavioral intent in digital commerce," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 362-370.
    20. Min Zhao & Darren W. Dahl & Steve Hoeffler, 2014. "Optimal Visualization Aids and Temporal Framing for New Products," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 41(4), pages 1137-1151.
    21. Hsu, Sheila Hsuan-Yu & Tsou, Hung-Tai & Chen, Ja-Shen, 2021. "“Yes, we do. Why not use augmented reality?†customer responses to experiential presentations of AR-based applications," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    22. MacInnis, Deborah J & Price, Linda L, 1987. "The Role of Imagery in Information Processing: Review and Extensions," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 13(4), pages 473-491, March.
    23. Yoo, Jungmin & Kim, Minjeong, 2014. "The effects of online product presentation on consumer responses: A mental imagery perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(11), pages 2464-2472.
    24. Park, Minjung & Yoo, Jungmin, 2020. "Effects of perceived interactivity of augmented reality on consumer responses: A mental imagery perspective," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Maier, Erik & Dost, Florian, 2018. "Fluent contextual image backgrounds enhance mental imagery and evaluations of experience products," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 207-220.
    2. Diana Gavilan & Maria Avello, 2020. "Brand-Evoked Mental Imagery: The Role of Brands in Eliciting Mental Imagery," SAGE Open, , vol. 10(4), pages 21582440209, November.
    3. Kim, Minjeong & Kim, Jung-Hwan & Park, Minjung & Yoo, Jungmin, 2021. "The roles of sensory perceptions and mental imagery in consumer decision-making," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    4. Maier, Erik & Dost, Florian, 2018. "The positive effect of contextual image backgrounds on fluency and liking," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 109-116.
    5. Yuanyuan Zhou & Qian Li & Shiyang Gong & Daniel P. Hampson & Zhicen Liu, 2023. "Looking back is better than looking forward: visualization, temporal frames, and new product evaluation in China," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 22(3), pages 829-856, July.
    6. Zhao, Min & Xia, Lan, 2021. "Joint or separate? The effect of visual presentation on imagery and product evaluation," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 38(4), pages 935-952.
    7. Yim, Mark Yi-Cheon & Baek, Tae Hyun & Sauer, Paul L., 2018. "I See Myself in Service and Product Consumptions: Measuring Self-transformative Consumption Vision (SCV) Evoked by Static and Rich Media," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 122-139.
    8. Kim, Minjeong, 2019. "Digital product presentation, information processing, need for cognition and behavioral intent in digital commerce," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 362-370.
    9. Baek, Eunsoo & Huang, Zhihong & Hwan (Mark) Lee, Seung, 2021. "More than what meets the eye: Understanding the effects of poly-contextual cues in online fashion retailing," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    10. Ha, Sejin & Huang, Ran & Park, Jee-Sun, 2019. "Persuasive brand messages in social media: A mental imagery processing perspective," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 41-49.
    11. Kim, Joonkyung & Zhao, Min & Soman, Dilip, 2023. "Converging vs diverging: The effect of visual representation of goal structure on financial decisions," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 40(2), pages 362-377.
    12. Xiaoke Yang & Yuanhao Huang & Xiaoying Cai & Yijing Song & Hui Jiang & Qian Chen & Qiuhua Chen, 2021. "Using Imagination to Overcome Fear: How Mental Simulation Nudges Consumers’ Purchase Intentions for Upcycled Food," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-21, January.
    13. Heller, Jonas & Chylinski, Mathew & de Ruyter, Ko & Mahr, Dominik & Keeling, Debbie I., 2019. "Let Me Imagine That for You: Transforming the Retail Frontline Through Augmenting Customer Mental Imagery Ability," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 95(2), pages 94-114.
    14. Lee, Jung Eun & Shin, Eonyou, 2020. "The effects of apparel names and visual complexity of apparel design on consumers' apparel product attitudes: A mental imagery perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 407-417.
    15. Ho, Xuan Huong & Nguyen, Dong Phong & Cheng, Julian Ming Sung & Le, Angelina Nhat Hanh, 2022. "Customer engagement in the context of retail mobile apps: A contingency model integrating spatial presence experience and its drivers," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    16. Banik, Shanta & Gao, Yongqiang, 2023. "Exploring the hedonic factors affecting customer experiences in phygital retailing," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    17. Gavilan, Diana & Avello, Maria & Abril, Carmen, 2014. "The mediating role of mental imagery in mobile advertising," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 34(4), pages 457-464.
    18. Wang, Bin & Xie, Fengyuan & Kandampully, Jay & Wang, Jin, 2022. "Increase hedonic products purchase intention through livestreaming: The mediating effects of mental imagery quality and customer trust," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    19. Li, Menglin & Jin, Yufang & Zhang, Jurui & Liu, Raymond, 2022. "Does shape in backgrounds matter? Effects of Shape–Taste congruence on product evaluations," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    20. González, Eva M. & Meyer, Jan-Hinrich & Paz Toldos, M., 2021. "What women want? How contextual product displays influence women’s online shopping behavior," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 625-641.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:70:y:2023:i:c:s0969698922002612. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-retailing-and-consumer-services .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.