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A Stranger's Touch: Effects of Accidental Interpersonal Touch on Consumer Evaluations and Shopping Time

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  • Brett A. S. Martin

Abstract

This article examines an unexplored area of consumer research--the effect of accidental interpersonal touch (AIT) from a stranger on consumer evaluations and shopping times. The research presents a field experiment in a retail setting. This study shows that men and women who have been touched by another consumer when examining products report more negative brand evaluations, negative product beliefs, less willingness to pay, and spend less time in-store than their control (no-touch) counterparts. Our findings indicate that the AIT effect is especially negative for touch from a male stranger for both men (same-sex touch) and women (opposite-sex touch). Directions are provided for future study that highlight potential moderators and process explanations underlying the AIT effect.

Suggested Citation

  • Brett A. S. Martin, 2012. "A Stranger's Touch: Effects of Accidental Interpersonal Touch on Consumer Evaluations and Shopping Time," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 39(1), pages 174-184.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:jconrs:doi:10.1086/662038
    DOI: 10.1086/662038
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    Cited by:

    1. Nenkov, Gergana Y. & Morrin, Maureen & Maille, Virginie & Rank-Christman, Tracy & Lwin, May O., 2019. "Sense and sensibility: The impact of visual and auditory sensory input on marketplace morality," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 428-441.
    2. Epstein, Leonardo D. & Inostroza-Quezada, Ignacio E. & Goodstein, Ronald C. & Choi, S. Chan, 2021. "Dynamic effects of store promotions on purchase conversion: Expanding technology applications with innovative analytics," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 279-289.
    3. 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.
    4. Orth, Ulrich R. & Bouzdine-Chameeva, Tatiana & Brand, Kathrin, 2013. "Trust during retail encounters: A touchy proposition," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 89(3), pages 301-314.
    5. Ngo, Liem Viet & Northey, Gavin & Duffy, Sarah & Thao, Hoang Thi Phuong & Tam, Le Thi Hong, 2016. "Perceptions of others, mindfulness, and brand experience in retail service setting," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 43-52.
    6. Ringler, Christine & Sirianni, Nancy J. & Gustafsson, Anders & Peck, Joann, 2019. "Look but Don’t Touch! The Impact of Active Interpersonal Haptic Blocking on Compensatory Touch and Purchase Behavior," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 95(4), pages 186-203.
    7. Abhishek,, 2016. "Do time constraint and emergency purchase situation exert same influence on shopping? A study under haptic touch influence," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 242-251.
    8. Rosenbaum, Mark S. & Russell, Eric M. & Russell-Bennett, Rebekah, 2017. "“I’ll wait for him†: Understanding when female shoppers prefer working with gay male sales associates," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 172-179.
    9. Luck, Michael & Benkenstein, Martin, 2015. "Consumers between supermarket shelves: The influence of inter-personal distance on consumer behavior," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 26(C), pages 104-114.
    10. Racat, Margot & Capelli, Sonia & Lichy, Jessica, 2021. "New insights into ‘technologies of touch’: Information processing in product evaluation and purchase intention," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).

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