Subjects: Psychology >> Social Psychology submitted time 2024-04-03
Abstract： In online charitable giving, low donation conversion rates present a significant challenge. While much of the prior research in this area has concentrated on factors tied to existing fundraising practices, our research proposes and examines a novel factor that could significantly impact donation conversion rates: the addition of a ‘donation cart’. Our findings suggest that adding a ‘donation cart’ can boost donations in online fundraising, which we termed the online ‘donation cart’ effect. This effect occurs because adding a ‘donation cart’ makes it easier for people to make initial decisions (i.e., deciding to add to the donation cart) and subsequently ensures consistency in their donation decisions. Furthermore, we propose that the preference for consistency moderates the ‘online donation cart’ effect, such that this effect is attenuated among those with a lower (vs. higher) preference for consistency.
We conducted six studies to test our propositions. Study 1 was a mini-program experiment designed to simulate a real online fundraising environment. We developed two simulated donation platforms—one with the addition of a ‘donation cart’ and one without—to compare their fundraising performances. Subsequently, Studies 2A, 2B, and 3 were three controlled experiments that examined the joint underlying mechanisms of the online ‘donation cart’ effect: perceived decision difficulty and consistency motive. Specifically, Studies 2A and 2B compared individuals’ perceived decision difficulty and their decision intention when deciding whether to ‘add to the donation cart’ vs. ‘donate immediately’. Study 3 evaluated the impact of adding (vs. not adding) a ‘donation cart’ on individuals’ consistency motive and donation intention. Lastly, Studies 4A and 4B both measured and manipulated individuals’ preference for consistency, examining the interaction effect between adding (vs. not adding) a ‘donation cart’ and levels (lower vs. higher) of preference for consistency on individuals’ donation intentions.
As predicted, Study 1 demonstrated that adding (vs. not adding) a ‘donation cart’ significantly boosted donations, thus supporting the online ‘donation cart’ effect. Studies 2A and 2B further revealed that deciding whether to ‘add to the donation cart’ (vs. ‘donate immediately’) was perceived as easier, thereby increasing individuals’ decision intention. Study 3 then established that adding (vs. not adding) a ‘donation cart’ strengthened individuals’ motivation for consistency related to their initial decisions, which ultimately increased their donation intention. Lastly, Studies 4A and 4B found that the online ‘donation cart’ effect was attenuated in individuals with a lower (vs. higher) preference for consistency, confirming the moderating role of the preference for consistency.
This research contributes to the literature on donation behavior, deepening our grasp of online charitable behavior by uncovering previously unexplored determinants. Moreover, it provides practitioners in the charitable sector with important practical insights, setting the stage for more effective strategies in digital philanthropy.
Subjects: Psychology >> Management Psychology submitted time 2022-06-27
Abstract： Aesthetic is the first medium of a product in the era of “appearance economy.” Previous studies have explored the effects of aesthetic elements on consumer behavior, including color, packaging transparency, size, logo shape, and so on. Unlike existing studies, this research discusses the overall dimension of design, that is, the degree of complexity of the design. Specifically, we propose that people’s subjective social status affects their preference for complexity in design. Meanwhile, people with low social status are more likely to prefer a complex packaging design than those with high social status. We conducted five experiments to test the hypotheses. Experiment 1 used 2 (social status: low vs. high) × 2 (product design: simple vs. complex) between-subjects design with 198 adults (female = 128) participating in the experiment. The results showed that people with relatively low social status have higher evaluations of complex packaging designs (vs. simple designs). At the same time, the level of complexity did not influence how people with high social status evaluate products. Using a more rigorous method to manipulate the social status, experiment 2 employed a one-factor two-level (social status: low vs. high) between-subjects design with 134 adults (female = 97). After manipulating social statuses, participants reported their preferences between complex and simple packaging designs. The result confirmed that people with low social status prefer products with complex designs (vs. simple designs). Similar to experiment 2, experiment 3 (211 participants, female = 151) also used a one-way design (social status: low vs. high vs. control) but added a control group as the baseline group for comparison. The results confirmed that a low social status could drive preference for complexity. Furthermore, the results showed that people with low social status prefer complex packing design more than those in control and high social status groups. At the same time, no significant difference was observed in the preference between the high social status and control groups. Experiment 3 also found that consumers’ perceived effort mediated the above effect. Specifically, low social status individuals (vs. individuals in high social status vs. individuals in the control group) perceived that complex packing products entailed more effort from producers. Hence, they preferred such products. Experiment 4 was a pre-registration experiment (200 participants, female = 151). The experimental design and procedure were the same as in experiment 2. The results also showed that people with low social status preferred complex packaging designs and believed these products had a higher value. Compared with high social status individuals, low social status individuals perceived that producers spent more effort on a product if it had a complex packaging design. Thus, these consumers perceived higher product value, as well as higher preference toward the product (sequential mediation: model 6). Experiment 5 tested the mediation effect by moderators. We proposed that the impact of social status only existed in consumers who believed in the value of effort. Experiment 5 used a 2 (social status: low vs. high) × 2 (product design: simple vs. complex) × 2 (belief in effort value: low vs. high) between-subjects design (346 participants, female = 208). The ANOVA revealed a three-way interaction. Furthermore, the Johnson-Neyman analysis found that the preference for complex design among low social status individuals only existed among those who believed in the value of effort. The results of this interaction again suggested that the preference of low social status individuals for complexity stems from their perception of the producer’s effort in making these products. This study has the following theoretical contributions. First, it brings the perspective of subjective social status to the study of consumer aesthetics. Second, it provides a new mechanism for the role of social status, i.e., social status affects people’s behavior by influencing their perceived importance of effort. Previous explanations of the behavior of low social status individuals have tended to be from a compensatory psychological perspective. In contrast, the current research takes the perspective of effort to demonstrate that low social status individuals value effort, which influences their behavior. Third, this research also contributes to the study of consumer effort, as this study finds that simply changing the level of complexity of packaging design can change people’s perceptions of producer effort.
Peer Review Status:
Awaiting Review
Subjects: Psychology >> Management Psychology submitted time 2019-10-28
Abstract： "
Subjects: Psychology >> Social Psychology submitted time 2019-03-19
Abstract： Numerical information, such as time, temperature, prices, and product quality ratings, is widely used in our daily lives. As a representation of abstract concepts, numbers have been found to be associated with a concrete concept representation, which is spatial position. Our study enriches this line of research by exploring the association between numbers and shapes. Our study suggests that individuals may project shape information to precise or round numbers. Specifically, precise numbers (round numbers) are likely to be associated with angular shapes (circular shape). Marketing communication materials that feature angular (circular) brand logo shapes may result in favorable evaluations when the numerical information of the product is precise (round). In the present study, we conducted four experiments to test the hypotheses. Study 1 used an Implicit Association Test to examine the implicit association between numbers and shapes. A total of 39 undergraduate students participated in study 1 (19 men) and were instructed to sort a series of stimuli (numerical and shape stimuli) into two categories as quickly as possible. In compatible blocks, the two categories were “precise or angular” and “round or circular.” In incompatible blocks, the two categories were “round or angular” and “precise or circular.” Study 2 sought to investigate the marketing implications of this association. A total of 125 adults (56 men) were shown an advertisement of a quilt. The advertisement contained no other information except the brand logo and numerical information. After reading the product information, all participants were asked to indicate their product attitudes. Study 3 investigated the mediation role of processing fluency. A total of 200 adult participants (105 men) were provided with information about a laptop bag. After reading the product information, all participants were asked to indicate their product evaluation and processing fluency. Study 4 investigated the boundary effect of concept association (“precise = male” vs. “precise = female”). The procedures consisted of two phases. A total of 244 adults completed a job perception study in phase 1, where the association of the salience concept was manipulated by asking the participants to rate 10 different jobs. In phase 2, the participants were shown an advertisement of a pad and were asked to indicate their perception on the product. In studies 2–4, numerical precision was manipulated through a description of product size, price, weight, or review scores. The results of study 1 show that the participants classified compatible blocks faster than incompatible blocks. This finding supports the hypothesis that numerical precision and shapes are connected. Precise numbers were indeed associated with angular shape , whereas round numbers were associated with circular shape. The results of studies 2–4 confirm the marketing implications of the association between numbers and shapes. Marketing communications with an angular (circular) brand logo shape may result in favorable evaluations when the product numerical information is precise (round). Moreover, study 4 found the moderating effect of concept association. Consistent with the reasoning, when participants were informed with the “female= precise” association, the association between numerical precision and brand logo shape was reversed. This research contributes to the literature of numerical cognition and brand logo shape. It provides managers with guidelines on brand logo design and product numerical information setting "
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