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J. Jeffrey Inman

Bio: J. Jeffrey Inman is an academic researcher from University of Pittsburgh. The author has contributed to research in topics: Shopper marketing & Regret. The author has an hindex of 48, co-authored 112 publications receiving 11130 citations. Previous affiliations of J. Jeffrey Inman include National Center for Genome Resources & NorthShore University HealthSystem.


Papers
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss how shoppers are influenced and move through channels in their search and buying process, and present a research agenda to further guide future research in this area.

1,620 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors explicitly separate true variety-seeking behavior (i.e., true variety seeking behavior) from choice behavior literature on variety seeking, and they address two key issues that have received inadequate attention in the choice behaviour literature.
Abstract: The authors address two key issues that have received inadequate attention in the choice behavior literature on variety seeking. First, they explicitly separate true variety-seeking behavior (i.e.,...

602 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors adopt the ELM's peripheral route to persuasion in which the promotion signal is taken as a cue for a price cut, and show that low need for cognition individuals react to the simple presence of a promotion signal whether or not the price of the promoted brand is reduced.
Abstract: Evidence suggests that some consumers react to promotion signals without considering relative price information. We adopt Petty and Cacioppo's Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) to explain this behavior in terms of the ELM's peripheral route to persuasion in which the promotion signal is taken as a cue for a price cut. Experimental results show that low need for cognition individuals react to the simple presence of a promotion signal whether or not the price of the promoted brand is reduced, but that high need for cognition individuals react to a promotion signal only when it is accompanied by a substantive price reduction.

504 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explore product category and customer characteristics that affect consumers' likelihood of engaging in unplanned purchases and examine consumer activities that can exacerbate or limit these effects using a hierarchical modeling approach.
Abstract: The authors explore product category and customer characteristics that affect consumers' likelihood of engaging in unplanned purchases. In addition, they examine consumer activities that can exacerbate or limit these effects. The authors employ a hierarchical modeling approach to test their hypotheses using a data set of in-store intercept interviews conducted with 2300 consumers across 28 stores. The results show that category characteristics, such as purchase frequency and displays, and customer characteristics, such as household size and gender, affect in-store decision making. Moreover, although the analysis reveals that the baseline probability of an unplanned purchase is 46%, the contextual factors can drive this probability as high as 93%. The results support the predictions that list use, more frequent trips, limiting the aisles visited, limiting time spent in the store, and paying by cash are effective strategies for decreasing the likelihood of making unplanned purchases.

472 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is shown that some of the most common beliefs about customer-perceived quality are wrong, and a useful simplification of reality is provided that successfully predicts many aspects of the dynamics of consumer response to quality.
Abstract: We show that some of the most common beliefs about customer-perceived quality are wrong For example, 1) it isnot necessary to exceed customer expectations to increase preference, 2) receiving an expected level of bad service does not reduce preference, 3) rational customers may rationally choose an option with lower expected quality, even if all nonquality attributes are equal, and 4) paying more attention to loyal, experienced customers can sometimes be counter-productive These surprising findings make sense in retrospect, once customer expectations are viewed as distributions, rather than simple point expectations That is, each customer has a probability density function that describes the relative likelihood that a particular quality outcome will be experienced Customers form these expectation distributions based on their cumulative experience with the good or service A customer's cumulative expectation distribution maybe conceptualized as being a predictive density for the next transaction When combined with a diminishing returns (ie, concave) utility function, this Bayesian theoretical framework results in predictions of: (a) how consumers will behave over time, and (b) how their perceptions and evaluations will change In managerial terms, we conclude that customers consider not only expected quality, but also risk This may help explain why current measures of customer satisfaction (which is highly related to expected quality) only partially predict future behavior We find that most of the predictions of our theoretical model are borne out by empirical evidence from two experiments Thus, we conclude that our approach provides a useful simplification of reality that successfully predicts many aspects of the dynamics of consumer response to quality These findings are relevant to both academics and managers Academics in the area of customer satisfaction and service quality need to be aware that it may be insufficient to measure only the point expectation, as has always been the standard practice Instead it may be necessary to measure the uncertainty that the customer has with respect to the level of service that will be received Due to questionnaire length constraints, it may not be practical for managers to include uncertainty questions on customer satisfaction surveys Nevertheless it is possible to build a proxy for uncertainty by measuring the extent of experience with the service/good, and this proxy can be used to partially control for uncertainty effects The findings of the study were obtained using 1) an analytical model of customer expectation updating, based on aset of assumptions that are well-supported in the academic literature, and 2) two behavioral experiments using human subjects: a cross-sectional experiment, and a longitudinal experiment Both the analytical model and the behavioral experiments were designed to investigate the effects that distributions of expectations might have, and especially the effects that might deviate from the predictions that would arise from a traditional point expectation model The behavioral experiments largely confirmed the predictions of the analytical model As it turned out, the analytical model correctly (in most cases) predicted behavioral effects that contradict some of the best-accepted "truisms" of customer satisfaction It is now clear that a more sophisticated view of customer expectations is required-one that considers not only the point expectation but also the likelihood across the entire distribution of possible outcomes This distinction is not "just academic," because it results in predictable behavior that deviates significantly from that which was traditionally expected based on simpler models

432 citations


Cited by
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Posted Content
TL;DR: Deming's theory of management based on the 14 Points for Management is described in Out of the Crisis, originally published in 1982 as mentioned in this paper, where he explains the principles of management transformation and how to apply them.
Abstract: According to W. Edwards Deming, American companies require nothing less than a transformation of management style and of governmental relations with industry. In Out of the Crisis, originally published in 1982, Deming offers a theory of management based on his famous 14 Points for Management. Management's failure to plan for the future, he claims, brings about loss of market, which brings about loss of jobs. Management must be judged not only by the quarterly dividend, but by innovative plans to stay in business, protect investment, ensure future dividends, and provide more jobs through improved product and service. In simple, direct language, he explains the principles of management transformation and how to apply them.

9,241 citations

Posted Content
TL;DR: In this article, the authors introduce the concept of ''search'' where a buyer wanting to get a better price, is forced to question sellers, and deal with various aspects of finding the necessary information.
Abstract: The author systematically examines one of the important issues of information — establishing the market price. He introduces the concept of «search» — where a buyer wanting to get a better price, is forced to question sellers. The article deals with various aspects of finding the necessary information.

3,790 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This study examines how emotional and cognitive responses to visiting a Web-based store for the first time can influence online consumers' intention to return and their likelihood to make unplanned purchases.
Abstract: In this study, we consider the online consumer as both a shopper and a computer user. We test constructs from information systems (Technology Acceptance Model), marketing (Consumer Behavior), and psychology (Flow and Environmental Psychology) in an integrated theoretical framework of online consumer behavior. Specifically, we examine how emotional and cognitive responses to visiting a Web-based store for the first time can influence online consumers' intention to return and their likelihood to make unplanned purchases. The instrumentation shows reasonably good measurement properties and the constructs are validated as a nomological network.A questionnaire-based empirical study is used to test this nomological network. Results confirm the double identity of the online consumer as a shopper and a computer user because both shopping enjoyment and perceived usefulness of the site strongly predict intention to return. Our results on unplanned purchases are not conclusive. We also test some individual and Web site factors that can affect the consumer's emotional and cognitive responses. Product involvement, Web skills, challenges, and use of value-added search mechanisms all have a significant impact on the Web consumer. The study provides a more rounded, albeit partial, view of the online consumer and is a significant steptowards a better understanding of consumer behavior on the Web. The validated metrics should be of use to researchers and practitioners alike.

3,045 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors aim to develop a stronger understanding of customer experience and the customer journey in this era of increasingly complex customer behavior by examining existing definitions and conceptualizations of customer experiences as a construct.
Abstract: Understanding customer experience and the customer journey over time is critical for firms. Customers now interact with firms through myriad touch points in multiple channels and media, and customer experiences are more social in nature. These changes require firms to integrate multiple business functions, and even external partners, in creating and delivering positive customer experiences. In this article, the authors aim to develop a stronger understanding of customer experience and the customer journey in this era of increasingly complex customer behavior. To achieve this goal, they examine existing definitions and conceptualizations of customer experience as a construct and provide a historical perspective of the roots of customer experience within marketing. Next, they attempt to bring together what is currently known about customer experience, customer journeys, and customer experience management. Finally, they identify critical areas for future research on this important topic.

2,514 citations

Posted Content
TL;DR: The concept of customer engagement behaviors (CEB) as mentioned in this paper is defined as the customers' behavioral manifestation toward a brand or firm, beyond purchase, resulting from motivational drivers, which includes a vast array of behaviors including word-of-mouth (WOM) activity, recommendations, helping other customers, blogging, writing reviews, and even engaging in legal action.
Abstract: This article develops and discusses the concept of customer engagement behaviors (CEB), which we define as the customers’ behavioral manifestation toward a brand or firm, beyond purchase, resulting from motivational drivers. CEBs include a vast array of behaviors including word-of-mouth (WOM) activity, recommendations, helping other customers, blogging, writing reviews, and even engaging in legal action. The authors develop a conceptual model of the antecedents and consequences — customer, firm, and societal — of CEBs. The authors suggest that firms can manage CEBs by taking a more integrative and comprehensive approach that acknowledges their evolution and impact over time.

2,291 citations