This dissertation explores how emergent technologies influence consumer experience and market behavior. The first chapter of the dissertation, “The Effect of Implementing Chatbot Customer Service on Stock Returns: An Event Study Analysis,” employs the event study method to examine how the implementation of customer service chatbots impacts firm value. I find that investors respond positively to chatbot implementation and that Business-to-Business (B2B) companies have significantly more to gain from this service innovation compared to Business-to-Consumer (B2C) companies. However, anthropomorphizing chatbots attenuates this positive financial impact for B2B companies, suggesting differences in expectations and preferences of B2C and B2B customers. A survey of investors and a consumer experiment provide additional evidence for these relationships. While prior research suggests that Artificial Intelligence (AI) implementation may have a negative impact on firm value, using the example of AI chatbots, this research provides the first evidence that investors respond favorably to a customer-centric application of AI. In addition, it broadens the predominant consumer-focused lens of the marketing literature on AI to include B2B customer and investor perspectives. Further, while marketing research has primarily viewed anthropomorphism as a categorical variable, I propose an anthropomorphism index that offers a more nuanced approach to examining the anthropomorphism of AI technology.In the second chapter, “Understanding Antagonistic Consumer Behavior Toward Humanlike Robots in the Marketplace,” I examine consumer antagonism toward service robots and contribute theoretically and substantively to the emerging marketing literature on AI. Using carefully designed experiments, I demonstrate that consumers tend to dehumanize and, consequently, behave antagonistically toward humanoid (vs. non-humanoid) service robots. While prior research shows that people avoid humanoid robots, this research is the first to show that consumers dehumanize and subsequently engage in anti-normative, negative approach behavior when such robots are deployed in customer-facing service roles. Furthermore, this research contributes to the dehumanization literature by demonstrating that dehumanization is a two-step process when applied to service technology. Importantly, the findings help reconcile the contradiction between the literature on anthropomorphism and the uncanny valley hypothesis by demonstrating that consumers receive humanoid (vs. non-humanoid) robots more positively when the effect of dehumanization is mitigated.

Using a combination of laboratory experiments, field experiments, and secondary data, this dissertation examines how cross-cultural differences (e.g., thinking style and self-construal) influence the way consumers cope with self-discrepancies (essay 1) and willingness to digitally enhance their appearance (essay 2). The first essay investigates when and why consumers cope with a self-discrepancy by purchasing products in domains that are important to their self-worth, but unrelated to the self-discrepancy (i.e., fluid compensation). I identify thinking style as an important factor that influences fluid compensation and demonstrate that people with a temporarily activated or dispositional holistic thinking style are more likely to engage in fluid compensation than people with an analytic thinking style. This phenomenon occurs because, by perceiving parts as more functionally related to a larger whole, holistic (vs. analytic) thinkers are more likely to view fluid compensation as instrumental to enhancing global self-worth. Holistic (vs. analytic) thinkers’ greater propensity to engage in fluid compensation, in turn, better enables them to restore their global self-worth. The second essay examines how cultural differences in self-construal impact consumers’ willingness to engage in digital beauty work (e.g., use photo-editing apps to make oneself look better in an image). Building on prior research that shows interdependents see more overlap between themselves and others, I propose and demonstrate that consumers with an interdependent (vs. independent) self-construal also see greater overlap between their own different selves (beautified and true self). More importantly, this effect only occurs when they see both the actual self and the beautified self, side-by-side (e.g., joint presentation mode), but not when consumers see only the beautified self in isolation (e.g., separate presentation mode). This heightened overlap between the beautified self and the true self, in turn, increases willingness to digitally enhance appearance. Together, this dissertation contributes to the understanding of how cultural values shape consumers’ views of the self and consumption preferences to satisfy their goals and motivations, and it helps marketers and policy-makers design interventions to increase consumer well-being and to achieve more success in global market.

There are many standards set forth in the workplace to mitigate bias when hiring for jobs. Effects of beauty may result in punishments that are difficult to preempt. Attractiveness, although subjective, has an effect on how people are treated. There is research to support both a positive and negative side of attractiveness in relation to how one is treated. My research is aimed at providing more insight into such treatment and identifying when attractiveness is viewed favorably versus unfavorably in the marketplace. I hypothesized that in the professional workplace, there is an attractiveness punishment. My research is on testing the disparity between how men and women are treated with respect to hiring decisions based on whether or not they are deemed attractive. In order to test if this theory is true, I conducted a study (N=145) in which participants were given images of attractive and unattractive candidates, and were asked to make hiring decisions across multiple domains (e.g., restaurants, accountants). The results were consistent with an attractiveness punishment: participants preferred the less attractive candidate, but participants also were more likely to favor the more attractive candidate if they perceived said candidate to be much more attractive than the alternative.

Marketers are constantly striving to discover strategies that promote the greatest amount of word of mouth (WOM) from their consumers. WOM is perceived as one of the most reputable forms of marketing by consumers due to the authenticity and sincerity that is associated with the strategy. With WOM being an organic and genuine response from consumers, marketers are often faced with difficulties or failure when explicitly requesting that consumers engage in positive WOM behaviors. However, there are certain practices that firms can implement to encourage WOM behaviors from their consumers. This study examines the effectiveness of two different freebie marketing methods and the impact that each method’s presentation has on a consumer’s willingness to participate in WOM. The results of this study will be used to provide companies with guidelines and recommendations to successfully create freebie marketing strategies that drive authentic WOM surrounding their brand and products.

Marketers are constantly striving to discover strategies that promote the greatest amount of word of mouth (WOM) from their consumers. WOM is perceived as one of the most reputable forms of marketing by consumers due to the authenticity and sincerity that is associated with the strategy. With WOM being an organic and genuine response from consumers, marketers are often faced with difficulties or failure when explicitly requesting that consumers engage in positive WOM behaviors. However, there are certain practices that firms can implement to encourage WOM behaviors from their consumers. This study examines the effectiveness of two different freebie marketing methods and the impact that each method’s presentation has on a consumer’s willingness to participate in WOM. The results of this study will be used to provide companies with guidelines and recommendations to successfully create freebie marketing strategies that drive authentic WOM surrounding their brand and products.

Researchers know that different types of self-construal (independent and interdependent) vary across different cultures. Individuals from East Asian cultures are more interdependent while individuals from Western cultures are more independent. Researchers also know that perceptions and understandings of beauty differ across cultures; however, there has been limited research on the connections between self-construal and beauty with minimal research on direct appearance enhancement products. Recently, new ways to present a positive self-image outside of cosmetics or direct appearance enhancement tools have emerged, and the question is raised as to whether these will also be determined by self-construal. We leverage work on the fluidity of self concept to argue that individuals with a more fluid self-concept (interdependents) will express more interest in appearance enhancement products. In the context of a Facebook ad study with Indian (interdependent) and American (independent) consumers, we demonstrate that interdependent consumers have greater interest in indirect appearance enhancing products, measured by click-through rate, compared to independent consumers.

Where is the fashion industry at now in terms of sustainability and how is it looking to improve for the future? The fashion industry has become one of the most environmentally destructive industries in the world. Since technology has allowed brands to mass produce clothing quickly and cheaply, consumers have become accustomed to purchasing clothing much more frequently. This drastic change in consumer behavior and mass production of garments has led to an incredible amount of waste in our landfills. The current process of manufacturing clothing has pushed fashion to become the second most polluting industry in the world behind oil (McKinsey & Company, 2020). The amount of greenhouse gas emissions released and water used during the clothing manufacturing process is very high. Additionally, harmful chemicals used in the dyeing process pollute nearby water supplies and leave laborers vulnerable to dangerous toxins.

The purpose of this thesis is to assess where the fashion industry has been in terms of sustainability and how it is looking to improve in the future. I researched how fast fashion has caused harm to the environment as consumer behavior has changed, raw materials are sourced unsustainably, and manufacturing of the garments themselves create environmental issues. I also conducted an external environment analysis to assess which current trends will impact the success or failure of sustainable fashion initiatives as well as the competitors that sustainable brands face in the current market. Based on these trends, I identified the demographics that would most likely be interested in sustainable fashion. Finally, I conducted interviews with six professionals in the industry to get their insight on how the industry has changed and where it is heading in terms of sustainability.

This research examines the impact of social media influencers on Millennial and Gen Z consumers’ vacation decisions. It reveals why and under what conditions influencers’ posts may trigger young adult consumers’ desire to vacation in the same destination. In a pre-test and one experiment, I demonstrate that seeing a post that is perceived by followers as credible increases influencers’ likeability and therefore leads to higher likelihood to vacation in the same place. However, seeing a post about a similar influencer, such as a student who is an influencer from the same university, decrease influencers’ likeability and leads to a decrease in young adults’ likelihood to vacation in the same place. Moreover, similarity and credibility do not have an interaction effect, which is that when seeing a post by a similar influencer, credibility will not have a stronger effect on young adults’ likelihood to vacation in the same destination.

In today’s society we see an increasing amount of food being wasted because of impractical aesthetic production standards and idealistic consumer standards. Unrealistic ideals regarding outward produce appearance drive these standards. As imperfect, ugly produce waste is on the rise, further research on what drives consumer preferences is necessary to combat this growing issue. Variations in outside appearance deem produce imperfect despite its perfectly normal interior quality. In this research, I will explore whether a market segmentation variable such as political ideology drives purchase for imperfect, inferior produce. I will also explore whether a balance salient condition, indicated through balance-oriented slogans, drives purchase for imperfect, inferior produce. I will study the differences between vertical differentiation and horizontal differentiation as they relate to consumer identity. I will also study how all consumers, in particular conservatives, utilize balance motive and compensatory reasoning to justify their purchasing decisions. In a polarized society with dominant political identities, marketers can more easily target consumers through their political opinions. By understanding consumers’ ideology, marketers can improve marketing efforts that will ultimately better appeal to their rationale. Through a pretest measuring how many oranges were taken in balance-oriented conditions and a main field study, I investigate how political ideology plays a role in influencing the number of imperfect, inferior oranges taken. I also investigate how balance salient conditions play a role in influencing how many imperfect, inferior oranges consumers will take. This study opens doors for future research to further investigate how political ideology and balance salient conditions may impact consumer preference for imperfect, unattractive produce items.