Journal
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION MANAGEMENT
Volume 48, Issue 7, Pages 749-762Publisher
EMERALD GROUP PUBLISHING LTD
DOI: 10.1108/IJRDM-07-2019-0218
Keywords
Perceived quality; Consumer behavior; Food products; Evaluation context; Package size
Categories
Funding
- JSPS KAKENHI [JP15K02723]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Purpose Empirical research on the influence of package size on consumers' quality perception has been scarce. Yan et al. (2014), an initial study focusing on this topic, showed that a small package generates higher perceived quality than a large package of the same brand. To cultivate a deeper understanding of such an effect, this paper aims to extend that study by examining the process by incorporating the evaluation context as a moderator. Design/methodology/approach Two experiments were carried out. In Study 1 (n = 380), the effect of package size on perceived quality was investigated by comparing a standalone context in which a single package size was presented and a context in which two different package sizes were shown. In Study 2 (n = 436), a standalone context was compared with another context in which participants viewed two different sizes but directed their attention to only one. Findings The findings indicate that the package size effect is not universal, and that it generally appears in a standalone context. In the contexts where two sizes were presented, it appears when consumers' attention is directed to only one size, whereas the effect does not manifest when consumers focus equal attention on both. The impact of the evaluation context is also stronger for small packages than for large packages. Originality/value This paper adds knowledge to packaging and cue-utilisation literature by clarifying a boundary condition of the impact of package size on consumers' quality perception.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available