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Shape‐ and Trait‐Congruency: Using Appearance‐based Cues as a Basis for Product Recommendations
Author(s) -
Vallen Beth,
Sridhar Karthik,
Rubin Dan,
Ilyuk Veronika,
Block Lauren G.,
Argo Jennifer J.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of consumer psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.433
H-Index - 110
eISSN - 1532-7663
pISSN - 1057-7408
DOI - 10.1002/jcpy.1065
Subject(s) - trait , product (mathematics) , psychology , consumer research , cognitive psychology , social psychology , field (mathematics) , product category , advertising , computer science , mathematics , business , geometry , pure mathematics , programming language
This research demonstrates that a consumer's physical appearance—and, more specifically, his or her body size—predictably influences the product(s) that the consumer is recommended. Four studies conducted in both field and lab settings show that agents more frequently recommend round (vs. angular) shaped products to heavier targets, notably for products and categories in which body size is irrelevant (e.g., lamps and perfume). We attribute this to a combination of shape‐congruency and trait‐congruency, whereby individuals choose products for others based on shared dimensions of the person and product.