The Impact of Mimicry on Sales - Evidence from Field and Lab Experiments
Journal
Journal of Economic Psychology
ISSN
0167-4870
ISSN-Digital
1872-7719
Type
journal article
Date Issued
2011-06
Author(s)
Abstract
A buyer's observation that one or more people are consuming a product can lead that buyer to consume the product as well. The evidence supporting unconscious and unintentional (automatic) mimicry of consumption suggests that it is a pervasive and robust phenomenon. However, up until now most findings on the antecedents of mimicry have been obtained from lab studies. Using a field study, the current research shows that passengers in a train mimic the consumption behavior of other passengers. Two subsequent lab studies suggest that mimicry of consumption is all the more powerful the more people there are consuming and the more intense and consistent their consumption behavior is. However, the impact of the number of people on the willingness to engage in mimicry reaches a peak at approximately eight people and is relatively constant thereafter.
Language
English
Keywords
Perception-behavior link
Mimicry
Sales
Intention to repurchase
Willingness to recommend
Intensity and consistency of behavior
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
Yes
Publisher
Elsevier
Publisher place
Amsterdam
Volume
32
Number
3
Start page
502
End page
514
Pages
13
Subject(s)
Division(s)
Eprints ID
208990