Lecture 8: Consumer Research (Tactile Stimulation) Study

Question 1

most research on tactile stimulation and purchasing behaviours has been done in which country?

Answer 1

USA

Question 2

Touch is associated with:
Higher levels of compliance
More persistence when individuals are asked to complete a difficult task
Helping behavior
All of these
Also, describe what KIND of touch is associated with these sorts of persuasion?

Answer 2

All of these

light touch on hand, arm, shoulder

Question 3

which of the following statement(s) are true?
Touch of a patron by waiter or waitress is associated with higher tips

Willingness to taste or test products increases when an employee touches shoppers while they make their request

Touching increases the selling rate of a product

Answer 3

all are true

Question 4

why does touch have a favourable effect in terms of persuasion and consumer behaviour?

Answer 4

touch tends to have impact on us that we feel closer to the other person than we really are
touch associated w closer emotional connections
touch is therefore a reminder of trust and altruism we engage in in relationships that are closest to us

Question 5

the tactile stimulation/consumer behaviour study examined…
Whether the consumer agreed to taste the product
The amount of purchases that they made
Both of these

Answer 5

Both of these

Question 6

what were the results of the tactile stimulation/consumer behaviour study in terms of consumers agreeing to TASTE the sample?

Answer 6

• consumers who were touched were more likely to taste
• gender effect of experimenter:
  Male-experimenter: 40.55% agreed to taste the product
  Female-experimenter: 33.52% agreed to taste the product (touch more effective when salesperson was male)
• no gender effect of participant

Question 7

in the tactile stimulation/consumer behaviour study, female participants responded to touch more favourably than men. Why might this be?

Answer 7

females tend to touch and be touched more than males- it is normative

Question 8

what were the results of the tactile stimulation/consumer behaviour study in terms of consumers MAKING A PURCHASE?

Answer 8

• touched participants more likely to purchase

- no significant effect of experimenter or participant gender (but purchases more likely if “salesperson” was male)

Question 9

discuss how the findings of the tactile stimulation/consumer behaviour study (conducted in France) compared to those of existing research from the USA. Why is this Important?

Answer 9

touch resulted in more people agreeing to taste AND purchasing the product- both of these were shown in the USA
important because this shows generalizability (external validity) to USA- cross-cultural

Question 10

women generally touch and are touched more. What is the one exception to this? Why is it relevant to the tactile stimulation/consumer behaviour study finding that participants complied more when touched by a male confederate?

Answer 10

men are more likely than women to initiate touch with strangers- since this is the case, this may have led participants to react more positively (ie., taste/purchase the item) to touch from males