The shopping behavior of time-sensitive consumers has been modeled as an economic model of choice. Consumers are said to balance the costs of time spent commuting to the store and in the store with storage costs and other nontime costs of shopping. In so doing, these consumers tend to minimize their overall costs. Propositions are developed and tested using this economic model of shopping. The model is extended beyond time sensitivity to include deal proneness; further propositions are developed and tested using the extended model. The empirical results support the derived models.

Despite numerous studies of the effect of price information on perceived quality, the existence of a generalized price‐quality relationship is still uncertain. Methodological differences among studies make comparisons difficult. Additionally, individual difference variables have been largely ignored in the extant research. The current study investigated and found a significant mediating effect of a personal value—frugality—on the price‐perceived quality relationship, as well as on the relationship between price cues and purchasing estimates. The nature of the moderating role of frugality on imputed quality was found to be similar for consumers of two nationalities. Thus, the usefulness of employing frugality as a cross‐national segmentation variable is suggested.

Crowded sections of certain marketing classes necessitate use of multiple versions of objective exams which vary in test question sequences. The current experiment examines the effect of question sequencing on exam performance as it relates to memory factors. Question sequencing is found to affect exam performance, and a method is suggested to avoid exam inequivalency and to eliminate possible unconscious biasing of student grades.

The following “research in brief” summary relates to an exploratory research study of the promotional managers of a small number of financial services firms. It was conducted to determine the overall image of direct mail marketing and other promotional media. Participants assessed the suitability of the various media to perform certain advertising tasks. Although direct mail marketing was evaluated relatively favorably in terms of the selected “suitability” measures, as well as in terms of cost, it was not viewed as positively in its perceived effectiveness in communicating the advertising message. Thus, while direct mail marketing might actually be capable of fulfilling timely communication objectives, its overall image among the relevant promotional decision makers may have hampered its acceptance. Implications for the providers of direct mail marketing services are discussed.

No abstract

Obtaining sales prospects from customer referrals is a frequently cited means of improving selling time efficiency. This paper examines the utility to a non-profit organization of similarly using referrals in fund-raising efforts. Referrals were found to be more likely to donate than previous non-donors, and were just as likely to contribute as former donors. However, contrary to generally accepted wisdom, current non-donors and donors were equivalently likely to provide referrals. Further-more, those form either source were found to be equally productive leads. Theoretical explanations are discussed.

No abstract