PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to offer a new perspective on resistance and anti‐consumption literature by relating it to consumer cynicism.Design/methodology/approachThe paper proceeds to a conceptual deconstruction of consumer cynicism by comparing the contemporary meaning of the term with the original signification of cynicism, contrasting the psychological approach with the philosophical one. This perspective sheds light on disparate forms of consumer cynicism found in previous research.FindingsFour different figures of consumption related to cynicism were distinguished in this paper. Defensive cynicism and offensive cynicism are psychological tools used to neutralize persuasion attempts or divert marketing techniques. Subversive cynicism and ethical cynicism, which are reminiscences of cynicism in Ancient Greece, challenge the consumerist ideology and even propose an alternative ethics.Originality/valuePrior research on consumer cynicism has focused on the defensive psychological dimension of the concept, limiting it to a coping device for deceived consumers. Three other facets have been explored in this paper and provide a broader framework that can account for the disparate manifestations observed in the resistance and anti‐consumption literature. This new conceptualization of consumer cynicism could also explain why consumers' disappointment with private consumption does not always lead to public involvement.

Previous research has shown that promotional techniques influence both the smart‐shopper feeling and the consumption level at home through a direct mechanism (lower perceived cost) and an indirect consequence of promotions (larger supply). The development in France of virtual bundles with quantity discounts raises questions regarding a consumer's cognitive and affective appreciation of the deal, and therefore promotional efficiency. Four experiments on French consumers confirm the effect of price and supply on declared consumption, but only for “vice” products. In Experiment 2, virtual bundles with quantity discounts lead to the lowest perceived unit price and consequently to the highest level of consumption. Additionally, when compared with more traditional promotional techniques (e.g., physical bundles), virtual bundles with quantity discounts reduce the evaluation of a “good deal” and the smart‐shopper feeling (Experiments 3 and 4). To summarize, such promotional techniques, which might have seemed appealing at first (“buy more to save more”), are preferred less by consumers than more traditional promotional techniques. These preliminary results could be enriched by field studies that go beyond declared consumption and observe consumers evolving in their natural environment across time.

Over time, consumers have developed a strong knowledge and mistrust toward stimuli from various commercial sources: Advertising, salespersons, and more recently promotional pricing techniques supposed to reduce their everyday spending. Three experiments demonstrate that consumer skepticism toward sales promotions has a detrimental effect on promotion effectiveness through two mechanisms: The discounting of savings (“too good to be true”) and the reduced purchase intention of promotional offers.

Valeur et sincérité perçues d'une promotion multi-mécanismes Résumé : Une promotion multi-mécanismes associe dans la même communication plusieurs mécanismes promotionnels mis en place par le distributeur et l'industriel. D'après la théorie des prospects, la multiplication des mécanismes devrait être créatrice de valeur pour le consommateur. Une expérimentation inter-sujet sur 210 consommateurs, proposant un ou plusieurs mécanismes monétaires pour une valeur constante de l'offre, montre que la promotion simple est préférée. De plus les résultats mettent en avant l'importance de la sincérité perçue dans la valeur perçue d'une offre promotionnelle.

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PurposeUsing a classification of benefits and costs of promotional offers (Raghubir et al., 2004) along three routes -economic, informational and affective -this paper aims at evaluating, from the consumer's point of view, the relative perceptual disadvantages of separate-item bundles compared to pre-wrapped bundles. Design/methodology/approachThe marketing literature and a qualitative study based on 18 consumers permit us to identify the relative perceived costs and benefits associated with separate-item bundles and to derivehypotheses. An experiment on a sample of 120 adult consumers was then set up to test these hypotheses. FindingsThe findings suggest that consumers associate separate-item bundles with higher economic benefit but also with higher inspection costs. From a more global perspective, there is no loss of interest in separate-item bundles compared to pre-wrapped bundles. Research limitations/implicationsFocusing our research on separate-item bundles clarifies the way consumers evaluate promotions. Its qualitative phase gives support to the relevance of an "informational route" (Raghubir et al., 2004), beyond the traditional utilitarian and hedonic routes (Chandon et al., 3 2000). Its quantitative phase confirms the importance of cognitive biases in consumers' perceptions of promotions. Practical implicationsThe numerous advantages of separate-item bundles for manufacturers and retailers and their attraction to consumers should lead to an increasingly intensive use in promotional campaigns. Besides, the quality of in-store communication is the most important factor of the success of separate-item bundles, which provides the opportunity to propose meaningful recommendations for practitioners. Originality/value of paperIf the strengths and weaknesses of separate-item bundles have already been studied from a managerial point of view, to our knowledge, no research has focused on separate-item bundle efficiency from the consumer's point of view.

PurposeThe ability to acquire and process consumer information online has provided web‐based vendors with the ability to personalize their merchandising at a very low cost. However, empirically establishing the expected positive effect of personalized merchandising has been difficult for practical as well as financial reasons. The aim of this paper is to compare the effectiveness of personalized vs random merchandising on consumers' attitudes and behaviors.Design/methodology/approachA longitudinal subject experiment comparing standardized vs personalized merchandising was adopted. A fictitious web site was created for the purposes of the study.FindingsPersonalized items led to more clicks than random suggestions. Moreover, a positive attitude towards personalization enhanced the attitude towards the web site.Research limitations/implicationsEven if credibility was enhanced thanks to the web site design, the research suffered from a lack of external validity. Additionally, the procedure prevented us from observing any potential effect on basket size.Practical implicationsA strategy of personalizing the content appeared to be relevant for web site managers. They should use “close” recommendations rather than “broad” recommendations and present a moderate number of personalized suggestions.Originality/valueThe research is one of the few online experiments with a longitudinal perspective, which is considered necessary when studying consumers' reactions to the personalization “process”.

Le coût élevé de mise en oeuvre des techniques promotionnelles traditionnelles amène les distributeurs et les industriels à rechercher de nouveaux formats de promotion, parmi lesquels le lot dit « virtuel ». Après avoir présenté cette technique et ses enjeux, l'article analyse les principaux avantages qu'en retirent les acteurs de la distribution, ainsi que ses contraintes. Il s'interroge dans un second temps sur les réactions des consommateurs face au lot virtuel à l'aide d'une approche qualitative exploratoire. Les facteurs clés de succès de l'implantation du lot virtuel en magasin sont proposés à la suite de ce double éclairage managers et consommateurs. Mots clés : Lot virtuel -Coûts et bénéfices -Relations industriels-distributeurs. Abstract:The high costs associated with traditional promotional techniques lead retailers and industrials to adopt new promotional formats, especially "separate-item bundles". After presenting this promotional format and its managerial stakes, the article first analyzes the advantages and constraints that separate-item bundles present for actors in the retail industry. We next use an exploratory qualitative approach to shed light on consumers' reactions to such a new promotional format. This double focuson managers and consumersleads us to propose key success factors for separate-item bundles implementation at the point of purchase.