Heart rate variability is a promising physiological measurement that accesses psychophysiological variations in response to a marketing stimulus. While its application spans diverse fields, there is a limited understanding of the usability and interpretation of heart rate variability in marketing research. Therefore, this hybrid literature review provides an overview of the emerging use of heart rate variability in marketing research, along with essential methodological considerations. In this context, we blend marketing mix framework with stimulus-organism-response theory, segregating the use of heart rate variability in various marketing research contexts. We follow the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and metaanalyses (PRISMA) framework to reflect on 33 records obtained from six databases.Our findings suggest that 42% of studies used heart rate variability to investigate promotion-related topics. Overall, heart rate variability is mostly used in combination with Galvanic skin response (48%). Further, 39% of studies used non-portable systems for data collection. Last, using the theory characteristics methodology (TCM) framework, we identified six research avenues: (1) affective, cognitive, and sensorial constructs; (2) personality, thinking style, and demographics; (3) product experience; (4) advertising and branding; (5) correlation with immersive technologies; and (6) triangulation with other neurophysiological tools.
We examine the interaction effects of linguistic style and verification of online reviews in terms of their valence on purchase intention for search and experiential products. We adopt the cue utilization framework to examine the interplay between the extrinsic cues of online reviews—content style (general versus specific), verified purchase (VP) badge (present versus absent), and valence (positive versus negative)—in two product categories—search product (tablet) and experiential product (trip package)—using an experimental design. The findings of the frequentist and Bayesian analyses show that valence supersedes other attributes’ impacts on purchase intention in both product categories. Variations in the content style of the reviews have minor influences on purchase intention. The presence of a VP badge on a review has a negligible influence on purchase intention across both product categories. Valence-content style and valence-VP badge interactions significantly affect purchase intention. Based on these findings, implications are discussed.
IntroductionConsumer decision-making processes involve a complex interrelation between perception, emotion, and cognition. Despite a vast and diverse literature, little effort has been invested in investigating the neural mechanism behind such processes.MethodsIn the present work, our interest was to investigate whether asymmetrical activation of the frontal lobe of the brain could help to characterize consumer’s choices. To obtain stronger experimental control, we devised an experiment in a virtual reality retail store, while simultaneously recording participant brain responses using electroencephalogram (EEG). During the virtual store test, participants completed two tasks; first, to choose items from a predefined shopping list, a phase we termed as “planned purchase”. Second, subjects were instructed that they could also choose products that were not on the list, which we labeled as “unplanned purchase.” We assumed that the planned purchases were associated with a stronger cognitive engagement, and the second task was more reliant on immediate emotional responses.ResultsBy analyzing the EEG data based on frontal asymmetry measures, we find that frontal asymmetry in the gamma band reflected the distinction between planned and unplanned decisions, where unplanned purchases were accompanied by stronger asymmetry deflections (relative frontal left activity was higher). In addition, frontal asymmetry in the alpha, beta, and gamma ranges illustrate clear differences between choices and no-choices periods during the shopping tasks.DiscussionThese results are discussed in light of the distinction between planned and unplanned purchase in consumer situations, how this is reflected in the relative cognitive and emotional brain responses, and more generally how this can influence research in the emerging area of virtual and augmented shopping.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.