Willful Ignorance in the Request for Product Attribute Information

Abstract

Attribute information is not always readily available to consumers. This is especially true for ethical attributes, such as labor practices, environmental friendliness, and so forth. Intuitively, it might be expected that consumers who would use an attribute in their decision making should seek attribute information, especially if it is easily obtainable. In three studies, the authors measure discrepancies between requests for available ethical attribute information and actual use of the same attribute in a conjoint task. In both between-subjects and within-subjects designs, the authors show that consumers (1) underrequest ethical attribute information and (2) are especially likely to show request/use inconsistency if they care about the underlying ethical issue. Negative emotions, especially the avoidance of anger, appear to drive this willful ignorance. These results add to the growing literature on avoidance mechanisms and consumer decision making and may shed light on when ethical attributes do (and do not) play a role in actual purchase behavior.

From the Commercial to the Communal: Reframing Taboo Trade-offs in Religious and Pharmaceutical Marketing

“…Taboo trade-offs are cognitively taxing and emotionally unpleasant; they are aversive states that people prefer to avoid (Gross 1998(Gross , 2002Ehrich and Irwin 2005;Luce, Bettman and Payne 1997;Nowlis, Kahn and Dhar 2002). Thus, consumers who are offered justifications that reframe taboo trade-offs into something less distressing may forgive companies that transgress (Aaker, Fournier, and Brasel 2004;McGraw and Tetlock 2005).…”

How eWOM Reduces Uncertainties in Decision-making Process： Using the Concept of Entropy in Information Theory

“…Customers not only care about factual information of the product, but are often concerned about ethical information, such as the source of labor [13]. With all available attribute information, customers develop their idea on the product and consequently, evaluate the product.…”

“…This kind of manipulation of customers during the process of gathering information explains the difference in attribute information impacts. Moreover, customers occasionally seek attribute information only when it is easy to obtain [13]. Unfavorable information may have less impact than favorable information because customers willfully ignore unfavorable information [13].…”

“…Moreover, customers occasionally seek attribute information only when it is easy to obtain [13]. Unfavorable information may have less impact than favorable information because customers willfully ignore unfavorable information [13]. Since customers often face inconsistent information or doubtable information, a kind of systematical processing of information [31], which is different from simple information integration, is indispensable in customer decision making.…”

Willful Ignorance

“…Similarly, consumers may well tell themselves that 13 Cf. also Ehrich and Irwin (2005);Peacock (2015). One difference might be that the ancient slaveholder was morally ignorant, while consumers are only factually ignorant (see §2 for this distinction).…”