Two essays on display orientations, purchase types and power distance beliefs

Abstract

Product displays are an important facet of a company’s marketing strategy. With the advent of online retailing, products can now be displayed in different ways as the constraints of the shelf no longer apply. One common way is to display products horizontally or vertically. Previous research has shown that a horizontal display elicits greater perceived variety and also influences the processing style. I take this line of research forward. In a series of two essays, I explore how product displays influence the evaluation of different purchase types at the cognitive level (essay 1) and at the level of social cognition (essay 2). In essay 1, drawing on the knowledge that material products are more comparable than experiential products, I find that consumers would experience greater choice satisfaction from material purchases displayed horizontally rather than vertically, but satisfaction from experiential purchases would not differ by the display orientation. This is because consumers make relatively more attribute-based comparisons for material than experiential purchases, and the horizontal display facilitates such comparisons. This compatibility between the display orientation and processing style subsequently results in greater processing fluency and thus choice satisfaction. I validate this through four studies using different methodologies like eye tracking and experimental designs. In essay 2, I look at how display orientations are perceived through the lens of power distance beliefs and how an embodiment of verticality results in a greater fit of vertical display orientations with people higher in PDB vs. a fit for horizontal displays for those lower in PDB. In three studies, I find partial evidence that those high in PDB derive greater fluency and choice satisfaction from a vertical (vs. horizontal) display orientation and vice versa for those low in PDB. Both of these essays have some common concepts. Processing fluency plays a central mediating role, and experiential vs material purchase plays a moderating role. Where they differ is in the level of granularity. Essay one deals with the cognitive aspects like processing styles (Attribute vs alternative) and relies on a biological factor (field of vision) while essay two deals with the higher level of social cognition.