Retail Practices and Consumer Behavior
(A2025-126086)

AUTHORS

Sybilla Merian, University of Zurich; Manuel Weber, WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management; Carsten Leo Demming, Baden Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University Heilbronn; JOCHEN REINER, Aalborg University Business School

ABSTRACT

Retail Practices and Consumer Behavior This special session encapsulates the essence of how various retail practices—ranging from innovation management and digital out-of-home advertising to food choices and displaying historical after-sales performance metrics—collectively shape consumer behavior. 1. The Impact of Displaying After Sales Performance Metrics on Return Rates Andrea Giuffredi-Kähr, Sybilla Merian, Malin Pimper, Silvia Blas Riesgo, Radu Tanase, Martin Natter (all University of Zurich), Tobias Quelle Despite retailers' efforts to reduce uncertainties associated with online shopping, product returns remain high. This study examines how displaying after-sales performance metrics (ASPM)—historical post-purchase return rates and warranty claims—on product pages affects return rates. Our large-scale field experiment with a European online retailer revealed that ASPM significantly reduced product returns. Furthermore, a survey of the retailer’s customers demonstrated that ASPM complemented existing information tools such as customer reviews. 2. Can Digital Out-of-Home Advertising Influence Customer Foot Traffic? – A Shopping Mall Field Experiment Manuel Weber, Christian Schlereth (both WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management) This study examines whether store-specific digital out-of-home advertising influences customer foot traffic. A field experiment in a shopping mall equipped with 3D sensors revealed that such ads increased visits to especially smaller stores, though no effect on walking speed was found. Advertisements are more effective when they highlight unfamiliar elements, demonstrating the potential to drive immediate customer responses. 3. Mimic or Contrast the Original? A Segment-Specific Analysis of Product Names for Plant-Based Meat Carsten Leo Demming (DHBW Heilbronn), Jochen Eckert (RheinMain University (AS)) This study investigates the impact of product naming on consumer perceptions and purchase intent for plant-based meat, focusing on 'mimicking' versus 'contrasting' names. Using a laboratory experiment, we find that naming preferences vary between new customer segments depending on their readiness to reduce meat consumption, while for existing customers both product naming strategies work equally well. 4. Innovation Flops and their Impact on Parent Brand Sales Lisa Sielaff, Simone Wies (both Goethe University Frankfurt), Jochen Reiner (Aalborg University Business School) Despite high failure rates, literature on innovation failures (i.e., flops) is scarce, and consequences for the parent brand are under-researched. Using market and household data from the consumer-packaged goods industry, we take a dual perspective of product flops and investigate whether and how flops affect parent brand sales. We find that flops create negative spillovers on their parent brands and reduce parent brand category sales.