Investigating the effects of intelligent products on psychological ownership
(A2025-126411)

AUTHORS

Qing Sun, Richmond American University London; Louise Hassan, University of Birmingham; Edward Shiu, Bangor University; Qing Sun, Richmond American University London

ABSTRACT

Abstract With the development of advanced technology, intelligent products are becoming increasingly prevalent. Across two experimental studies, this research investigated effects of intelligent products on psychological ownership (PO). Study one examined whether an autonomous shopping system (ASS) and an autonomous product result in lower purchase intention through PO. The results show that an ASS cause to low PO only when an autonomous product has low product autonomy. Study two sought to investigate the possible beneficial role of high (vs. low) interactivity and tangibility (vs.intangibility) for autonomous products. It found that the negative effect of high product autonomy on purchase intention through perceived control and PO is mitigated when an autonomous product has high interactivity and tangibility. This research contributes to the extant literature on PO by evidencing the central role of perceived control as a route towards PO in the autonomous products context. This research also has implications for the design and marketing of next generation autonomous products. Key words: autonomous products, psychological ownership, purchase intention Track: Digital Marketing & Social