Title: The effects of aesthetics on consumer responses: the moderating effect of gender and perceived price

Authors: Nguyen Ngoc Hien; Nguyen Ngoc Long; Nguyen Thi Nhu Mai

Addresses: Faculty of Business Administration, Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam ' Faculty of Business Administration, Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam ' Faculty of Business Administration, University of Finance and Accountancy, Quangngai Province, Vietnam

Abstract: This is a study that focuses on assessing how consumers perceive aesthetics, and determines the mechanism by which aesthetics influence consumer responses. To achieve this goal, two studies were conducted. In study 1, group discussions and direct surveys were conducted to develop an aesthetic measurement scale. The results show that the efficient aesthetic scale is a second order factor of 21 items and four components, including colour, design, style and overall appearance. In study 2, a direct interview with a sample of 384 automobile consumers and using partial least squares structural equation modelling techniques to test the hypotheses of this research were carried out. The results show that aesthetics affect brand image, brand evaluation and purchase intention. Furthermore, the relationship between aesthetics and purchase intention has been moderated by the gender. Important implications are proposed for business managers and marketers in developing brands and enhancing purchasing intention via aesthetics.

Keywords: aesthetics; brand image; brand evaluation; purchase intention; partial least square.

DOI: 10.1504/IJADS.2022.125479

International Journal of Applied Decision Sciences, 2022 Vol.15 No.5, pp.539 - 558

Received: 19 Feb 2021
Accepted: 29 May 2021
Published online: 12 Sep 2022 *

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