Title: Need for cognition: understanding the influence of individual differences on virtual product experiences

Authors: Terry Daugherty

Addresses: Department of Marketing, College of Business Administration, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325, USA

Abstract: Three-Dimensional (3D) product visualisation has been conceptualised as a new form of virtual product experience that enables consumers to simulate consumption experiences online. Virtual experience has most notably been characterised as imitating direct experience because of interactive user-control which allows consumers to alter, freely rotate, zoom-in or out and examine in detail products online. Current research in this area, however, has predominantly focused on understanding the technology with very little work exploring the impact of information processing styles. Therefore, in a laboratory experiment (n = 120) the influence of individual characteristics Need for Cognition (NFC) and product experience on brand attitude was examined. The results indicate that consumers high in NFC report more favourable brand attitudes during virtual experience evaluations than from direct experience.

Keywords: internet; consumers; need for cognition; NFC; three-dimensional; 3D product visualisation; virtual experiences; individual differences; virtual products; brand attitude; online products; e-commerce; electronic commerce; consumer judgements; consumer behaviour.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIMA.2009.027811

International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising, 2009 Vol.5 No.4, pp.272 - 286

Published online: 11 Aug 2009 *

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