Publication Type

Journal Article

Version

submittedVersion

Publication Date

5-2020

Abstract

Access-based services (ABS) provide an opportunity for brands to promote their new products by enabling (unintended) trials. However, the mechanisms and impact of consumer exposure to products in ABS and the subsequent potential spillover effects on both the brand and the product perception are largely unknown. Our hypotheses are derived from the information integration theory (IIT) and subsequently tested. Study 1 is a field study investigating an unintended trial moderated by involvement and positive experience. The results indicate the positive effects of the unintended trial on product and brand attitudes, brand purchase intention, and word of mouth. In line with IIT, these effects are more pronounced for positive trial experience, although in contrast to IIT, they are less pronounced for high-involvement consumers. While the results of Study 2, an online experiment, show substantial effects of both trials compared with nontrials, they also reveal that intended and unintended trials have a similar impact on attitude, but ABS experiences have a stronger positive impact on brand purchase intention. We thus recommend that brand managers promote not only new products but also their brands in unintended trials. This study fills a gap in current discussions about the trial effect(s) of ABS.

Keywords

access-based services, attitudinal change, e-mobility, field study, information integration theory, involvement, trial effects, unintended trial, word of mouth (WOM)

Discipline

Marketing | Sales and Merchandising

Research Areas

Marketing

Publication

Psychology and Marketing

Volume

37

Issue

5

First Page

705

Last Page

723

ISSN

0742-6046

Identifier

10.1002/mar.21335

Publisher

Wiley

Copyright Owner and License

Authors

External URL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itOt3c1n2mE

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21335

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