IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jbrese/v186y2025ics0148296324004041.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Avoiding attention: The impact of embarrassment on preference for low-saturation design

Author

Listed:
  • Zhang, Xiadan
  • Wang, Jie
  • Gong, Xiushuang
  • Cheng, Siqi

Abstract

•Indicating that low-saturation design could be an effective strategy to aid consumers in coping with embarrassment.•Proposing that the motivation to avoid others’ attention mediates the effect of embarrassment on low-saturation preference.•Suggesting that public self-consciousness moderates the main effect of embarrassment on low-saturation preference.•Demonstrating that ambient light moderates the path from avoidance motivation to preference for low-saturation design.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhang, Xiadan & Wang, Jie & Gong, Xiushuang & Cheng, Siqi, 2025. "Avoiding attention: The impact of embarrassment on preference for low-saturation design," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:186:y:2025:i:c:s0148296324004041
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.114900
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296324004041
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.114900?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sean Blair & Neal J. Roese, 2013. "Balancing the Basket: The Role of Shopping Basket Composition in Embarrassment," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 40(4), pages 676-691.
    2. Hyojin Lee & Xiaoyan Deng & H. Rao Unnava & Kentaro Fujita, 2014. "Monochrome Forests and Colorful Trees: The Effect of Black-and-White versus Color Imagery on Construal Level," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 41(4), pages 1015-1032.
    3. Dahl, Darren W & Manchanda, Rajesh V & Argo, Jennifer J, 2001. "Embarrassment in Consumer Purchase: The Roles of Social Presence and Purchase Familiarity," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 28(3), pages 473-481, December.
    4. Esmark Jones, Carol L. & Barney, Christian & Farmer, Adam, 2018. "Appreciating Anonymity: An Exploration of Embarrassing Products and the Power of Blending In," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 94(2), pages 186-202.
    5. Henrik Hagtvedt & S. Adam Brasel, 2017. "Color Saturation Increases Perceived Product Size," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 44(2), pages 396-413.
    6. Rajesh Bagchi & Amar Cheema, 2013. "The Effect of Red Background Color on Willingness-to-Pay: The Moderating Role of Selling Mechanism," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 39(5), pages 947-960.
    7. Hyojin Lee & Xiaoyan Deng & H. Rao Unnava & Kentaro Fujita, 2014. "Monochrome Forests and Colorful Trees: The Effect of Black-and-White versus Color Imagery on Construal Level," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 41(4), pages 1015-1032.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Liu, Stephanie Q. & Wu, Laurie Luorong & Yu, Xi & Huang, Huiling, 2022. "Marketing online food images via color saturation: A sensory imagery perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 366-378.
    2. Choi, Jungsil & Li, Yexin Jessica & Rangan, Priyamvadha & Yin, Bingqing & Singh, Surendra N., 2020. "Opposites attract: Impact of background color on effectiveness of emotional charity appeals," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 644-660.
    3. Kevin L. Sample & Henrik Hagtvedt & S. Adam Brasel, 2020. "Components of visual perception in marketing contexts: a conceptual framework and review," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 48(3), pages 405-421, May.
    4. Jana Holthöwer & Jenny Doorn, 2023. "Robots do not judge: service robots can alleviate embarrassment in service encounters," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 51(4), pages 767-784, July.
    5. Barney, Christian & Jones, Carol L. Esmark & Farmer, Adam, 2020. "Approacher be-wear? Increasing shopper approach intentions through employee apparel," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 401-416.
    6. Kim, Jungkeun & Spence, Mark T. & Marshall, Roger, 2018. "The Color of Choice: The Influence of Presenting Product Information in Color on the Compromise Effect," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 94(2), pages 167-185.
    7. Ziegler, Alexander H. & Allen, Alexis M. & Peloza, John & Ian Norris, J., 2022. "The nature of vicarious embarrassment," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 355-364.
    8. Michael Ahearne & Yashar Atefi & Son K. Lam & Mohsen Pourmasoudi, 2022. "The future of buyer–seller interactions: a conceptual framework and research agenda," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 50(1), pages 22-45, January.
    9. Ketron, Seth & Naletelich, Kelly & Migliorati, Stefano, 2021. "Representational versus abstract imagery: Effects on purchase intentions between vice and virtue foods," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 52-62.
    10. Krishna, Aradhna & Cian, Luca & Aydınoğlu, Nilüfer Z., 2017. "Sensory Aspects of Package Design," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 93(1), pages 43-54.
    11. Rizomyliotis, Ioannis & Konstantoulaki, Kleopatra & Kostopoulos, Ioannis, 2018. "Reassessing the effect of colour on attitude and behavioural intentions in promotional activities: The moderating role of mood and involvement," Australasian marketing journal, Elsevier, vol. 26(3), pages 204-215.
    12. Roshni Raveendhran & Nathanael J. Fast, 2024. "When and why consumers prefer human-free behavior tracking products," Marketing Letters, Springer, vol. 35(3), pages 395-408, September.
    13. Renaud Lunardo & Camille Saintives & Damien Chaney, 2021. "Food packaging and the color red: How negative cognitive associations influence feelings of guilt," Post-Print hal-04455590, HAL.
    14. Tiansheng Xia & Xiujuan Fan & Jingwei Zhang & Tingting Liu, 2023. "Influence of Complexity in Low-Fat Food Packaging on Chinese Consumers’ Purchase Intentions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-15, February.
    15. Castagna, Ana Carina & Pinto, Diego Costa & Mattila, Anna & de Barcellos, Marcia Dutra, 2021. "Beauty-is-good, ugly-is-risky: Food aesthetics bias and construal level," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 633-643.
    16. Daniele Scarpi, 2021. "A construal-level approach to hedonic and utilitarian shopping orientation," Marketing Letters, Springer, vol. 32(2), pages 261-271, June.
    17. Nenkov, Gergana Y. & Morrin, Maureen & Maille, Virginie & Rank-Christman, Tracy & Lwin, May O., 2019. "Sense and sensibility: The impact of visual and auditory sensory input on marketplace morality," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 428-441.
    18. Lunardo, Renaud & Saintives, Camille & Chaney, Damien, 2021. "Food packaging and the color red: How negative cognitive associations influence feelings of guilt," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 589-600.
    19. Junzhou Zhang & Yuping Liu-Thompkins, 2024. "Personalized email marketing in loyalty programs: The role of multidimensional construal levels," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 52(1), pages 196-216, January.
    20. Ran Duan & Christian Bombara, 2022. "Visualizing climate change: the role of construal level, emotional valence, and visual literacy," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 170(1), pages 1-22, January.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:186:y:2025:i:c:s0148296324004041. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jbusres .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.