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You are being watched! Using anthropomorphism to curb customer misbehavior in access-based consumption

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  • Gong, Xiushuang
  • Zhang, Honghong

Abstract

Due to the nature of access-based services (i.e., temporal access to a good, no ownership transfer, and no supervision by service personnel), customer misbehavior directed at accessed products is very pervasive, which causes losses to service providers and results in detrimental contagious effects. However, potential strategies that can be used to curb customer misbehavior have not been studied sufficiently. Extending existing theory of customer misbehavior, this research focuses on anthropomorphism as a strategy that may reduce customers’ intention to engage in misbehavior in access-based consumption. Three studies confirm the effectiveness of anthropomorphism in inhibiting customer misbehavior and suggest that this basic effect is mediated by a sense of being watched. Moreover, they indicate that the effects are attenuated for customers with low public self-consciousness. The primary managerial implication of this study is that marketers may suppress customer misbehavior towards shared products by using first-person perspective language or imbuing them with humanlike characteristics such as human voice and human names.

Suggested Citation

  • Gong, Xiushuang & Zhang, Honghong, 2023. "You are being watched! Using anthropomorphism to curb customer misbehavior in access-based consumption," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:70:y:2023:i:c:s0969698922002570
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2022.103164
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Pieper, Nadine & Woisetschläger, David M., 2024. "Customer misbehavior in access-based mobility services: An examination of prevention strategies," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    2. Debenedetti, Alain & Chaney, Damien, 2024. "From feeling like home to being at home: The negative outcomes of attachment to commercial places," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    3. Sehgal, Nidhi & Jham, Vimi & Malhotra, Gunjan, 2023. "Does green brand anthropomorphism influence repurchase intention? Understanding the impact of brand warmth, psychological ownership, and self-brand congruity," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    4. Gao, Yongqiang & Cai, Yaohan, 2024. "In help-seekers' shoes: First-person pronouns entitled charitable fundraising campaigns and individual donating behavior in China," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    5. Alain Debenedetti & Damien Chaney, 2024. "From feeling like home to being at home: The negative outcomes of attachment to commercial places," Post-Print hal-04355633, HAL.

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