The Effect of Hedonic Presentation on Consumers’ Willingness to Pay and Purchase Intention for Minimally Branded Products Online

When evaluating products, consumers rely on cues to infer characteristics such as perceived value and quality. The availability of intrinsic and extrinsic cues to aid in the decision-making process is limited when shopping online, given that consumers rely on website descriptions about the product, limiting opportunities for personal visual inspection. Potted plants are a unique area of study for marketers given that these products often have minimal branding (extrinsic) cues, resulting in heightened examination of intrinsic cues such as the overall plant health. When shopping for minimally branded products online, a hedonic web shopping environment might be able to provide consumers with extrinsic attributes to help compensate for the lack of physical interaction with the product. This current study investigated the effects of hedonic/utilitarian presentation of minimally branded products (e.g., live potted plants) on consumers’ willingness to pay and purchase intention. A 2 (retail brand: hedonic vs. utilitarian) x 3 (product presentation: hedonic vs. utilitarian vs. both) between-subject experiment was conducted. Results showed that hedonic presentation of minimally branded products has potential to positively influence consumers’ purchase intention and willingness to pay. Managerial implications and future research are also discussed.