Author: Steve Tyler

When Less Pressure Leads to More Talk: Sales Tactics and Word‐of‐Mouth Summary This research examines how different frontline sales tactics shape customers’ word-of-mouth (WOM) behaviour. Across five experiments in clothing, travel, fitness and electronics contexts, the authors compare two tactics: encourage-to-deliberate (agency-supportive, noncoercive) versus pressure-to-purchase (coercive, urgency-driven). They show that encourage-to-deliberate tactics produce more positive […]

Colour Saturation and Perceived Sensory Intensity: An Account of Psychological Proximity Summary This research article reports five studies showing that higher colour saturation in products and packaging increases consumers’ anticipated sensory intensity across multiple senses (smell, taste, touch, sound and texture). The authors find the effect using both product colouring and packaging across categories including […]

Experiential Engagement: A Scale for Experiential Contexts Summary This paper develops and validates a short, unidimensional scale to measure “experiential engagement” across varied experiential contexts (e.g., sport, music, arts). Drawing on a systematic review of 25 context-specific engagement scales (466 items), the authors identify three recurring facets underlying contextual engagement: behavioural involvement, intimacy, and influence. […]

GenAI Use Behavior and Post‐Failure Perceptions Among People With Functional Disabilities: A Multimethod Study Summary This paper examines how people with functional disabilities (hearing, visual and mobility impairments) adopt and respond to generative AI (GenAI). Using two complementary studies — a survey (Study 1, n=284) employing a genetic algorithm and Bayesian regression, and an experiment […]

The Rise of the Deinfluencers: Perceived Similarity and Anticipated Emotions in Advocating Mindful Consumption on Social Media Summary This article presents a multi-study investigation into the growing phenomenon of “deinfluencers” — social media figures who discourage purchases and promote simpler, more sustainable consumption. Drawing on social cognitive theory, the authors test how perceived homophily (similarity) […]

Navigating the Complexity of Sustainability Communications: The Influence of Product Type, Media Type, and Brand Realism Summary This peer-reviewed study (Park & Minton, Psychology & Marketing) reports three experiments (total N = 1,153) examining when sustainability claims build trust and persuade consumers. The experiments test interactions among product type (search, experience, credence), media channel (digital […]

Beyond Traditional Metrics: Developing and Validating a Multidimensional Scale for Consumer Financial Well‐Being Summary This paper develops and validates a new, consumer-centred scale for Consumer Financial Well‑Being (CFW). The authors propose CFW as a second‑order reflective construct measured by four first‑order dimensions: Financial Wisdom, Financial Security, Financial Preparedness & Satisfaction, and Financial Resilience. The scale […]

Experiencing Dehumanization, Seeking Uniqueness: The Effect of Organizational Dehumanization on Uniqueness‐Seeking Consumption Summary This paper treats organisational dehumanisation — feeling treated as mechanistic or replaceable — as an ontological threat to one’s sense of humanness. Across one preliminary survey and five experiments, the authors show that experiencing organisational dehumanisation increases consumers’ preference for uniqueness-seeking consumption. […]

Love Affair With Thin Air: Mortality, Mastery, and the Consumerism of Mountaineering Summary This paper reframes mountaineering as a mortality-buffered identity practice rather than merely a thrill-seeking recreational pursuit. Using ethnography and depth interviews from a guided Mount Rainier expedition plus digital netnography, the authors apply Terror Management Theory (TMT) to show that climbers derive […]

Charity Without Choice: The Impact of Receiving Prosocial Gifts on Subsequent Donations Summary This paper examines how receiving prosocial gifts — donations made to a charity in someone else’s name — affects recipients’ willingness to donate to the same charity later. Across four experiments, the authors find that when a prosocial gift is unrequested, recipients […]