Buy it, but not use it? The double-edged effect of anthropomorphization

Study 1a first selected 46 Baijiu from e-commerce shopping websites, including 23 different brands of Chinese Zodiac Baijiu and 23 corresponding brands of ordinary Baijiu, and randomly crawled 200 reviews on each Baijiu. In order to ensure the stability of second-hand data, the study limited the selected comment time to a specific period, and the anthropomorphic product were selected as the Zodiac Baijiu of that period. By using text analysis and encoding, blank comments are removed and comments containing keywords such as "favorite, stamp collecting, reluctant to use" are selected. These comments indicate that consumers are unwilling or delay using them, and the proportion of reluctant to use comments (hereinafter referred to as the "reluctant proportion") is calculated as the dependent variable. Due to the difficulty in directly measuring the behavioral variable of "whether or not to use", the study uses the "reluctance to use" expressed by buyers in their comments as a measure of willingness to use. In addition, the total number of annual reviews for a product can reflect its sales volume. Therefore, the study crawled the total number of reviews for each product during a specific period as a measure of sales (or purchase intention). Through this analysis, the aim is to preliminarily verify the differences in people's purchase and use reactions to anthropomorphic products during specific periods and online shopping environments. The study also controlled for other variables such as price, brand, and positive review rate. Study 1b experiment adopted a single factor (anthropomorphism vs non anthropomorphism) intergroup design, recruited 65 college students (56% female), and randomly assigned them to two groups. Excluding 4 samples with non-standard filling, there were ultimately 61 valid samples. The experimental stimuli were cartoon human-shaped cookies and regular square cookies, and the variable of anthropomorphization was manipulated through the priming effect. Firstly, ask the participants to read a text material and imagine themselves selecting a box of cookies. Then, show the participants a picture of a cookie (anthropomorphism vs non anthropomorphism), and after viewing the picture, answer a series of questions to complete the main variable measurement. Including product attitude (3 questions: "This cookie attracts me", "This cookie gives me a good feeling", "I like this cookie"), purchase intention (3 questions: "I think this cookie is worth buying", "I am willing to buy this cookie", "I want to have this box of cookies"), reluctance to use (1 question: "I don't think I want to eat this cookie"). At the end of the experiment, manipulation tests were also conducted (4 questions: "This cookie seems to have life", "This cookie looks like a person", "This cookie seems to have its own consciousness", "This cookie seems to have its own emotions"). All questions were measured using the Likert 7-point scale (1="strongly disagree", 7="strongly agree"). In addition, demographic information such as gender, age, and education level was also collected. Study 2 adopts an intergroup design of 2 (product strategy: anthropomorphism vs non anthropomorphism) × 2 (product type: durable goods vs non durable goods). 120 participants (56% female) were randomly assigned to 4 groups. In the manipulation of product anthropomorphism, the experimental group used products with anthropomorphic appearance design and first person tone advertising introductions, while the control group used products with ordinary appearance design and third person tone advertising introductions. In the selection of experimental stimuli, referring to previous research, durable products are Bluetooth speakers, and non durable products are birthday cakes. Drawing on the experimental manipulation methods of previous researchers, we use a combination of images and text to initiate anthropomorphic manipulation. Firstly, have the participants browse the product images and read the advertising text. Then, have the participants complete the measurement of the main variables. Using the questions used in Study 1b to measure product attitude and purchase intention; In terms of measuring willingness to use, in addition to directly measuring "reluctance" to use, it also measures the "guilt" brought by using the product. According to relevant research, if the perceived object of consumption truly possesses humanity, the consumption process will be judged as a "harmful" behavior, causing people to feel guilty. Whether it is inferring "harm" before consumption or causing actual "harm" after consumption, it will inhibit consumers' use or reuse. Therefore, in this study, the mean of the two measures of "reluctance" and "guilt" will be used as a measure of willingness to use. We further measured perceived similarity ("How similar do you think this product is to you") and drew on previous scales to measure possession self link. In addition, considering the potential interference of monetary value, this study also tested perceived value ("How much do you think this product will cost you"). Finally, a anthropomorphic control test was conducted ("To what extent does this product remind you of some human characteristics"). All questions were measured using the Likert 7-point scale. In addition, demographic information such as gender, age, and education level was also collected.