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Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science
Published in: Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 1/2007

01-03-2007 | Original Empirical Research

How do enhanced and unique features affect new product preference? The moderating role of product familiarity

Authors: Kevin Zheng Zhou, Kent Nakamoto

Published in: Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science | Issue 1/2007

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Abstract

Companies often introduce products with enhanced or unique features to compete with the dominant brands in the market. This paper examines the moderating role of product familiarity in consumer preferences of products with enhanced or unique features in two experimental studies. Study 1 (208 participants) operationalizes product familiarity at the product category level and Study 2 (168 participants) measures it at the individual level as one’s prior experience with the product. The findings of two experiments show that when consumers are unfamiliar with a product category, they prefer a product with enhanced features to one with unique features. In contrast, when consumers are experienced, they perceive a product with unique features more favorably than an enhanced one. Furthermore, this effect is due to consumer perceived differentiation of and performance uncertainty about new products with enhanced or unique features.
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Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Footnotes
1
We ran a 2 (product) × 2 (familiarity) × 2 (new feature) MANOVA to test whether the new feature has main or interaction effects on feature recall, preference judgment, and relative preference. The results show that neither the main effects nor the interactions are significant: product × familiarity × new feature, Wilks’ Lambda = 0.977, F(3,150) =1.200, p = 0.312; product × new feature, Wilks’ Lambda = 0.954, F(3,150) = 2.290, p = 0.088; familiarity × new feature, Wilks’ Lambda = 0.968, F(3,150) = 1.645, p = 0.181; and new feature, Wilks’ Lambda = 0.975, F(3,150) = 1.257, p = 0.291.
 
2
We ran a 2 (product) × 2 (familiarity) × 2 (new feature) MANOVA for preference judgment and relative preference. The results show that neither the main effects nor the interactions are significant: product × familiarity × new feature, Wilks’ Lambda = 0.967, F(2,159) = 2.738, p = 0.068; product × new feature, Wilks’ Lambda = 0.999, F(2,159) = 0.072, p = 0.930; familiarity × new feature, Wilks’ Lambda = 0.984, F(2,159) = 1.273, p = 0.283; and new feature, Wilks’ Lambda = 0.977, F(2,159) = 1.886, p = 0.155.
 
3
We obtained consistent results from regression analyses in which we treated familiarity as a continuous variable.
 
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Metadata
Title
How do enhanced and unique features affect new product preference? The moderating role of product familiarity
Authors
Kevin Zheng Zhou
Kent Nakamoto
Publication date
01-03-2007
Published in
Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science / Issue 1/2007
Print ISSN: 0092-0703
Electronic ISSN: 1552-7824
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-006-0011-3

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