Minu Kumar | San Francisco State University (original) (raw)

Papers by Minu Kumar

Academy of Management Proceedings

Developments in Marketing Science: Proceedings of the Academy of Marketing Science, 2014

It is widely known that product design is important in consumers’ evaluation of goods. However, m... more It is widely known that product design is important in consumers’ evaluation of goods. However, managers and researchers do not fully understand the broad values that design creates for the consumers and how these values create preference for a product. Based on work by Holbrook (1999), other researchers and our own work on “consumer value”, we show that product design can create four types of broad based values: (1) Social (2) Altruistic (3) Functional and (4) Emotional (SAFE values).

Developments in Marketing Science: Proceedings of the Academy of Marketing Science, 2019

In hi-tech industries such as Pharma-Biotech, firms are becoming more and more specialized in the... more In hi-tech industries such as Pharma-Biotech, firms are becoming more and more specialized in their innovation capabilities such that it is becoming less and less likely that any one firm is able to independently develop a truly innovative new product. The current research will employ qualitative research methods to investigate two questions: (a) Is the path for the development of radically innovative qualitative different from the development of incrementally innovative products in industries with high technological turbulence such as the Pharma-Biotech industry? (b) Are there any systematic differences in the governance structures employed in the management of interfirm relationships in the development of radical innovations and incremental innovations?

Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 2020

Continuous improvement products (CIPs) are designed so that firms can make post-purchase improvem... more Continuous improvement products (CIPs) are designed so that firms can make post-purchase improvements without requiring the user to fully replace the product. Although CIPs are becoming increasingly common in the marketplace, there are challenges in having customers adopt these products. In this multimethod research using two different types of studies, we find that sharing information about development progress increases adoption of the current version of the CIP, and that this relationship is mediated by the perceived commitment of developers to the product. Furthermore, we find that product familiarity moderates this mediation relationship. Our research offers insight to scholars interested in this new wave of products, and offers direction for managers in how to market their CIPs. Specifically, we recommend that firms developing CIPs use product development information as a marketing tool to communicate their commitment to the continued improvement of the product and to spur the purchase of the current versions of their CIPs.

Journal of Consumer Psychology, 2010

Although the aesthetic properties of a product have often been linked to consumers' emotional res... more Although the aesthetic properties of a product have often been linked to consumers' emotional responses, theory and empirical evidence are yet to fully explain how and why aesthetic properties of a product evoke an emotional response. Drawing on an eclectic literature, we propose hypotheses connecting aesthetic principles with the subconscious cognitive appraisals associated with emotions. Specifically, we empirically test the relationships between the aesthetic principle of harmony and cognitive appraisals (attentional activity and pleasantness), while exploring the moderating role of typicality. Our results suggest that harmony and typicality interact to affect appraisals of pleasantness and attentional activity. Specifically, consumers tend to prefer designs that balance the levels of attentional resources needed and pleasantness in visually evaluating the design. This work advances the growing literature in product design and aesthetics by providing an understanding of the mechanisms through which aesthetic principles might prompt emotional responses in consumers.

International Journal of Research in Marketing

Journal of Business Ethics, 2015

ABSTRACT Consumers are increasingly facing product evaluation and choice situations that include ... more ABSTRACT Consumers are increasingly facing product evaluation and choice situations that include information about product sustainability, i.e., information about a product’s relative environmental and social impact. In many cases, consumers have to make decisions that involve a trade-off between product sustainability and other valued product attributes. Similarly, product and marketing managers need to make decisions that reflect how consumers will respond to different trade-off scenarios. In the current research we study consumer responses across two different possible trade-off scenarios; one in which consumers face a trade-off between product sustainability and hedonic value, and another in which they must trade-off between product sustainability and utilitarian value. Our results suggests that, overall, consumers are more likely to trade-off hedonic value (e.g., aesthetics) for sustainability than to trade-off utilitarian value (e.g., functional performance) for sustainability. In Studies 1A and 1B, we presented participants with a product choice task and also measured their anticipatory emotions as they contemplated their options. The results suggest that given a trade-off, consumers are more likely to choose a sustainable product when they have to trade-off hedonic value than when they have to trade-off utilitarian value. Further, these studies provide some insight into the emotions underlying this effect. In Study 2, we use a different consumer response measure, relative purchase likelihood, and investigate the effect of trade-off type across categories that vary in the degree to which hedonic and utilitarian attributes are perceived to be important (referred to as ‘product type’). Our results suggest that the effect of trade-off type still holds, yet is moderated by product type such that consumers’ greater willingness to trade-off hedonic value (vs. utilitarian value) for sustainability is attenuated as the relative importance of hedonic (vs. utilitarian) attributes increases. In addition to building on our theoretical understanding of decision-making given trade-offs with moral attributes, this research is also intended to support managers as they define and choose amongst various strategic, product development, and marketing promotion options.

Journal of Product Innovation Management, 2014

ABSTRACT Product design is an integral component of a brand and an important driver of brand equi... more ABSTRACT Product design is an integral component of a brand and an important driver of brand equity. For the brand, product design is an important tool for driving differentiation, creating value for both the consumer and the firm, driving consumer preferences, and creating a sustainable competitive advantage. At the firm level, the importance of investing in design has been substantiated by studies that suggest firms capable of creating innovative design and providing superior consumer value perform better in the marketplace. Thus, product design clearly presents an important area of research for those studying and managing brands. In this context, the goal of this research is to explain the brand-level affective outcomes that product-level design features can create.This paper develops a conceptual framework and hypotheses that theoretically connect design-based values, at the product level, to affective brand-level relational outcomes with the brand. The drivers of product affection include social value, altruistic value, functional value, emotional value, and economic value. Analogous to “firm affection,” the paper postulates a brand affection construct that is defined as the passion and pride that a consumer feels about owning a brand.Using syndicated product-level data from the automotive industry collected from a national sample of consumers, 712 useable consumer/product observations of 30 small vehicles are employed in the analysis. A confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation model are developed to test the conceptual model.This research finds that the social value and emotional value that a design provides to consumers have a greater effect on brand affection than purely transactional values, such as functional value or economic value. This research contributes to the literature by providing evidence that product design-related values are multifaceted and can contribute to relational outcomes, such as brand affection. It contributes to practice by highlighting the means by which design can be used as a strategic tool to create a sustainable long-lasting relationship with the consumer, and provides managers with a framework to assess the impact of design-based values on long-term relationship-based outcomes. The results provide new insights about how consumers' perceptions of the value of product design at the product level can help create enduring relationships with brands.

Journal of Business Research, 2015

ABSTRACT Product design is often the first point of contact between the product and the buyer in ... more ABSTRACT Product design is often the first point of contact between the product and the buyer in retail aisles and search results on the Internet. Researchers and managers understand that product design is important in consumer and buyer behavior, yet they may not clearly and fully grasp the broad values that product design creates for consumers. Based on an extensive qualitative study that integrates previous value typologies, this research shows that product design can create not only “form” and “function” related value but also a self-expressive dimension (social and altruistic value) that is communicated through the design’s holistic properties. After developing and testing a reliable and valid scale for this value typology, this research demonstrates that consumers who have higher design acumen tend to perceive aspects of self-expressive value more than consumers with low design acumen. Finally, the implications for research and practice are considered here.

Journal of Product Innovation Management, 2010

Product design is increasingly being recognized as an important source of sustainable competitive... more Product design is increasingly being recognized as an important source of sustainable competitive advantage. Until recently, the domain of design has been loosely categorized as ''form and function'' issues. However, as this paper will explore, product design deals with a much richer range of issues, many of which have not been considered in the marketing literature. To explore the domain and elements of design, the paper begins with two major goals: (1) to elicit the key dimensions of design and to develop an enriched language for the understanding and study of design; and (2) to integrate the design dimensions within a broader model that ties initial design goals to eventual psychological and behavioral responses from consumers. To achieve these ends, grounded theory development is used by conducting an extensive literature review, in-depth interviews, and an interactive object elicitation technique. Drawing from this rich source of qualitative information as well as diverse literature fields, a framework is proposed for the creation of design value in consumer products. This framework not only explores the domain of design but also highlights the important elements of design that go well beyond the cliche´d form and function issues. The resulting model reflects specific marketplace and organizational constraints that may help or impede the conversion of designer goals to so-called design levers. These levers are used to convey three types of values to consumers: rational, kinesthetic, and emotional. The framework then explains how and when these different values may be perceived by the consumer. Within this framework, testable research propositions and specific directions for future design-based research are also offered. Beyond its potential to spur marketing and new product development (NPD) management thought, the framework offered here represents a significant contribution to the field of design, which has historically been represented as a highly fragmented body of knowledge. Formalizing this framework should help overcome perhaps the largest obstacle to date to marketingrelated and NPD-related research in this area-the lack of a detailed and consistent nomological view of the scope of design dimensions including testable linkages. Design has become an important tool that can be used by managers to develop dominant brands with lasting advantages. This research lends the NPD manager and the marketing manager better insights in into how this increasingly popular focus can be used to influence consumer behavior and firm success.

Business Horizons, 2008

Historically, product design has most often been considered a process for creating functional dif... more Historically, product design has most often been considered a process for creating functional differentiation through added features, superior performance, and so forth. However, with the advent of more design-oriented companies, such as Apple, Dyson, and others, design is ...

Journal of Consumer Psychology, 2010

Although the aesthetic properties of a product have often been linked to consumers&am... more Although the aesthetic properties of a product have often been linked to consumers' emotional responses, theory and empirical evidence are yet to fully explain how and why aesthetic properties of a product evoke an emotional response. Drawing on an eclectic literature, we propose ...

Academy of Management Proceedings

Developments in Marketing Science: Proceedings of the Academy of Marketing Science, 2014

It is widely known that product design is important in consumers’ evaluation of goods. However, m... more It is widely known that product design is important in consumers’ evaluation of goods. However, managers and researchers do not fully understand the broad values that design creates for the consumers and how these values create preference for a product. Based on work by Holbrook (1999), other researchers and our own work on “consumer value”, we show that product design can create four types of broad based values: (1) Social (2) Altruistic (3) Functional and (4) Emotional (SAFE values).

Developments in Marketing Science: Proceedings of the Academy of Marketing Science, 2019

In hi-tech industries such as Pharma-Biotech, firms are becoming more and more specialized in the... more In hi-tech industries such as Pharma-Biotech, firms are becoming more and more specialized in their innovation capabilities such that it is becoming less and less likely that any one firm is able to independently develop a truly innovative new product. The current research will employ qualitative research methods to investigate two questions: (a) Is the path for the development of radically innovative qualitative different from the development of incrementally innovative products in industries with high technological turbulence such as the Pharma-Biotech industry? (b) Are there any systematic differences in the governance structures employed in the management of interfirm relationships in the development of radical innovations and incremental innovations?

Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 2020

Continuous improvement products (CIPs) are designed so that firms can make post-purchase improvem... more Continuous improvement products (CIPs) are designed so that firms can make post-purchase improvements without requiring the user to fully replace the product. Although CIPs are becoming increasingly common in the marketplace, there are challenges in having customers adopt these products. In this multimethod research using two different types of studies, we find that sharing information about development progress increases adoption of the current version of the CIP, and that this relationship is mediated by the perceived commitment of developers to the product. Furthermore, we find that product familiarity moderates this mediation relationship. Our research offers insight to scholars interested in this new wave of products, and offers direction for managers in how to market their CIPs. Specifically, we recommend that firms developing CIPs use product development information as a marketing tool to communicate their commitment to the continued improvement of the product and to spur the purchase of the current versions of their CIPs.

Journal of Consumer Psychology, 2010

Although the aesthetic properties of a product have often been linked to consumers' emotional res... more Although the aesthetic properties of a product have often been linked to consumers' emotional responses, theory and empirical evidence are yet to fully explain how and why aesthetic properties of a product evoke an emotional response. Drawing on an eclectic literature, we propose hypotheses connecting aesthetic principles with the subconscious cognitive appraisals associated with emotions. Specifically, we empirically test the relationships between the aesthetic principle of harmony and cognitive appraisals (attentional activity and pleasantness), while exploring the moderating role of typicality. Our results suggest that harmony and typicality interact to affect appraisals of pleasantness and attentional activity. Specifically, consumers tend to prefer designs that balance the levels of attentional resources needed and pleasantness in visually evaluating the design. This work advances the growing literature in product design and aesthetics by providing an understanding of the mechanisms through which aesthetic principles might prompt emotional responses in consumers.

International Journal of Research in Marketing

Journal of Business Ethics, 2015

ABSTRACT Consumers are increasingly facing product evaluation and choice situations that include ... more ABSTRACT Consumers are increasingly facing product evaluation and choice situations that include information about product sustainability, i.e., information about a product’s relative environmental and social impact. In many cases, consumers have to make decisions that involve a trade-off between product sustainability and other valued product attributes. Similarly, product and marketing managers need to make decisions that reflect how consumers will respond to different trade-off scenarios. In the current research we study consumer responses across two different possible trade-off scenarios; one in which consumers face a trade-off between product sustainability and hedonic value, and another in which they must trade-off between product sustainability and utilitarian value. Our results suggests that, overall, consumers are more likely to trade-off hedonic value (e.g., aesthetics) for sustainability than to trade-off utilitarian value (e.g., functional performance) for sustainability. In Studies 1A and 1B, we presented participants with a product choice task and also measured their anticipatory emotions as they contemplated their options. The results suggest that given a trade-off, consumers are more likely to choose a sustainable product when they have to trade-off hedonic value than when they have to trade-off utilitarian value. Further, these studies provide some insight into the emotions underlying this effect. In Study 2, we use a different consumer response measure, relative purchase likelihood, and investigate the effect of trade-off type across categories that vary in the degree to which hedonic and utilitarian attributes are perceived to be important (referred to as ‘product type’). Our results suggest that the effect of trade-off type still holds, yet is moderated by product type such that consumers’ greater willingness to trade-off hedonic value (vs. utilitarian value) for sustainability is attenuated as the relative importance of hedonic (vs. utilitarian) attributes increases. In addition to building on our theoretical understanding of decision-making given trade-offs with moral attributes, this research is also intended to support managers as they define and choose amongst various strategic, product development, and marketing promotion options.

Journal of Product Innovation Management, 2014

ABSTRACT Product design is an integral component of a brand and an important driver of brand equi... more ABSTRACT Product design is an integral component of a brand and an important driver of brand equity. For the brand, product design is an important tool for driving differentiation, creating value for both the consumer and the firm, driving consumer preferences, and creating a sustainable competitive advantage. At the firm level, the importance of investing in design has been substantiated by studies that suggest firms capable of creating innovative design and providing superior consumer value perform better in the marketplace. Thus, product design clearly presents an important area of research for those studying and managing brands. In this context, the goal of this research is to explain the brand-level affective outcomes that product-level design features can create.This paper develops a conceptual framework and hypotheses that theoretically connect design-based values, at the product level, to affective brand-level relational outcomes with the brand. The drivers of product affection include social value, altruistic value, functional value, emotional value, and economic value. Analogous to “firm affection,” the paper postulates a brand affection construct that is defined as the passion and pride that a consumer feels about owning a brand.Using syndicated product-level data from the automotive industry collected from a national sample of consumers, 712 useable consumer/product observations of 30 small vehicles are employed in the analysis. A confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation model are developed to test the conceptual model.This research finds that the social value and emotional value that a design provides to consumers have a greater effect on brand affection than purely transactional values, such as functional value or economic value. This research contributes to the literature by providing evidence that product design-related values are multifaceted and can contribute to relational outcomes, such as brand affection. It contributes to practice by highlighting the means by which design can be used as a strategic tool to create a sustainable long-lasting relationship with the consumer, and provides managers with a framework to assess the impact of design-based values on long-term relationship-based outcomes. The results provide new insights about how consumers' perceptions of the value of product design at the product level can help create enduring relationships with brands.

Journal of Business Research, 2015

ABSTRACT Product design is often the first point of contact between the product and the buyer in ... more ABSTRACT Product design is often the first point of contact between the product and the buyer in retail aisles and search results on the Internet. Researchers and managers understand that product design is important in consumer and buyer behavior, yet they may not clearly and fully grasp the broad values that product design creates for consumers. Based on an extensive qualitative study that integrates previous value typologies, this research shows that product design can create not only “form” and “function” related value but also a self-expressive dimension (social and altruistic value) that is communicated through the design’s holistic properties. After developing and testing a reliable and valid scale for this value typology, this research demonstrates that consumers who have higher design acumen tend to perceive aspects of self-expressive value more than consumers with low design acumen. Finally, the implications for research and practice are considered here.

Journal of Product Innovation Management, 2010

Product design is increasingly being recognized as an important source of sustainable competitive... more Product design is increasingly being recognized as an important source of sustainable competitive advantage. Until recently, the domain of design has been loosely categorized as ''form and function'' issues. However, as this paper will explore, product design deals with a much richer range of issues, many of which have not been considered in the marketing literature. To explore the domain and elements of design, the paper begins with two major goals: (1) to elicit the key dimensions of design and to develop an enriched language for the understanding and study of design; and (2) to integrate the design dimensions within a broader model that ties initial design goals to eventual psychological and behavioral responses from consumers. To achieve these ends, grounded theory development is used by conducting an extensive literature review, in-depth interviews, and an interactive object elicitation technique. Drawing from this rich source of qualitative information as well as diverse literature fields, a framework is proposed for the creation of design value in consumer products. This framework not only explores the domain of design but also highlights the important elements of design that go well beyond the cliche´d form and function issues. The resulting model reflects specific marketplace and organizational constraints that may help or impede the conversion of designer goals to so-called design levers. These levers are used to convey three types of values to consumers: rational, kinesthetic, and emotional. The framework then explains how and when these different values may be perceived by the consumer. Within this framework, testable research propositions and specific directions for future design-based research are also offered. Beyond its potential to spur marketing and new product development (NPD) management thought, the framework offered here represents a significant contribution to the field of design, which has historically been represented as a highly fragmented body of knowledge. Formalizing this framework should help overcome perhaps the largest obstacle to date to marketingrelated and NPD-related research in this area-the lack of a detailed and consistent nomological view of the scope of design dimensions including testable linkages. Design has become an important tool that can be used by managers to develop dominant brands with lasting advantages. This research lends the NPD manager and the marketing manager better insights in into how this increasingly popular focus can be used to influence consumer behavior and firm success.

Business Horizons, 2008

Historically, product design has most often been considered a process for creating functional dif... more Historically, product design has most often been considered a process for creating functional differentiation through added features, superior performance, and so forth. However, with the advent of more design-oriented companies, such as Apple, Dyson, and others, design is ...

Journal of Consumer Psychology, 2010

Although the aesthetic properties of a product have often been linked to consumers&am... more Although the aesthetic properties of a product have often been linked to consumers' emotional responses, theory and empirical evidence are yet to fully explain how and why aesthetic properties of a product evoke an emotional response. Drawing on an eclectic literature, we propose ...