Chapter 11: Consumers in Situations
TRUE/FALSE
1. Situational influences are enduring characteristics of neither a particular consumer nor a product or
brand.
2. Situational influences change the desirability of consuming things and therefore change the value of
these things.
3. In some ways, time is a consumer’s only real resource because when we work, we convert time into
economic resources.
4. A consumer who is running short of time is more likely to process more product information than a
consumer who is shopping leisurely.
5. The term temporal factor refers to situational characteristics related to time.
6. Time pressure represents an urgency to act based on some real or self-imposed deadline.
7. Consumers experiencing time pressure are less likely to rely on simple choice heuristics than are those
in less-tense situations.
8. Time pressure tends to switch a consumer’s orientation from utilitarian to hedonic.
9. Time pressure shapes the value consumers perceive in products by influencing both quality and price
perceptions.
10. Seasonality refers to regularly occurring conditions that vary with the time of year.
11. Very few products are susceptible to seasonal influence.
12. The challenge for those who sell seasonal products is to change the products according to changing
seasons.
13. Circadian cycle refers to the rhythm of seasons that varies with the time of the year.
14. Buying advertising with a schedule that runs the advertisement primarily at times when customers will
be most receptive to the message is called advertiming.
15. Shopping is the set of potentially value-producing consumer activities that directly increase the
likelihood that something will be purchased.
16. Both marketing and shopping make purchase more likely, but one involves activities of marketing
people and the other involves activities of shoppers.
17. Epistemic shopping includes activities oriented toward a specific, intended purchase or purchases.
18. Experiential shopping involves recreationally oriented activities designed to provide interest,
excitement, relaxation, fun, or some other desired feeling.
19. Epistemic activities include finding information on some imminent purchase.
20. Outshopping is a term used to refer to consumers who are shopping in a city or town they must travel
to rather than in their own hometown.
21. Personal shopping value (PSV) is the overall subjective worth of a shopping activity considering all
associated costs and benefits.
22. Utilitarian shopping value represents the worth of an activity because the time spent doing the activity
itself is personally gratifying.
23. Hedonic shopping value represents the worth obtained because some shopping task or job is completed
successfully.
24. Retailers specializing in things like a wide selection of goods, low prices, guarantees, and
knowledgeable employees facilitate the task of shopping. This type of positioning emphasizes the
functional quality of a retail store.
25. Retail personality is the way a retail store is defined in the mind of a shopper based on the combination
of functional and affective qualities.
26. Feelings of dominance among action-oriented shoppers increase hedonic shopping value and decrease
utilitarian shopping value.
27. Consumers with attention deficit disorder typically have high degrees of impulsivity which makes
them more prone to impulsive acts.
28. Consumer self-regulation refers to the tendency for consumers to inhibit outside, or situational,
influences from interfering with shopping intentions.
29. Consumers with a low capacity to self-regulate are referred to as action-oriented.
30. Consumers with a high capacity to self-regulate their behavior are referred to as state-oriented.
31. State-oriented consumers are affected less by emotions generated by a retail atmosphere than are
action-oriented consumers.
32. Action-oriented shoppers who are emotionally aroused are far more likely to make additional
purchases beyond what was planned than are state-oriented shoppers.
33. State-oriented shoppers’ purchasing and shopping value perceptions are unaffected by dominance.
34. Retailers with a high proportion of action-oriented consumers in their target market are more likely to
thrive on consumers’ impulse purchases.
35. Fit refers to how appropriate the elements of an environment are for a given environment.
36. Congruity refers to how consistent the elements of an environment are with each other.
37. An environment with a favorable functional quality tends to be associated with some degree of
positive affect.
38. When shoppers process ambient citrus odors, they tend to feel higher levels of pleasant emotions while
shopping and tend to be more receptive to product information.
39. Pop music used in the background contributes to discount store perceptions.
40. The presence of background music enhances service quality perceptions relative to an environment
with no background music.
41. Congruent music lowers consumers’ quality perceptions.
42. Compared to blue background, consumers who perceive a product in a predominantly red background
tend to think the product is of higher quality.
43. Signs that emphasize price by using large numerals create the perception of an up-scale store.
44. Crowding exerts a linear effect on consumers.
45. A high degree of crowding produces the most positive outcomes in terms of shopping affect, purchase
behavior, consumer satisfaction, and shopping value.
46. The economic resources a consumer brings to a particular purchase setting refer to the consumer’s
buying power.
47. Consumers are more price sensitive when using card to pay for a purchase than when using cash.
48. The mood that consumers bring to the shopping environment can exaggerate the actual experience.
49. A fearful consumer tends to buy less and enjoy the experience less.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Enduring characteristics of neither a particular consumer nor a product or brand are known as _____
influences.
a.
attitudinal
b.
tangential
c.
perceptual
d.
preferential
e.
situational
2. Diane buys most of her everyday needs from the local retail shop. However, one day when she visited
the shop, she found it very crowded. Diane hates crowded places and therefore she returned home
without buying anything. This is an example of a _____ influence altering a consumer’s perception of
value.
a.
product
b.
situational
c.
cultural
d.
brand
e.
public
3. Situational characteristics related to time are known as _____ factors.
a.
temporal
b.
sequential
c.
atmospheric
d.
spatial
e.
epistemic
4. Which of the following represents an urgency to act based on some real or self-imposed deadline?
a.
Situational pressure
b.
Epistemic pressure
c.
Stagnation pressure
d.
Time pressure
e.
Dynamic pressure
5. Which of the following is most likely to be true of consumers who experience time pressure while
deciding on a purchasing activity?
a.
Consumers are more likely to process purchase related information at a deeper level.
b.
Consumers are more likely to rely on simple choice heuristics.
c.
Consumers’ orientations are more likely to switch from utilitarian to hedonic.
d.
Consumers are less likely to buy brands positioned as relatively high quality.
e.
Consumers are more likely to shop with others rather than shopping alone.
6. Which of the following refers to regularly occurring conditions that vary with the time of year?
a.
Periodicity
b.
Synchronicity
c.
Simultaneity
d.
Perpetuity
e.
Seasonality
7. Every year as soon as spring arrives, home improvement stores and nurseries start selling annuals for
flower beds as people start working outside in their yards. Such purchases are most likely influenced
by _____.
a.
synchronicity
b.
simultaneity
c.
perpetuity
d.
periodicity
e.
seasonality
8. Fruits in their season cost less than when they are not in season. This is an example of a situational
influence on value. Which of the following temporal factors best explains this price variation?
a.
Time simultaneity
b.
Time constant
c.
Time reciprocity
d.
Time of the day
e.
Time of the year
9. Our bodies have a rhythm that varies with the time of day. This is referred to as a _____ cycle.
a.
homeostatic
b.
lunar
c.
tachycardia
d.
biometric
e.
circadian
10. Everyday Jay gets tired at around two in the afternoon and takes a nap. Which of the following best
explains Jay’s energy level that fluctuates depending on the time of day?
a.
Circadian cycle
b.
Homeostatic cycle
c.
Biometric cycle
d.
Lunar cycle
e.
Tachycardia cycle
11. The practice of running advertisements primarily at times when customers will be most receptive to
the messages is known as _____.
a.
advertiming
b.
conquesting
c.
meta-advertising
d.
cool hunting
e.
shockvertising
12. Running commercials for sleep medication during the middle of the night is an example of _____.
a.
shockvertising
b.
cool hunting
c.
advertiming
d.
conquesting
e.
meta-advertising
13. Which of the following types of shopping is characterized by activities oriented toward acquiring
knowledge about products?
a.
Epistemic shopping
b.
Acquisitional shopping
c.
Adaptive shopping
d.
Experiential shopping
e.
Impulsive shopping
14. Which type of shopping is characterized by activities oriented toward a specific, intended purchase or
purchases?
a.
Experiential shopping
b.
Epistemic shopping
c.
Adaptive shopping
d.
Acquisitional shopping
e.
Impulsive shopping
15. Marian is a working mother with two sons. On weekdays, Marian is hard pressed for time and
squeezes just enough time to grab some groceries on her way back from work. This is an example of
_____ shopping.
a.
acquisitional
b.
epistemic
c.
experiential
d.
impulsive
e.
hedonic
16. Jim considers himself a cheese connoisseur. He spends his weekend visiting various cheese stores,
trying out samples of different cheese and learning more about them. However, Jim hardly buys
anything during these weekend outings. This is an example of _____ shopping.
a.
acquisitional
b.
epistemic
c.
adaptive
d.
impulsive
e.
utilitarian
17. Which of the following types of shopping is characterized by recreationally oriented activities
designed to provide interest, excitement, relaxation, fun, social interaction, or some other desired
feeling?
a.
Adaptive shopping
b.
Experiential shopping
c.
Epistemic shopping
d.
Impulsive shopping
e.
Acquisitional shopping
18. Janice spends her weekends window shopping at various malls. She acknowledges that her weekend
shopping outing is driven by boredom rather than any intention of making a purchase. She finds these
outings interesting and relaxing. This is an example of _____ shopping.
a.
acquisitional
b.
epistemic
c.
experiential
d.
impulsive
e.
adaptive
19. Which of the following types of shopping is characterized by spontaneous activities with a diminished
regard for consequences, heightened emotional involvement, and a desire for immediate self-
fulfillment?
a.
Acquisitional shopping
b.
Epistemic shopping
c.
Experiential shopping
d.
Impulsive shopping
e.
Adaptive shopping
20. When Melanie went to a mall to buy a birthday gift for her brother, she ended up buying a new pair of
designer eyewear for herself. She had no intention of buying them as she already owns a few pairs.
However, she could not resist herself as they were on sale. This is an example of _____ shopping.
a.
epistemic
b.
impulsive
c.
utilitarian
d.
affective
e.
adaptive
21. Which of the following types of shopping is most likely to provide the greatest hedonic shopping
value?
a.
Acquisitional shopping
b.
Experiential shopping
c.
Epistemic shopping
d.
Impulsive shopping
e.
Planned shopping
22. Which of the following types of shopping is most likely to provide the greatest utilitarian shopping
value?
a.
Acquisitional shopping
b.
Epistemic shopping
c.
Experiential shopping
d.
Impulsive shopping
e.
Unplanned shopping
23. Which of the following theory attempts to explain how environmental elements can lead to near 180
degree changes in shopping orientation?
a.
Reversal theory
b.
Trait theory
c.
Construct theory
d.
Organismic theory
e.
Phenomenal field theory
24. The overall subjective worth of a shopping activity considering all associated costs and benefits is
known as _____.
a.
experiential shopping value (ESV)
b.
reversal shopping value (RSV)
c.
epistemic shopping value (ESV)
d.
acquisitional shopping value (ASV)
e.
personal shopping value (PSV)
25. Which of the following represents the worth obtained because some shopping task or job is completed
successfully?