Cuadro de resumen de diagnóstico general

The development of the final questionnaire involved two steps. First, in order to reduce the number of items measuring each construct all possible combinations of items measuring the construct were assessed. Second, if two items in a construct sounded similar, only one was retained. An example of two statements sounding the same while measuring the same construct of consumers’ need for affective touch is: ‘When walking through stores, I can’t help touching all kinds of products’ and ‘I find myself touching all kinds of products in stores’. In this case, the former statement was retained and the latter dropped to avoid possible duplication.

The dropping of items to avoid duplication did not reduce the reliability of the measures significantly. Moreover, dropping some items did not reduce the various dimensions measuring the construct in the final questionnaire. For examples, items measuring intuition captured both respondents’ reliance on instincts and also how they perceived their snap judgments to be in comparison with others. The important aspects of perfectionism, namely due to self, because of loved ones and perfectionism expected of others, were also captured. Perceived product knowledge was measured using items covering both perceived knowledge levels and whether respondents were consulted by friends and loved ones before making a purchase decision. All important dimensions measuring the constructs were thus retained in the final questionnaire.

Table 4.3 provides details of the items which best described the constructs in the study and which were retained in the final questionnaire. For convenience, the

retained items have been numbered consecutively. The Cronbach’s alpha values of the constructs as based in the pre-study are also detailed in Table 4.3. In some cases, a small decrease was witnessed in the Cronbach’s alpha values but was still above acceptable standards (Netemeyer, Bearden and Sharma 2003). The main construct under study in this research, consumers’ need for affective and cognitive touch, was measured using four items in the final study. Most other constructs in the final study were measured using three items. Items that are very well established in the existing literature, such as satisfaction and brand loyalty, were measured using two items. The choice of the number of items measuring the constructs was in line with the recommendation of Iacobucci (2010).

Table 4.3 Cronbach’s Alpha Values for Items Retained in the Final Questionnaire

Constructs with Retained Items Cronbach’s _Alpha

IAY1 IAY2

Intuitive Ability

When it comes to trusting people, I can usually rely on my instincts / gut feelings My snap judgments are probably better than most others

0.693 PER1 PER2 PER3 PER4 Perfectionism

I am very embarrassed by failure

I get upset when other people do not maintain the same standards I do My parent(s)/loved ones hold me to high standards

I drive myself rigorously to achieve high standards

0.616

PTM 1 PTM 2 PTM 3

Predisposition towards Maximisation

When I watch TV, I often channel surf, scanning through the available options even while attempting to watch one programme.

When I am in the car/cab listening to the radio, I often check other stations to see if something better is playing, even if I am relatively satisfied with what I’m listening to

I’m a big fan of lists that attempt to rank things (the best movies, the best singers, the best sportsmen, the best novels etc.)

0.615

SMG1 SMG2 SMG3

Self-monitoring

I usually worry about making a good impression

I am concerned about the way I present myself when in the presence of others I am concerned what other customers think of me during shopping

0.693

NTE1 NTE2 NTE3

Need to Evaluate

I have many more opinions than the average person I pay a lot of attention to whether things are good or bad I am pretty much considerate to many important issues

0.648

MCM1 MCM2 MCM3

Money Conservatism

My family/friends consider me to use my money very carefully I budget my money very well

I am proud of my ability to save

0.770

CPK1 CPK2 CPK3

Consumers’ Perceived Knowledge

I have a lot of knowledge on most products

My friends/relatives often consult me before shopping

I make satisfactory retail purchases based only on my own knowledge

0.782

AGO1 AGO2

Approach Goal Orientation

I am eager and excited to go shopping

I look forward and am thrilled at the prospect of going shopping 0.965

AOR1 AOR2 AOR3

Anticipated Outcome Regret

I tend to regret buying certain products because it was not as important to me as I thought it would be I wish I hadn’t bought some products because it is now useless to me

I tend to regret some purchases because I did not need the product

0.794

APR1 APR2 APR3

Anticipated Process Regret Due to Change in Significance

I feel I do not put enough consideration into buying a product With more effort, I feel I could have made better shopping decisions I regret not putting enough thought into previous shopping decisions

0.826

NAT1 NAT2 NAT3 NAT4

Need for Affective Touch

When walking through stores, I can't help touching all kinds of products Touching products can be fun

I like to touch products even if I have no intention of buying them When browsing in stores, I like to touch lots of products

0.821

NCT1 NCT2 NCT3 NCT4

Need for Cognitive Touch

I place more trust in products that can be touched before purchase I feel more comfortable purchasing a product after physically examining it If I can't touch a product in the store, I am reluctant to purchase the product The only way to make sure a product is worth buying is to actually touch it

0.694

IBG1 IBG2 IBG3

Impulse Buying

I buy things I do not need I buy things I did not plan to buy I consider myself an impulse purchaser

0.831

DSN1 DSN2

Decision Satisfaction

I find the process of deciding which product/items to buy satisfying in a retail store I find the process of deciding which product to buy interesting

0.876 CSN1

CSN2

Consumption Satisfaction

On hindsight, my choices during shopping turn out better than expected I am usually satisfied with my purchases in a retail store

0.724 BLY1

BLY2

Brand Loyalty

I generally buy the same brands that I have previously bought I do not change brands frequently

0.904 ORT1

ORT2

Outcome Regret Due to Over-consideration

I waste too much time making shopping decisions I think I put too much thought in the buying process

0.953

Note: The Appendix provides an overview of the main questionnaire.