Consumer Experiences and Emotion Management

Chapter 4

Emotions and Group Behavior

Introduction

Consumer markets are characterized by constantly growing market ­saturation, exchangeability of products, and an overload of information for the consumers. Therefore, marketing strategies try to differentiate markets psychologically, for example, by experience-oriented strategies. Addressing the consumer is consequently becoming more personal, and communication is co-determined by emotions. In business-to-business markets, practitioners like to confirm that emotional decision criteria like credibility, confidence, continuity of customer-contacts, and personal relationships are constantly gaining significance through oligopolistic market structures with a matured quality-supply. However, there ...