Innovativeness and aspirational appeal as drivers of market mavens in self-care product trials

Abstract

Orientation: Drawing from the notable and malleable nature of market mavenism, this study seeks to identify consumer innovativeness and aspirational attractiveness as the underlying stimulants of mavenship behaviour, albeit they are unique to the context of self-care products.

Research purpose: The research article aimed to examine the influence of consumer innovativeness and aspirational attractiveness as market mavenness stimulants for self-care products’ trial within a South African context.

Motivation for the study: The study examines the internal borderline conditions that offer a more sophisticated understanding of how marketers can encourage innate and desired attributions as pre-conditions of consumers’ trial probability towards self-care products.

Research design, approach and method: This study utilised a self-administered survey whereby a multi-item questionnaire was nominated as the instrument of choice. Specifically, a quantitative, cross-sectional study was employed, followed by both descriptive and correlational research designs. The snowball sampling method yielded N = 475 female market mavens, representing those eliciting high mavenship behaviour.

Main findings: Using the regression model, the study found that consumer innovativeness and aspirational attractiveness explained 68.2% of the variance in market mavenness.

Practical/managerial implications: The research findings add to the scant research in developing countries, such as South Africa, by making inferences that the standardisation of any new product can be enhanced by trial probability feasibility by deploying altruistic mavens who are knowledgeable and trusted by consumers.

Contribution/value-add: The pertinent recommendations for practice included advancing the scope of market mavenness as it forms part of formal marketing strategies, as well as being a fundamental differentiator among consumer products because of the direct engagement with customers.