Consumer Behavior

Warm Glow of Gifts: Effects of Product Warmth, Channel, and Friendship Distance

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Abstract

Gift giving custom is an integral part of everyday life found in all societies. Many gifts, particularly between friends, are altruistic in its nature and are meant to communicate personal feelings. With increased online and mobile shopping activities, sending gifts electronically has become very common. The current study is designed to test the effects of gifting products with different warmth on happiness and relationship strength in different gifting contexts (i.e., two different digital channels and friendship distances). A 3(gift product warmth) x 2(communication channel) x 2(friendship distance) between-subject experiment was conducted.The results (N=215) supported the majority of hypotheses and confirmed the effectiveness of warm gifts delivered through the mobile channel.

How to Cite:

Im, H. & Whang, C. H., (2016) “Warm Glow of Gifts: Effects of Product Warmth, Channel, and Friendship Distance”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 73(1).