The Effect of Cues on Consumers' Cognitive-Inference in Perspective of Beautification Items in Bangladesh

Abstract

"Consumers' cognitive inference" is an increasingly important topic in today's consumer behavior research. The consumers' cognitive inference is related to the extent of consumers' information search. The attitude has emerged in today's modern world due to the increased awareness of the importance to maintain beauty and sustain a lifestyle by using beautification products. From information processing perception, a product can be conceived as an array of cues where cues can be regarded as 'pieces of information'. This study investigates the influence of intrinsic and extrinsic cues, i.e., perceived brand image (PBI), perceived product price (PPP), perceived product ingredient (PPI), perceived product smell (PPS), perceived product expires date (PPED), perceived product size (PPSI), perceived side-effect (PSE), and perceived product color (PPC) on consumers' perception of product quality, value and cognitive inference for beautification items. It is hoped that the findings of this study will help consumer behavior researchers to extend their study about how consumers make their cognitive inference towards beautification items considering brand's extrinsic and intrinsic cues. It is a very difficult and complicated job to measure the consumers' cognitive inference. This study has developed some tentative question to measure the consumers' cognitive inference. The study has also answered the following questions: Q 1 a. Do intrinsic or extrinsic cues have a significant effect on consumers' judgment on perceived quality? Q 1 b. If there exists any significant influence, which among has/have the important effect? Q2a. Do intrinsic or extrinsic cues have a significant effect on consumers' judgment on perceived value? Q2b. If there exists any significant influence, which among has/have the important effect? Q3a. What are the exact roles of perceived quality and perceived value on consumers' cognitive inference? Q3b. If there exists any significant influence, which among has/have the important effect? Q4a. What are the exact roles of perceived quality and perceived value as mediating variables between the intrinsic and extrinsic cues and consumers' cognitive inference? Q4b. Are there any other mechanisms, such as, the direct effects of intrinsic and/or extrinsic cues on consumers' cognitive inference? The main purpose of this study is to examine the influence of cues on the consumers' cognitive inference. The first objective is to determine how intrinsic and extrinsic cues affect quality perception of a brand. The second objective is to determine how intrinsic and extrinsic cues affect perceived value of a brand. The third objective is to identify whether consumers' cognitive inference depend on consumers' perception of quality and value or not. Fourth objective is to determine the direct and indirect effects of the extrinsic and intrinsic cues on consumers' cognitive inference and to expose the combination of them which have the significant effects………………………………