Newswise — A recent publication in the Journal of Marketing by researchers from the University of St. Gallen and Columbia Business School explores the correlation between the perceived significance of manual work and the likelihood of embracing autonomous products.
The upcoming research article in the Journal of Marketing, authored by Emanuel de Bellis, Gita Venkataramani Johar, and Nicola Poletti, is titled "Influence of Manual Labor on Consumer Acceptance of Autonomous Products."
As consumers delegate tasks like home cleaning and lawn mowing to autonomous products, such as robot vacuums and cooking machines, there is a growing concern regarding whether these gadgets deprive individuals of meaningful experiences. While these products operate without human oversight and free consumers from mundane chores, anecdotal evidence suggests that people derive a sense of satisfaction from completing household tasks themselves.
The latest research reveals that despite the undeniable advantages in terms of efficiency and convenience, autonomous products inadvertently remove a source of personal meaning from individuals' lives. Consequently, consumers exhibit hesitation when it comes to purchasing these products.
The researchers assert that manual labor plays a significant role in providing meaning in life. This perspective aligns with previous studies indicating that everyday tasks, even if they don't necessarily bring happiness, contribute to the overall significance of our lives. According to de Bellis, the findings of their studies demonstrate that the "meaning of manual labor" leads consumers to reject autonomous products. Specifically, these consumers tend to hold more negative attitudes toward autonomous products and are more inclined to perceive the disadvantages of such products outweighing their advantages.
Highlight Saving Time for Other Meaningful Tasks
While autonomous products diminish the amount of manual labor and consequently the potential for deriving meaning from such tasks, they also create opportunities for consumers to allocate their time to other potentially more meaningful activities. The researchers propose that companies should emphasize alternative sources of meaning in life, such as family or hobbies, to mitigate the negative impact on the adoption of autonomous products. By highlighting these alternative sources at the time of the adoption decision, companies can help counteract consumers' reluctance and encourage the acceptance of autonomous products. Johar suggests that drawing attention to these alternative sources of meaning will reduce consumers' reliance on deriving meaning solely from manual tasks.
Indeed, many autonomous technologies offer a significant value proposition by freeing up time for individuals. For instance, iRobot highlights that their Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner can save owners up to 110 hours of cleaning per year. Some companies take it a step further by suggesting how consumers can utilize their newly gained time. Vorwerk, a German home appliance company, promotes its cooking machine Thermomix by emphasizing "more family time" and the idea that the Thermomix takes care of the work, allowing individuals to make time for what truly matters. Instead of solely focusing on the quality of task completion, such as cooking a delicious meal, the company highlights the opportunity for consumers to engage in other activities that are arguably more meaningful to them.
This study highlights the significance of the perceived meaning of manual labor (MML), a newly introduced concept by the researchers, in predicting the adoption of autonomous products. Poletti explains that consumers with a high MML are more inclined to resist the delegation of manual tasks to autonomous products, regardless of whether these tasks hold central importance to their identity. Marketers can begin by dividing consumers into high and low MML categories as a segmentation strategy. Unlike other personality variables that require complex psychometric scales for reliable measurement, the extent of consumers' MML can potentially be assessed through simple observations of their behavioral characteristics. For example, their preference for manual tasks like handwashing dishes or driving a manual transmission car, as well as their engagement in activities and hobbies such as woodworking, cooking, painting, or fishing, can serve as likely indicators of high MML. Similarly, companies can gauge consumer interest by measuring social media likes for activities and hobbies involving manual labor. Additionally, practitioners can directly inquire about the degree of meaningfulness consumers associate with manual versus cognitive tasks. By segmenting consumers based on their MML, marketers can more effectively target and tailor their messages and strategies accordingly.
In promotional efforts, companies can emphasize the meaningful time that consumers gain by using autonomous products. For example, they can convey messages like "this product enables you to dedicate your time to more meaningful tasks and pursuits instead of cleaning." Such interventions can help mitigate the negative impact of the meaning of manual labor on the adoption of autonomous products. By highlighting the value of time freed up by these products, companies can address consumers' concerns about losing meaningful experiences and encourage them to embrace the benefits of autonomous technologies.
RSS