To Buy or Not to Buy: Predicting the Willingness to Buy from Creative Product Variables

To Buy or Not to Buy: Predicting the Willingness to Buy from Creative Product Variables

The Creative Product Analysis Model (CPAM) is a framework for understanding creativity in products. Correlation and Hierarchical Regression were used to test the variables of an assessment tool based on the CPAM, the Creative Product Semantic Scale (CPSS) as to their relationship to the criterion, a stated willingness to buy. The study, an extension of Besemer & O'Quin(1999), explored the question of which, if any, creative product variables could be used to predict stated intention to purchase products. The analysis was repeated for each of four products, and in two different hierarchies, focusing on the importance of Novelty as opposed to the importance of Resolution and Elaboration & Synthesis variables. Results showed that Novelty is a poor predictor of consumers' stated willingness to buy. Much more important in the equation is perceived Value, and a demonstrated Elegance in the product's Style. Idea generation techniques that add Novelty can be a source of new product ideas.