The Completeness Heuristic: Product Shape Completeness Influences Size Perceptions, Preference, and Consumption

Journal of Marketing Research · 2014 · Volume 51 · Issue 1

Abstract

This research demonstrates the effect of the completeness of a product's shape on size perceptions, preference, and consumption quantities. The authors show that people estimate an incompletely shaped product to be smaller and, therefore, prefer it less in general than a completely shaped one of equal size and weight. They also find that the reduced size estimations for incompletely shaped products lead to increased consumption quantities of this type of item. Finally, the authors demonstrate that the “completeness heuristic” operates even when the incompletely shaped item has a larger primary dimension than its completely shaped counterpart.

Keywords

product shapes, packaging, consumption, retailing, public policy

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