The Use of Cues Depends on Goals: Store Reputation Affects Product Judgments When Social Identity Goals Are Salient

The role that a given cue plays in consumer judgments depends on the motive that is salient for the consumer. We focus on store reputation as a cue whose utilization can depend on salient goals. Research has suggested that store reputation does not influence product judgments when brand and price information are available. In 3 experiments, however, we show that when social identity goals are salient or are perceived as relevant to the product, store reputation (because it conveys image-relevant information) is used in evaluations of product quality. Specifically, store reputation has an impact on product judgments when either (a) consumers’ social-image goals are directly heightened or (b) an interdependent self-construal, characterized by a greater concern with social identity, is salient. The role of product type in moderating these effects is also examined.