Decision… by smartphone

Song and Sela reports that “compared with using a personal computer (PC), making choices using a personal smartphone leads consumers to prefer more unique options. The authors theorize that because smartphones are considerably more personal and private than PCs, using them activates intimate self-knowledge and increases private self-focus, shifting attention toward individuating personal preferences, feelings, and inner states. Consequently, making choices using a personal smartphone, compared with a PC, tends to increase the preference for unique and self-expressive options. . . . The findings have important implications for . . . many online vendors, brands, and researchers who use mobile devices to interact with their respective audiences.”

Camilla Song and Aner Sela.  “EXPRESS:  Phone and Self:  How Smartphone Use Increases Preference for Uniqueness.”  Journal of Marketing Research, in press, https://doi.org/10.1177/00222437221120404