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Consumer interpretations of digital ownership in the book market

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Abstract

Technological advances in electronic markets, particularly product digitization, have transformed customer-product interactions. For example, altered ownership perceptions in the digital domain affect product acquisition, usage and disposition. This study’s goal is to explore how consumers conceptualize ownership of digital possessions in order to help marketers develop tailored positioning and commercialization strategies. Comparing physical books and e-books, we contribute to the literature on electronic markets, which neglects a consumer-focused perspective on digital possessions. Using focus groups with U.S. consumers, we identify six themes surrounding perceptions of psychological digital ownership, which mainly portray a constricted sense of ownership, limiting usage experience, and value perceptions. However, we also find that ease of disposition favors e-book usage. Typical assumptions about younger consumers’ preference for digital products were not supported. Based on our findings, we offer two managerial approaches: (1) enhancing the digital product experience or (2) emancipating digital products from their physical correlates.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Retailing & Consumer Sciences, University of Arizona, 650 N Park Ave, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA

    Sabrina V. Helm & Silvia Van Riper

  2. Take Charge America Institute, University of Arizona, 650 N Park Ave, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA

    Victoria Ligon

  3. Department of Marketing, Towson University, 8000 York Road, Towson, MD, 21252, USA

    Tony Stovall

Authors
  1. Sabrina V. Helm
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  2. Victoria Ligon
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  3. Tony Stovall
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  4. Silvia Van Riper
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Correspondence to Sabrina V. Helm.

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Responsible Editor: Ulrike Baumöl

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Helm, S.V., Ligon, V., Stovall, T. et al. Consumer interpretations of digital ownership in the book market. Electron Markets 28, 177–189 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-018-0293-6

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