The Relationship between Consumers’ Product Knowledge and Design Newness:

A Case Study of the Electronic Vehicle’s Design

Abstract

This paper demonstrates the effect of design newness on consumers’ purchase intention, based on a survey research of electronic vehicles. In particular, we focus on the following two points. First, we examine design newness constructs and validates their multidimensionality as well as their effects on consumer preferences. Second, we examine the differences in the influence of design newness on two groups of consumers, classified by various levels of product knowledge. The results of this study highlight that design newness may be categorized into emotional design newness and functional design newness, and that these exert a different influence on the purchase intention of consumers, depending on their level of product knowledge. Therefore, the paper concludes that firms should consider the difference in these effects in formulating product strategies.