Origin versus Substance: Competing Determinants of Disruption in Duplication Technologies

Abstract

Abstract Contemporary developments in material duplication promise product alternatives that are physically and sensorially indistinguishable from incumbent offerings. When fully realized, such duplicate offerings should obsolete the incumbents as a consequence of wider availability and lower monetary and social costs. Disruption will be impeded, however, if consumers favor incumbent products on the basis of non-material qualities. The authors show that the influence of such qualities depends on both the product category and characteristics of the consumer. In particular, when a creator is central to the product and when the consumer is inclined toward extraordinary beliefs, the influence of origin looms especially large. By contrasting origin and substance, the present research exposes dualistic thinking in consumers’ product evaluations, enriches prior research on authenticity and extraordinary beliefs, and contributes to the stubborn problem of technology adoption.

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