EXPRESS: The Glossy Premium: Effects of Product Glossiness on Consumer Judgments of First-Hand and Second-Hand Products

Consumers demonstrate a preference for products with glossy surfaces. This research examines how and why product glossiness influences consumers’ product preference in the first-hand versus second-hand markets. Six studies demonstrate that consumers generally prefer products with a glossy, as opposed to a matte, surface in both first-hand and second-hand markets. The preference for product glossiness is driven by the heightened recency (pristineness) perception of glossy products in the first-hand (second-hand) market. In addition, in line with these mechanisms, the positive effect of product glossiness on consumer preference is reversed for time-enhanced products (i.e., product quality and value improve with age) in the first-hand market and diminished when diagnostic prior product usage information is available to consumers in the second-hand market. Findings in this research contribute to a deeper understanding of visual marketing and product newness by verifying how visual glossiness induces two different interpretations of product newness in the first-hand and second-hand markets. This research offers practical implications for product design and presentation in the first-hand market, as well as refurbishing and resale strategies in the second-hand market, suggesting ways to communicate a consistent brand image and enhance product preference more effectively.