Understanding the effect of art infusion type on retail product shopping: An attention to the intervening role of customers’ financial wealth

What type of art infusion contributes more to positive product evaluation? The purpose of this study was to investigate the interaction effect of art infusion type (abstract vs. figurative artwork) and consumers' financial wealth on the attitude toward retailing products via aesthetic emotion. To this end, the two hypotheses was developed drawing upon (a) information-processing stage model of aesthetic processing and (b) theory of cultural capital. An experiment ( N = 500) was conducted to test the two hypotheses. The results of a moderated mediation analysis using process macro revealed that to high -income consumers, infusing abstract artwork provoked greater aesthetic emotion than infusing figurative artwork. Yet, to low -income consumers, infusing figurative artwork provoked greater aesthetic emotion than inserting abstract artwork. Further, product attitude served as a downstream consequence of aesthetic emotion. These findings enrich art infusion literature by presenting a new art infusion dimension (art infusion type), its boundary condition (consumers’ income level), and its consequence (product attitude). These findings also provide novel insights into how to leverage art infusion and consumer characteristics for product promotion. • This study presented the effect of art infusion type in retailing product shopping. • To high -income consumers, abstract art infusion led to greater aesthetic emotion. • To low -income consumers, figurative art infusion led to greater aesthetic emotion. • Product attitude served as a downstream consequence of aesthetic emotion. • Understanding consumer characteristics is critical to the art infusion effect.