Introduction
For a long time, firms have been improving product function, performance, price-performance ratio (hereinafter uniformly referred to as functional aspects of product design), and product appearance. Nevertheless, the current market situation is that many products in the same category are similar in quality, price and appearance. Product homogeneity leads to excess supply, and this situation is objectively long-standing. For consumers, positive emotions often play a key role in their purchase decisions. Yet, when most products seem to be similar, it is difficult to evoke more positive emotions of consumers to increase their willingness to pay. This paper shows that besides product appearance and functional aspects of product design, the connotations of product aesthetics should also be focused. In other words, aesthetic aspects of product design should include both product appearance and connotations. Connotations, as deep meaning inside product aesthetics, can evoke either consumers’ memories of the past or imagination of new creative ideas, or both (e.g., Starry night umbrella by MoMA Design Store, Sakura Masking Tape by Bande). Although the contents of memory recall or imagination might differ across consumers, positive emotions evoked in that process will increase willingness to pay. A new conceptual model is proposed in this paper, which shows that functional aspects, product appearance, and the connotations of product aesthetics could cause different psychological activities, and positive emotions evoked in those processes can enhance willingness to pay. When most products tend to be similar, the connotations of product aesthetics could be a promising area for firms today to make their products distinctive and increase their market share.
Product Design and Consumer Emotions
(1) Elements of Product Design
Product design is considered as the set of properties of a product, including both functional and aesthetic aspects (e.g., Homburg, Schwemmle, & Kuehnl, 2015; Jindal, Sarangee, Echambadi, & Lee, 2016; Luchs & Swan, 2011). Functional aspects of product design consist of function, performance, and price-performance ratio. Aesthetic aspects mainly refer to product appearance, consisting of visual elements such as color, shape, and material.
(2) Relationship between Product Design and Consumer Emotions
Previous research shows that functional aspects of product design could evoke positive emotions like satisfaction, and aesthetic aspects could please our senses and make us feel delight (e.g., Bloch 1995; Chitturi, Raghunathan, & Mahajan, 2008). Furthermore, Norman (2004) points out that emotional factors can be the key to the success of product design. If a product could evoke consumers’ positive emotions, those emotions would arouse willingness to pay. If not, consumers might not have the desire to buy it.
The Connotations of Product Aesthetics Evoking Positive Emotions of Consumers
As Barnard (2005) suggests, as the deep level of meaning, connotations refer to one’s feelings or thoughts caused by a design. This paper proposes that the connotations in product aesthetics could either remind consumers of their past experiences or trigger their imagination to think about new creative ideas, or both. Emotional resonance could be achieved and finally facilitate purchase behaviors. In our daily lives, there are many products that have not only beautiful appearances but also the connotations of product aesthetics. For instance, Starry Night Umbrella by MoMA Design Store (Figure 1). MoMA Design Store released an umbrella patterned with stars, the moon and the sky that swirl, which reminds consumers of the masterpiece The Starry Night (1889) by Vincent Van Gogh. When encountering this umbrella, consumers who love the works of Van Gogh will have positive emotions and a strong desire to buy it. Cherry Blossom Masking Tape by Bande (Figure 2). Bande, a Japanese masking tape brand, launched a masking tape with sakura (cherry blossom in Japanese) petals design. Its real-like floral design can remind consumers of spring or their own stories with cherry blossom and trigger their imagination to come up with lots of creative ideas such as using it to decorate their diaries, laptops, furniture, and so on. Besides the original function of tapes, the connotations inside product aesthetics could encourage consumers to think creatively and feel happy.
A Conceptual Model of Product Design, Positive Emotions, and Market Share
This paper proposes a conceptual model (Figure 3), showing that different aspects of product design can evoke consumer emotions and those positive emotions have a positive effect on willingness to pay. First, functional aspects of product design are very important. Consumers compare function, performance, and price-performance ratio among many products, which is considered as a process of rational thinking. Products with high qualities and affordable prices can make consumers feel satisfied. Positive emotions (E1) evoked by functional aspects can enhance the willingness to pay and bring firms market share (S1). Then, on the bases of functional aspects, firms use different colors, shapes, and materials to make product appearance attractive. Sophisticated appearances of products can please the senses of consumers and evoke positive emotions (E2). That could increase their desires to buy and bring more market share (S2) for firms. Nevertheless, these two parts are what most firms can do today. To make products distinctive, firms should add connotations into aesthetic aspects of product design, which can trigger consumers’ memory recall of their past experiences or their imagination of new creative ideas, or both. Although the contents of recall and imagination are different across consumer, the arousal of positive emotions (E3) will enhance willingness to pay and finally bring new market share (S3). Thus, two equations derived are as follows:
Positive Emotions = E1+E2+E3
Market share =S1+S2+S3
If firms take all these aspects of product design into consideration, their products will evoke consumers’ positive emotions adequately to increase willingness to pay, and help firms occupy more market share from fierce market competition.
General Discussions
On the market today, lots of products have beautiful appearances and seem to be similar in functional aspects of product design. To make products distinctive, this paper considers that firms should also attach importance to the connotations of product aesthetics. The connotations will remind consumers of their past experiences or let them imagine new creative ideas, or both. Positive emotions evoked during that process increase willingness to pay. That is a promising area for firms today to gain more consumers and new market share. Since the connotations of product aesthetics could be influenced by factors such as age and culture, it is important for marketers to investigate and analyze consumers’ understandings of aesthetics from different ages and cultures, then feed it back to designers to help them design successful products in the future.

• Jingyi Sun(Waseda University, Japan)