A meta-analysis of the antecedents and consequences of perceived innovativeness: a customer-centric perspective

Purpose This paper investigates the main determinants and consequences of perceived innovativeness from a consumer perspective. The central aim is to reconcile the discrepancies found in prior research regarding the significance, magnitude and direction of the causal effects related to perceived innovativeness. Design/methodology/approach Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses protocol, we extracted data from 85 studies, 48,727 respondents and 262 elasticities. We performed Wilson's macro for SPSS (random-effects models) to test direct relationships and meta-analytic structural equation modelling on AMOS to test mediating effects. Data heterogeneity was explained using a meta-regression analysis. Findings Aesthetics and corporate social responsibility are recognized as the main drivers of perceived innovativeness from the consumer's standpoint. Perceived innovativeness induces eight consumer cognitive outcomes, four affective outcomes and eight behavioural outcomes. Similarly, the contribution of perceived innovativeness to enhance a firm's performance has been validated. Meta-regression analysis showed that consumers manifest less favourable reactions towards innovative services compared to tangible goods. Practical implications Managers are encouraged to invest more in socially responsible actions and aesthetics to promote their innovative image. Innovativeness contributes to engaging consumers in citizenship behaviours, prompting them to defend the firm's reputation and performance. Originality/value This study, to the best of our knowledge, is the first to provide an empirical review of the existing literature on perceived innovativeness from a consumer perspective.