The role of novelty in consumer curiosity by product type

Purpose This study explores the joint effect of product novelty and experiential novelty on consumer-specific curiosity, particularly for high-involvement utilitarian and hedonic products. Unlike prior research that examined these novelties separately, this study investigates their synchronous adoption to understand how novelty management influences consumer curiosity. Design/methodology/approach Two experiments tested the effect of product and/or experiential novelty on consumer curiosity across product types (utilitarian or hedonic). A pilot study (N = 48) validated the hedonic vs utilitarian nature of the selected products. Study 1 (N = 322) examined novelty effects for a utilitarian product (refrigerator), while Study 2 (N = 707) tested the same effects for a hedonic product (photograph). Findings For utilitarian products, neither form of novelty alone significantly increases curiosity, but their combination creates a synergistic effect. For hedonic products, all types of novelty (product, experiential or both) enhance curiosity, confirming hedonic consumers’ attraction to novelty-driven experiences. Research limitations/implications The study is limited to online shopping contexts. Future research should explore physical retail settings, longitudinal effects and moderators such as consumer innovativeness or sensation-seeking. Practical implications For utilitarian products, brands and retailers should combine product novelty with immersive experiential novelty (e.g. augmented reality). For hedonic products, brands and retailers could develop any types of novelty to elicit curiosity. There is therefore greater organizational flexibility in innovation projects for hedonic products. Originality/value This research refines theories of curiosity, innovation adoption and product categorisation, emphasising that novelty’s effectiveness depends on context and product type (utilitarian or hedonic).