Yi and colleagues assessed how societal conditions influence desired distances between products for sale; it is possible that their findings can be generalized more broadly. The Yi-lead team found “that consumers under disease threat are less willing to buy products presented in a dense display. This is because disease threat activates a high-density avoidance mindset, which is carried over to the way in which products are placed. Moreover, this effect is mitigated [reduced] when diseases are noninfectious or when disinfectant products are displayed. A set of four studies, which adopt lab and field settings, using different manipulations and measures, provide convergent evidence for these effects. . . . Study 4 provides real world evidence through a field experiment.”
Yanxi Yi, Wangshuai Wang, Sahar Karimi, Sotaro Katsumata, and Lu Meng. “Keeping Distance! How Infectious Disease Threat Lowers Consumers’ Attitudes Toward Densely Displayed Products.” Psychology and Marketing, in press, https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21996