RATIONALITY IN THE SHADOW OF EMOTIONS: AN ANALYSIS OF CONSUMER REVIEWS ON CAT FOOD FROM A BEHAVIORAL FINANCE PERSPECTIVE

Year 2025, Volume: 18 Issue: 3, 738 - 769, 29.09.2025

Hatice Ferek Bulut

Abstract

This study aims to examine online user reviews of cat food products within the framework of behavioral finance theory, revealing that consumer decisions are shaped not only by rational foundations but also by emotional tendencies. A total of 600 user comments on the two most preferred cat food products on Trendyol, one of Turkey’s leading e-commerce platforms, were analyzed using directed qualitative content analysis via MAXQDA Analytics Pro 2024 software. During the analysis process, five main themes—Anthropomorphism, Emotional Investment, Functional Evaluation, Protectiveness and Risk Perception, and Value Attribution—along with their respective subcodes, were developed based on the behavioral finance literature. The findings indicate that users attribute human characteristics to their cats and consider their emotions, preferences, and health conditions; in this context, emotional factors such as attachment, pursuit of happiness, and risk avoidance stand out in product evaluations. While measurable functional elements also play a role, emotional themes were found to be more dominant in the reviews. In this respect, the study analyzes online user-generated content (e-WOM) through a behavioral finance perspective and offers a theoretically meaningful contribution to this unique intersectional field focused on the emotional dimensions of consumer decision-making processes.

Keywords

Behavioral Finance , Electronic Word-of-Mouth (e-WOM) Marketing , Online Customer Reviews , Consumer Behavior , Pet Products

DUYGULARIN GÖLGESİNDE RASYONALİTE: KEDİ MAMALARINA İLİŞKİN TÜKETİCİ YORUMLARININ DAVRANIŞSAL FİNANS PERSPEKTİFİNDEN ANALİZİ

Abstract

Bu çalışma, kedi maması ürünlerine yönelik çevrim içi kullanıcı yorumlarını davranışsal finans kuramı çerçevesinde analiz ederek, tüketici kararlarının yalnızca rasyonel temellere değil, aynı zamanda duygusal eğilimlere dayalı olarak şekillendiğini ortaya koymayı amaçlamaktadır. Türkiye’nin önde gelen e-ticaret platformlarından Trendyol’da en çok tercih edilen iki kedi mamasına ait toplam 600 kullanıcı yorumu, MAXQDA Analytics Pro 2024 yazılımı aracılığıyla yönlendirilmiş nitel içerik analizi yöntemiyle incelenmiştir. Analiz sürecinde, davranışsal finans literatürüne dayanılarak geliştirilen beş ana tema (Antropomorfizm, Duygusal Yatırım, Fonksiyonel Değerlendirme, Koruyuculuk ve Risk Algısı, Değer Atfetme) ve bunlara bağlı alt kodlar kullanılmıştır. Elde edilen bulgular, kullanıcıların kedilerine insanî özellikler atfederek onların duygularını, beğenilerini ve sağlık durumlarını dikkate aldıklarını; bu çerçevede aidiyet, mutluluk arayışı ve riskten kaçınma gibi duygusal faktörlerin ürün değerlendirmelerinde ön plana çıktığını göstermektedir. Ölçülebilir işlevsel unsurlar önemli bir yer tutsa da yorumlarda duygusal temaların daha baskın olduğu görülmüştür. Bu yönüyle çalışma, çevrim içi kullanıcı içeriklerini (e-WOM) davranışsal finans perspektifiyle analiz ederek, tüketici karar süreçlerinin duygusal boyutlarına odaklanan bu özgün kesişim alanına kuramsal düzeyde anlamlı bir katkı sunmaktadır.

Keywords

Davranışsal Finans , Elektronik Ağızdan Ağıza (E-WOM) Pazarlama , Çevrim İçi Müşteri Değerlendirmeleri , Tüketici Davranışı , Evcil Hayvan Ürünleri

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