The antecedents and consequences of post-purchase dissonance among tourists purchasing souvenirs: The moderating role of gender, age, and time elapsed

Abstract

Souvenirs are found to significantly contribute to the revenues of tourist destinations. In this vein, there have been studies that examine tourist attitudes and motivations in relation to souvenir purchase decisions. It was observed that sometimes souvenir purchases lead to post-purchase dissonance (PPD), which in turn leads to disappointment. However, the literature pertinent to the examination of the relationship between souvenir attributes and souvenir purchase satisfaction through the lens of cognitive dissonance theory is scant. Further, there have been no studies examining the link between souvenir attributes and other critical managerial outcomes. This study aims to examine these relationships and contribute to the body of knowledge about these relationships. Further, the study also intends to examine the mediating role of PPD in the relationship between souvenir attributes and souvenir repurchase intention and destination revisit intention. In addition, the study aims to investigate the moderating effects of tourist gender, age and time elapsed with the souvenir in the above proposed relationships. This is done by applying the theory of tourism consumption systems (TCS). The results suggest that only two out of five souvenir attributes, collectability, and store attributes are positively related to post-purchase dissonance and collectability and functionality are positively related to souvenir purchase satisfaction. Additionally, the mediating effect of post-purchase dissonance was significant for collectability and store attributes. Further, age and time elapsed partially moderated the hypothesised relationships, while gender did not. Moreover, the study findings have significant implications for destination managers and academicians interested in developing strategies for souvenir marketing.