{"title":"Product type and anticipated regret: The key to unlocking consumer upgrade intention","authors":"Xuan Zhang, Hanyu Chen, Yuki, Jianuo Ma, Nora","doi":"10.1002/cb.2326","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>As products are constantly updated, brands launch increasingly different versions thereof, and consumers frequently face upgrade choices. However, when and why consumers choose to upgrade has received limited attention. This article thus sheds new light on consumer upgrade intention by distinguishing a novel antecedent, product type (material vs. experiential). Three online studies with 642 participants from the US were conducted; we used <i>t</i>-tests and bootstrapped mediation analysis via PROCESS Model 4 to analyze the data. The results of these studies reveal that consumers are more likely to upgrade experiential products than material products. Moreover, this effect is mediated by a heightened sense of anticipated regret rather than upgrade degree or perceived product closeness. Specifically, consumers feel greater anticipated regret if they do not upgrade experiential products (vs. material products), which leads to their higher upgrade intentions toward experiential products. This research therefore significantly extends regret regulation theory, provides important insights into the relationship between product type and upgrade intention, and offers valuable knowledge for brands seeking to optimize their marketing strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":48047,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Consumer Behaviour","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.4000,"publicationDate":"2024-04-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Consumer Behaviour","FirstCategoryId":"91","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cb.2326","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"BUSINESS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
As products are constantly updated, brands launch increasingly different versions thereof, and consumers frequently face upgrade choices. However, when and why consumers choose to upgrade has received limited attention. This article thus sheds new light on consumer upgrade intention by distinguishing a novel antecedent, product type (material vs. experiential). Three online studies with 642 participants from the US were conducted; we used t-tests and bootstrapped mediation analysis via PROCESS Model 4 to analyze the data. The results of these studies reveal that consumers are more likely to upgrade experiential products than material products. Moreover, this effect is mediated by a heightened sense of anticipated regret rather than upgrade degree or perceived product closeness. Specifically, consumers feel greater anticipated regret if they do not upgrade experiential products (vs. material products), which leads to their higher upgrade intentions toward experiential products. This research therefore significantly extends regret regulation theory, provides important insights into the relationship between product type and upgrade intention, and offers valuable knowledge for brands seeking to optimize their marketing strategies.
随着产品的不断更新,品牌推出的版本也越来越多,消费者经常面临升级的选择。然而,消费者何时以及为何选择升级却很少受到关注。因此,本文通过区分产品类型(物质型与体验型)这一新颖的前因,为消费者的升级意向提供了新的视角。我们对来自美国的 642 名参与者进行了三项在线研究,并通过 PROCESS 模型 4 使用 t 检验和引导中介分析法对数据进行了分析。研究结果表明,与物质产品相比,消费者更倾向于升级体验产品。此外,这种效应是由预期遗憾感的增强而非升级程度或感知到的产品亲近感所促成的。具体来说,如果消费者不升级体验型产品(相对于物质型产品),他们会感到更大的预期遗憾,这导致他们对体验型产品有更高的升级意愿。因此,这项研究极大地扩展了后悔调节理论,为产品类型与升级意向之间的关系提供了重要见解,并为品牌寻求优化其营销策略提供了有价值的知识。
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Consumer Behaviour aims to promote the understanding of consumer behaviour, consumer research and consumption through the publication of double-blind peer-reviewed, top quality theoretical and empirical research. An international academic journal with a foundation in the social sciences, the JCB has a diverse and multidisciplinary outlook which seeks to showcase innovative, alternative and contested representations of consumer behaviour alongside the latest developments in established traditions of consumer research.