Effects of temporal features and product image zooming in online time scarcity deals: A construal fit account

Abstract

Time scarcity deals, which offer time-limited discounts, are prevalent in online shopping. These deals have two temporal aspects: deal time and lead time. Deal time, the remaining duration before the discount expires, signals scarcity and enhances the deal's appeal. In contrast, lead time, the delay between purchase and receipt/consumption, postpones gratification and diminishes the deal's attractiveness. This study proposes that as deal time and lead time fluctuate, they progressively bring consumers psychologically closer to the act of purchase/consumption. Drawing on construal level theory, we contend that firms can use image zooming as a digital tool to generate product images at various zoom levels and align with the psychological distances induced by deal time or lead time throughout the deal's availability. This strategy amplifies the positive effects of deal time and mitigates the negative impacts of lead time. Our research model is validated by data from three experiments. We discovered that (1) product image zooming affects consumers’ psychological proximity to an online deal; (2) when a deal with a short (long) deal/lead time is paired with a zoom-in (zoom-out) product image, deal evaluation and purchase intention increase; and (3) these effects are mediated by consumers’ “feeling right” experience during deal evaluation, which arises from a match between the construal levels prompted by the temporal feature and the product image. Theoretical contributions and managerial implications are discussed.