From a Penny to Self-Disgust: How Cashback Rewards for Favorable Comments and Relationship Norms Affect Consumers’ Post-Purchase Behavioral Intentions

Sellers of platforms offering cashback rewards for favorable comments (hereinafter CRFC) to generate positive online reviews are ubiquitous. This research examines when and how a CRFC influences consumers’ post-purchase behavioral intentions regarding repurchase and recommendation. Anchoring on the relationship norms theory and casting light on consumers’ self-perceptions, the effect of a CRFC on consumers’ post-purchase behavioral intentions is contingent on the relationship norms. The findings of a pilot study and two experimental studies show that after a CRFC offer, communal consumers experienced lower post-purchase behavioral intentions than exchange consumers, and that consumers’ feeling of self-disgust is the mechanism underlying this interactive effect. Specifically, a CRFC is effective for exchange consumers but not for communal consumers because it triggers self-disgust in communal consumers. This paper thus reveals the mediating role of self-disgust in the interactive effect of CRFC and relationship norms on post-purchase behavioral intentions. The implications for sellers, platforms and consumers are discussed.