Absence makes the heart grow fonder: The interactive effect of crowding information and spatial distance on consumers’ patronage intention

Abstract

Existing research has examined the influence of crowding on consumer behavior from an environmental cue perspective, with less attention given to its information cue function. To address the gap, based on construal level theory, this study investigated the impact of crowding information and geographic location on consumers' patronage intention. Through a pilot study and two experiments (wherein Study 1’s participants were recruited from China and Study 2's participants were recruited from the EU), this research reveals that crowding information and geographic location interactively influence consumers' patronage intention, with perceived scarcity driving this process. These findings contribute to the existing body of research on crowding and location-based service advertisements, and also offer valuable insights to companies on effectively utilizing crowding information and geographical targeting strategies in the design of advertisements.