Effects of time pressure on tourists' sensory consumption via the mediating role of salient motivation

Abstract

AbstractThis article explores the effects of time pressure through an experiment together with a pre‐trip online survey. Through 405 samples, the results show that under time pressure, individuals prefer products or services with strong sensory stimulation in all five senses (i.e., gustatory, haptic, auditory, visual, and olfactory). Different from sensation seeking, sensory consumption is to measure preference for a certain sensory attribute of the same product. And salient motivation (i.e., desire for sensory contact) plays a mediating role in the effect of time pressure on strong sensory consumption. These findings provide insight into five sensory levels of consumer experience and put forward specific management implications for destinations.Practical ApplicationsTime pressure is a common subjective experience in our daily life. To find out what kind of product or service individuals may prefer under time pressure is very necessary. Our findings are particularly concerned with sensory consumption in tourism scenarios. Given that individuals prefer strong sensory stimulation under time pressure, marketers should formulate appropriate sensory intensity to meet individuals' psychological needs. For example, in tourism scenarios, some limited‐time tourism projects could increase more strong sensory experience, and crowding attractions should be placed more strong sensory stimulations. And for travel software, 1‐day travel routes should be arranged with more strong sensory experience. This article, especially for the sensory consumption design of tourist destinations, provides practical guidance related to epidemics, busyness, and crowded attractions.