Miracle in the evening: Explaining the boundary condition of consumer's self-control on purchase intention of near-expired products

Abstract

Due to consumers' misunderstanding of product expiration dates, huge amounts of food waste and retail losses have been recognized as a worldwide problem. This research explores a solution to mitigate such waste and losses in the consumer purchase decision-making process of near-expiry products. Drawing from the literature on expiration date-based pricing (EDBP) and self-control, we propose that consumers' purchase intention for near-expiry products vary depending on the time of day (morning vs. evening). The results from mixed methodologies, including an analysis of actual sales data from an online retailer (Study 1) and randomized controlled experimental studies (Studies 2 and 3), reveal that consumers are less sensitive to near-expiry products when purchasing EDBP products in the evening compared to the morning. Furthermore, we examine how self-control mediates the interaction effects of the nearness of the expiration date and the time of day on the purchase intention of near-expiry EDBP products. A novel perspective on understanding consumers’ dynamic evaluations of sales promotions over time and managerial implications for promotional strategies to promote products approaching their expiration date are discussed.