The Ambivalent Consumer: A Sequential Investigation of Response Amplification in Buyer-Seller Encounters

Abstract

Consumers have become increasingly skeptical about salespeople’s persuasion attempts. Nonetheless, during the decision-making process, consumers depend on the aid of salespeople because of their knowledge. This dependence can result in consumer ambivalence toward the sales encounter—consumers may feel torn between their distrust and suspicion toward salespeople, and yet they need their help and expertise to make an informed decision. Using both qualitative and sequential experimental methods, we investigate how ambivalence manifests itself in the buyer-seller encounter, how and when it can be reduced, and its effect on attitudes and intent to purchase. Our results demonstrate that positive message amplification can be a potential help but also a hindrance in the initial buyer-seller encounter. Specifically, we found that ambivalent consumers responded more favorably to positive information provided by the salesperson after the interaction. This result may have emerged because consumers are more skeptical of salespeople and their guard is up when interacting with such individuals.