With the development of artificial intelligence, big data, and push technology, product information has taken on various forms, and online retailers are employing two strategies, scarcity/popularity clues and opportunity/cost-based promotion accessibility, to influence consumer purchase decisions. However, there has been little research on the effectiveness of these promotional strategies. In this paper, drawing on the scarcity heuristic model, we investigate, through three experiments, the impact of information cues and promotion accessibility on consumer’ perceptions of product quality, mediated by psychological ownership. The research findings indicate that, compared to popularity clues, consumers perceive higher product quality under scarcity clues. In the case of opportunitybased promotion accessibility, popularity clues promote a higher level of consumer perception of product quality compared to scarcity clues. In the case of cost-based promotion accessibility, scarcity clues promote a higher level of consumer perception of product quality. Psychological ownership of consumers acts as a mediator in the interaction between information cues and promotion accessibility, affecting consumers’ perception of product quality. This study not only explores the positive effects and underlying mechanisms of different types of information cues and promotion accessibility on customers’ perception of product quality in the online shopping context but also investigates the mediating role of psychological ownership in the impact pathways. This research contributes to enhancing the effectiveness of consumer shopping for businesses and platforms, creating a more appealing promotional environment and more attractive product information that consumers prefer.
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