Post-purchase Regret Research Articles

Why did I buy this? Examining the relationship between consumer ethnocentrism, celebrity endorsement and post-purchase regret

Why did I buy this? Examining the relationship between consumer ethnocentrism, celebrity endorsement and post-purchase regret

How violation of consumers’ expectations causes perceived betrayal and related behaviors: Theoretical perspectives from expectancy violation theory

Expectancy violation theory was used as a theoretical foundation to predict the influence of brands' norms violation, expectation violation, and moral violation in developing luxury brands' consumers' betrayals. We examined the perceived influence of betrayal on consumers' behaviors, such as vindictive complaining and retaliatory behavior. The present framework also checked the boundary effects of post-purchase regret on the impact of perceived betrayal on vindictive complaining and retaliatory behavior. Data was collected from 378 luxury brand consumers using a web-administered questionnaire. We applied PLS-SEM using SmartPLS 4.0. To analyze the data. Our results revealed that predictors, i.e., norm violation, expectation violation, and moral violation, positively develop consumers' perceived betrayal. Perceived betrayal significantly triggers vindictive complaining and retaliatory behavior. This research found that moderating effects of post-purchase regret strengthen the association between consumers’ betrayal and behavioral outcomes. We enrich our understanding of betrayal and consumer psychology, identifying how positive outcomes cause negative emotions in consumer behavioral responses and offering strategies for managers of luxury brands. We also acknowledge shortcomings and highlight future avenues for research.

Digital Post-Purchase Blues to Strategic Insights: A Bibliometrics-Based Systematic Review of Customer Purchase Regret

Deciphering the trends and evolutionary paths of the research on customers’ post-purchase regret in-side the business milieu is crucial for marketing research and application. The current study in-tends to present a succinct bibliometric review based on synthesising the research on customers’ regret. We followed a systematic, sequential and objective process to retrieve a literature corpus comprising 204 peer-reviewed articles from the Scopus database. The literature corpus was cleaned first and then ana-lysed using statistics-based techniques such as descriptive analysis, co-citation network analysis and keyword co-occurrence analysis. The analyses revealed (1) performance, revealing the most produc-tive constituents and trends of the domain and (2) science of the domain, resulting in five thematic clus-ters representing the domain’s intellectual structure: purchase decision and sales, decision-making and regret, post-purchase regret, and anticipated regret. This study provides crucial insights and pre-sents an agenda for research for future marketing scholars by comparing the recent advancements in the literature on consumerism with those in the wider marketing management literature.

Counterfeit Competition With Strategic Consumers

This article investigates competition between a branded firm selling a durable good over two periods and a deceptive counterfeiter entering the market in the second period. The two firms engage in a price signaling game in which the branded firm designs its price strategy over two periods, and strategic consumers decide whether to buy the authentic product upfront or wait until the second period. We find that the branded firm may benefit from the counterfeit competition if the quality gap between the two products is sufficiently large. The intuition is that the branded firm would charge a high second-period price to signal its authenticity, inducing more consumers to buy the genuine product upfront. This strategy allows the branded firm to increase its first-period price and demand simultaneously, thus effectively mitigating the time-inconsistency problem. Otherwise, when the quality gap is small, counterfeit competition leads to reduced profits for the authentic product. These results remain robust throughout several extensions of the base model, including partially informed or naive consumers, asymmetric retail channels, post-purchase regret, and endogenized counterfeit.

Determinants of Post-Purchase Regret: A Study of Compulsive Buying and Comnsumer Culture

The goal of the current study was to determine whether customers’ internal emotions—in this case, compulsive buying due to their primarily materialistic and status-oriented ideals—have an impact on their post-purchase regret. Post-purchase regret can also result from impulsive purchases made from outside sources, like bank card payments at retail establishments and sales promotions. Verifying Factor analysis (CFA) was employed in the research to evaluate the validity and reliability of the instruments. After applying structural equation modelling (SEM), we found that materialism had significant effects; zeal drove achievement, and possessions were viewed as the primary means of achieving pleasure and acquisition. Compulsive shopping had a significant impact on regret following a purchase. This shows that the internal factors that lead to post-invest regret in customers include compulsive behaviours associated with materialism and prestige consuming.

Osobine ličnosti, samopoštovanje i menstrualni ciklus kao korelati impulsivnosti potrošača i žaljenja

The paper examines consumer impulsiveness and post-purchase dissonance among female students as well as their relationship with personality traits, self-esteem and menstrual cycle. The study involved 253 female students pursuing Bachelor's, Master's and PhD degrees at the Faculty of Economics, Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Philosophy, Faculty of Technical Sciences and Faculty of Arts of the University of Priština in Kosovska Mitrovica. The instruments used in the study were the impulsiveness scale, the consumer regret scale, and the self-esteem scale. The analysis indicated that these are highly reliable instruments whose items can be regarded as homogeneous and representative. The results obtained show that consumer impulsiveness among the female students is at an average level, whereas the post-purchase regret is at a lower level compared to the theoretical average. In addition, a positive correlation was found between consumer impulsiveness and neuroticism, while self-esteem has a negative correlation with consumer impulsiveness and is its significant predictor. On the other hand, there is a negative relationship between post-purchase regret and cooperativeness, conscientiousness, openness to experience, and self-esteem. Conscientiousness and self-esteem can also be identified as predictors of post-purchase regret among female students, with self-esteem having a greater independent contribution.

Disentangling consumers’ negative reactions to impulse buying in the context of in-app purchase: Insights from the affect-behavior-cognition model

Deciphering how consumers react to impulse purchases is vital for sellers to bolster consumers’ post-purchase experience and induce subsequent purchase behavior. Contextualized to in-app purchases, this study draws on the Affect-Behavior-Cognition (ABC) model to disentangle the relationships among distinct categories of negative post-purchase reactions and the moderating influence of product appeal on these relationships. Empirical data was collected from an online survey of 376 in-app buyers and Covariance-Based Structural Equation Modelling (CB-SEM) was employed to validate the research model. Analytical results indicate that awareness of breakdown in self-control exerts a positive effect on post-purchase regret while regret positively impact the negative emotions of anger and guilt, both of which in turn drive the concealment of purchased good or service. In-app product appeal is discovered to reinforce the relationships between regret and anger/guilt as well as the relationship between anger and concealment while simultaneously attenuating the relationship between guilt and concealment. This study sheds light on impulsive in-app purchases by delivering a deeper understanding of the interdependencies among constituent post-purchase reactions in the context of in-app impulse buying.

Optimal return shipping insurance policy with consumers' anticipated regret

We study return shipping insurance (RSI) policies prevalent on platforms such as JD.com and Taobao.com. Retailers on those platforms can purchase and provide RSI for consumers (RRSI) or offer an option for consumers to buy RSI themselves (CRSI). With either RSI, consumers will be partially compensated by an insurer for their shipping fees associated with product returns. As the consumers' uncertainty about product fit is realized only after purchase, their decisions whether to purchase CRSI may lead to postpurchase regret. Considering these anticipated regret behaviors, we investigate the optimal RSI policy for a monopolistic online retailer and an insurer. We show that the retailer offers RRSI only if the retailer's return handling cost is relatively low and consumers' return shipping cost is in an intermediate range; otherwise, the consumers' strong propensity for uninsured regret may stimulate them to purchase CRSI. Under the optimal RRSI policy, the retailer always charges a higher product price than under no RSI, and surprisingly the consumer demand could expand. In contrast, under the optimal CRSI policy, the retailer always sets a lower product price, but resulting in consumer demand shrinkage. Counterintuitively, CRSI may become a “win‐win‐win” policy for the retailer, insurer, and consumers.

Moderating Role of Worth of Win-Back Offer on the Relationship of Post Purchase Regret, Relational Bonds, and Prior Experience with Switch Back Intentions Among Prepaid Mobile Subscribers

Research on customer switch back intention in the telecommunication sector provides insights into customer behaviour, identifies key drivers, assesses satisfaction levels, evaluates competitors, enhances customer retention strategies, and enables predictive analytics. Such research is crucial for telecommunication companies to understand their customers better, improve their offerings, and effectively retain customers in a highly competitive market. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the impact of post-purchase regret, relational bonds, and prior experience on switch back intentions among prepaid mobile subscribers. Additionally, it examines the moderating role of the worth of win-back offer on this relationship. The study employs Attribution Theory as a theoretical framework to develop and test the research model. Data were collected from 345 prepaid mobile subscribers, and the structural equation modelling technique was used for data analysis. Results indicate that post-purchase regret, relational social capital, and prior experience have a significant impact on switch back intentions. The study also finds that the worth of win-back offer moderates the relationship between prior experience and switch back intentions. However, it does not moderate the relationship between post-purchase regret and switch back intentions. These findings provide valuable insights for mobile service providers to understand the factors that influence customers' switch back intentions and to develop effective win-back strategies..

Cyber-Addiction and its impact on post-purchase regret: FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out)

Cyber-Addiction and its impact on post-purchase regret: FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out)

Coparticipant effect in group buying: How coparticipant response speeds affect consumer postpurchase regret?

The introduction of consumer-initiated models with small group size has increased the popularity of group buying. With lower size requirements for forming buying groups, more impulsive buying is facilitated while more postpurchase regret is spawned. Consumer postpurchase regret not only poses challenges to the coordination of group buying but may also eventually lead to merchant losses. Therefore, understanding the factors that may affect consumer postpurchase regret in group-buying contexts is crucial. Drawing on observational learning theory and expectancy disconfirmation theory, the present study focuses on how the response speeds of group-buying campaign coparticipants intertwined with publicly available information of group-buying deals (i.e., the deal popularity and expected savings) to affect campaign initiators' postpurchase regret. Through secondary data analysis and a laboratory experiment, we find that a lower coparticipant response speed is associated with a higher likelihood of the initiator experiencing postpurchase regret. In addition, when deals have a higher level of popularity, this effect is amplified. Our findings demonstrate the potential importance of considering the coparticipant effect to discourage negative consumer behavior in group-buying contexts.

The double side of flow in regret and product returns: Maximizers versus satisficers

While the positive aspects of the flow state have been widely researched, the effects of being aware of this state and the negative consequences still need to be explored. The loss of awareness that flow state may bring can lead to the purchase of products that consumers afterward regret and want to return them. This research aims to understand flow consciousness's effect on consumer post-purchase regret from a dual perspective (process and outcome regret). The relevance of these relationships is also examined by analyzing the differences between 2 groups: maximizers and satisficers consumers. Through a structural equation model based on covariances tested with EQS 6.4, the results show that flow consciousness generates process regret but not outcome regret. However, the differences found between the two groups are worth noting. The research sheds light on the effect of flow consciousness on regret and provides insight into the mechanism of product return through post-purchase regret. The theoretical and managerial implications for e-commerce retailers are discussed.

The Effect of Time-Limited Promotion on E-Consumers’ Public Self-Consciousness and Purchase Behavior

This paper explores the relationship between consumers’ public self-consciousness, purchase behavior, post-purchase regret, and time-limited promotions in e-commerce. Time-limited flash sales have become a common promotion strategy in e-commerce, particularly in China, the largest e-commerce market. Firstly, the effect of public self-consciousness on consumers’ impulsive purchase tendency and post-purchase regret is examined. Secondly, this paper extends the scope of previous studies and investigates how time pressure affects the relationships between self-consciousness, impulsive buying tendency, and post-purchase regret. Data were gathered via an anonymous online survey of 580 online shoppers and subjected to empirical analysis including validity testing and ANOVA. The results provide both practical and theoretical contributions to existing models and offer empirical evidence showing the positive relationships between public self-consciousness and impulse buying, between public self-consciousness and post-purchase regret, and between impulse buying and post-purchase regret.

Consumer search with anticipated regret

Uncertainty before purchase often gives rise to postpurchase emotions that consumers might anticipate when making purchase decisions. Our study investigates how consumers' anticipated postpurchase regret affects their optimal search behavior and how this affects firms' price and assortment competition. The key tension considered in this study is that consumers balance between saving the cost of product evaluation by searching less and alleviating the potential postpurchase regret on their purchase by searching more. We use a classical sequential search framework to examine this key tension. Our results show that anticipated regret encourages more intense search across competitive alternatives, leading to an intensified price competition when search depth is exogenous (searching a fixed number of attributes) or when search depth is endogenous but full‐depth search (inspecting all attributes) emerges (with high regret intensity). However, when search depth is endogenous but partial‐depth search (inspecting a subset of attributes) emerges (with low regret intensity), the blessing effect of anticipated regret on softening firms' price competition begins to emerge. In addition, anticipated regret can achieve a “win‐win‐win” situation for consumers, firms, and the social planner. Moreover, multiproduct firms use different competitive devices with different levels of regret intensity: When regret intensity is low (high), firms focus on assortment (price) competition to retain consumers. The relevant managerial implications are discussed.

Self-Esteem, Risk-version and Post Purchase Regrets: Moderating effect of Demographics in Sri Lankan Shopping Malls

Mall shopping is a dynamic trend in today's marketplace where the mall owners highly focus on delighting their consumers. Post-purchase regret is one of the critical areas investigated in consumer satisfaction theories. Though many studies have been focused on post-purchase regrets, very few studies have been focused on moderating the effect of customer demographics. As a result, this study was designed to investigate the effect of selected demographics on customers’ self-esteem and risk-aversion perceptions of experiences at malls. The available literature was thoroughly referred to as design studying hypotheses for the investigation. Data were collected by following an online survey based on a structural questionnaire targeting people who experienced mall shopping in 2020. After verifying the sample's reliability and validity, the collected valid responses (349) were considered for the analysis. The analysis results indicated a moderating effect of career and the consumer's monthly income on the relationship between post-purchase regret and self-esteem. On the other hand, the demographics such as age, gender, marital status, occupation, and monthly income of the consumer were found as moderators for the relationship between post-purchase regret and risk-aversion of the consumer. Based on the findings, relevant recommendations were discussed to improve the customer experience at malls. DOI : https://doi.org/10.54663/2182-9306.2022.v10.n18.151-185

Should I buy or not? Revisiting the concept and measurement of panic buying.

Following various precautionary measures as executed by the government to curb the transmission of COVID-19, erratic changes in the form of temporary lockdowns and movement restrictions have created an emergency phenomenon—panic buying. While such consequence has emerged as a timely and relevant topic, reviewed literature indicate an apparent oversight for portraying panic buying through the perspectives of impulsive and compulsive consumptions. Given the gap in the association between panic buying and consumers’ emotional aspects within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, this study aspires to develop a contemporary measurement that accurately defines panic buying as a research variable. A combined methodology was hereby adopted, with the employment of qualitative inquiries towards the scale development of panic buying. Following this, quantitative data as collected from a total sample of 600 respondents through an online survey was analysed via both SPSS and AMOS statistical software towards scale assessment and hypothesis testing. Obtained findings uncovered the direct significance of both personal (fear, perceived risk, and perceived scarcity) and social (word-of-mouth and social media) factors on panic buying during the pandemic, whilst having indirect significance on the ensuing post-purchase regret. Impulsivity was further confirmed to exert a substantial moderating impact on the correlation between panic consumption and post-purchase emotional distress. Implications of the study are ultimately discussed.

To Buy or Not to Buy Foreign Currency: The Interplay between Fear of Missing Out, Unplanned Buying Behavior and Post-Purchase Regret

Since last six months, there has been an increase in foreign currency buying behaviors of individuals to protect the value of their assets due to dramatic increase in the value of foreign currencies against Turkish liras. However, besides the increase in the value of foreign currency against Turkish liras, the interactions among individuals stimulate them to purchase foreign currencies. In this context, the objective of the research is to explore the interplay between fear of missing out, unplanned buying behavior and post-purchase regret with respect to foreign currency buying behavior. Herein, fear of missing out is set as an independent variable; whereas unplanned buying behavior is determined as a variable that mediates the linkage between fear of missing out and post-purchase regret. The data are gained from 392 participants by employing convenience sampling. In an attempt to explore the proposed links between the variables, structural equation modelling is utilized. The findings report that fear of missing out significantly and positively influences unplanned foreign currency buying behavior of individuals and their post-purchase regret; while unplanned foreign currency buying behavior significantly and positively influences their post-purchase regret towards buying foreign currency. Besides, the findings indicate that unplanned foreign currency buying behavior partially mediates the link between fear of missing out and post-purchase regret. Overall, by shedding a light on understanding foreign currency buying behavior of individuals in last six months, the results of the study also contribute to individuals to realize their future foreign exchange buying behavior in a more planned way.

Brand betrayal, post-purchase regret, and consumer responses to hedonic versus utilitarian products: The moderating role of betrayal discovery mode

Drawing on regret theory and the product-type literature, it is argued that emotions elicited during hedonic product consumption reduce the negative consequences of regret and brand betrayal, by amplifying consumers’ cognitive regret-regulation and attenuating behavioral regret-coping. An empirical survey of 807 participants who faced post-purchase regret as a result of brand betrayal supports the stronger (vs. weaker) emotional and behavioral effects of utilitarian (vs. hedonic) products. The findings reveal that brand betrayal for utilitarian (vs. hedonic) products leads to stronger (vs. weaker) feelings of regret. Further, the discovery of betrayal from others (vs. personal experience) intensifies the effect of brand betrayal, which is stronger for utilitarian (vs. hedonic) products. Moreover, consumers exhibit a higher intensity of brand avoidance, vindictive negative word-of-mouth, and vindictive complaining with utilitarian (vs. hedonic) products. The findings enrich regret theory and the product-type literature and provide managerial guidance for effective brand strategy formulation in brand transgressions.

Investigating the moderating effect of the demographic factors on post-purchase regrets at malls in Sri Lanka

As of 2020, the retail sector faced an existential challenge with rapid changes as one of the many sectors. The recent impact was noted due to the present COVID-19 pandemic throughout the world. Most customers have moved on with e-commerce platforms, while traditional customers still struggle with in-store shopping. This study was specifically aimed at the conventional customers who do in-store shopping in complexes. The objective of this study was to investigate the moderating effect of the demographic factors on post-purchase regret at malls. Two factors affecting post-purchase regret, namely, the number of alternatives forgone and the return process experience, were considered. Accordingly, the moderating effects of demographic factors of consumers who have purchased something from a shopping mall during the past two years were targeted for this. By conducting an online survey using a structured questionnaire, 383 responses were collected. Through the moderation effect analysis, the consumer career was identified as moderating variable for this relationship. The rest of the demographic factors considered for this study did not significantly moderate this relationship. The findings suggest that the number of alternatives in showcase must be limited with a sense of marketing. Further, the staff at the shop must provide proper guidance on the return process and related service by identifying loyal and non-loyal customers’ careers and lifestyles.

The Antecedents and Consequences of Online Impulse Buying during Pandemic COVID-19 Do consumers regret after doing online impulse buying

Online shopping became a consumer choice during the covid 19 pandemic, this study aims to analyze the antecedents and consequences of impulsive purchases at online stores during the covid 19 pandemic. Data were collected online from 202 respondents who had made purchases at e-stores in Jakarta and surrounding areas. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results showed that flow state had a positive and significant effect on online impulse buying, while risk perception and customer satisfaction had no significant effect. However, customer satisfaction is influenced by perceived usefulness and E-store performance confirmation, while flow state is influenced by task skills and task challenges. The results of the last hypothesis in this study, found a positive effect of online impulse buying on post-purchase regret.