Top

Marketing Letters

Published in:

21-02-2021

How limited consumption experiences affect word of mouth

Authors: Christina Saenger, Veronica L. Thomas

Published in: Marketing Letters | Issue 2/2021

Activate our intelligent search to find suitable subject content or patents.

search-config

AI-assisted search

Off

Abstract

Providing consumers the opportunity to experience a product on a limited basis is a marketing technique increasingly deployed through distributing trial-sized goods in subscription boxes or by limiting access to intangible offerings like streaming services and apps. Consumers write reviews after limited consumption experiences, and are enticed by brands to do so. The present research shows that limited consumption experiences motivate consumers to spread positive word of mouth, because the sense of closure provided by a limited consumption experience causes consumers to feel more certain of their attitudes.

previous article Religiosity’s influence on stability-seeking consumption during times of great uncertainty: the case of the coronavirus pandemic

next article The Chief Marketing Officer: an antidote to myopic earnings management practices

Dont have a licence yet? Then find out more about our products and how to get one now:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 102.000 Bücher
über 537 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Automobil + Motoren
Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
Finance + Banking
Management + Führung
Marketing + Vertrieb
Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe
Versicherung + Risiko

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 67.000 Bücher
über 340 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Finance + Banking
Management + Führung
Marketing + Vertrieb
Versicherung + Risiko

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now

Available only for authorised users

Accordingly, the limited consumption experiences investigated in the present research are those for which all product features are accessible, not those that provide access only to certain features or attributes, as is the case for some intangible products that provide trial periods. Limited consumption experiences that do not allow consumers to access the full range of features might yield lower perceptions of consumption closure.

Ahrens, J., Coyle, J. R., & Strahilevitz, M. A. (2013). Electronic word of mouth: the effects of incentives on e-referrals by senders and receivers. European Journal of Marketing, 47(7), 1034–1051.CrossRef

Arens, Z. G., & Hamilton, R. W. (2017). The rebound of the forgone alternative. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 27(3), 318–332.CrossRef

Babić Rosario, A., Sotgiu, F., De Valck, K., & Bijmolt, T. H. (2016). The effect of electronic word of mouth on sales: a meta-analytic review of platform, product, and metric factors. Journal of Marketing Research, 53(3), 297–318.CrossRef

Beike, D. R., & Wirth-Beaumont, E. T. (2005). Psychological closure as a memory phenomenon. Memory, 13(6), 574–593.CrossRef

Beike, D. R., Adams, L. P., & Wirth-Beaumont, E. T. (2007). Incomplete inhibition of emotion in specific autobiographical memories. Memory, 15(4), 375–389.CrossRef

Berger, J., & Milkman, K. L. (2012). What makes online content viral? Journal of Marketing Research, 49(2), 192–205.CrossRef

BrightLocal (2018). Local consumer review survey. https://www.brightlocal.com/learn/local-consumer-review-survey/?SSAID=314743andSSCID=21k3_9re2v. Accessed 14 June 2019.

Brown, T. J., Barry, T. E., Dacin, P. A., & Gunst, R. F. (2005). Spreading the word: investigating antecedents of consumers’ positive word-of-mouth intentions and behaviors in a retailing context. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 33(2), 123–138.CrossRef

Cheema, A., & Kaikati, A. M. (2010). The effect of need for uniqueness on word of mouth. Journal of Marketing Research, 47(3), 553–563.CrossRef

Chen, Z. (2017). Social acceptance and word of mouth: how the motive to belong leads to divergent WOM with strangers and friends. Journal of Consumer Research, 44(3), 613–632.CrossRef

Chen, T., Fenyo, K., Yang, S., Zhang, J. (2018) Thinking inside the subscription box: New research on e-commerce consumers. https://www. mckinsey.com/industries/high-tech/our-insights/thinking-insidethe-subscription-box-new-research-on-ecommerce-consumers. Accessed 14 June 2019.

Elliot, A. J., & Devine, P. G. (1994). On the motivational nature of cognitive dissonance: dissonance as psychological discomfort. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67(3), 382–394.CrossRef

Fazio, R. H., & Zanna, M. P. (1978). Attitudinal qualities relating to the strength of the attitude-behavior relationship. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 14(4), 398–408.CrossRef

Fiore, A. M., & Yu, H. (2001). Effects of imagery copy and product samples on responses toward the product. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 15(2), 36–46.CrossRef

Floyd, K., Freling, R., Alhoqail, S. A., Cho, H. Y., & Freling, T. (2014). How online product reviews affect retail sales: a meta-analysis. Journal of Retailing, 90(2), 217–232.CrossRef

Geuens, M., & De Pelsmacker, P. (2017). Planning and conducting experimental advertising research and questionnaire design. Journal of Advertising, 46(1), 83–100.CrossRef

Good Morning America (2020). FabFitFun’s Katie Ann Rosen Kitchens previews what’s inside the fall box. https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/living/video/fabfitfuns-katie-ann-rosen-kitchens-previews-whats-fall-72099377. Accessed 31 July 2020.

Gu, Y., Botti, S., & Faro, D. (2013). Turning the page: the impact of choice closure on satisfaction. Journal of Consumer Research, 40(2), 268–283.CrossRef

Hamilton, R., Thompson, D., Bone, S., Chaplin, L. N., Griskevicius, V., Goldsmith, K., Hill, R., John, D. R., Mittal, C., O’Guinn, T., Piff, P., Roux, C., Shah, A., & Zhu, M. (2019). The effects of scarcity on consumer decision journeys. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 47(3), 532–550.CrossRef

Hayes, A. F. (2013). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: a regression-based approach. New York: Guilford Press.

Ilyuk, V., & Block, L. (2016). The effects of single-serve packaging on consumption closure and judgments of product efficacy. Journal of Consumer Research, 42(6), 858–878.CrossRef

Ilyuk, V., Block, L., & Haws, K. L. (2019). Justifying by “healthifying”: when expected satisfaction from consumption closure increases the desire to eat more and biases health perceptions of unhealthy leftovers. Appetite, 133, 138–146.CrossRef

Karmarkar, U. R., & Tormala, Z. L. (2009). Believe me, I have no idea what I’m talking about: The effects of source certainty on consumer involvement and persuasion. Journal of Consumer Research, 36(6), 1033–1049.CrossRef

Marks, L. J., & Kamins, M. A. (1988). The use of product sampling and advertising: effects of sequence of exposure and degree of advertising claim exaggeration on consumers’ belief strength, belief confidence, and attitudes. Journal of Marketing Research, 25(3), 266–281.

Packard, G., & Berger, J. (2017). How language shapes word of mouth’s impact. Journal of Marketing Research, 54(4), 572–588.CrossRef

Pennebaker, J.W., Booth, R.J., Boyd, R.L., Francis, M.E. (2015). Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count: LIWC 2015. Pennebaker Conglomerates (www.LIWC.net), Austin, TX.

Rucker, D. D., & Petty, R. E. (2004). When resistance is futile: consequences of failed counterarguing for attitude certainty. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 86(2), 219–235.CrossRef

Rucker, D. D., Tormala, Z. L., Petty, R. E., & Briñol, P. (2014). Consumer conviction and commitment: an appraisal-based framework for attitude certainty. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 24(1), 119–136.CrossRef

Sevilla, J., Zhang, J., & Kahn, B. E. (2016). Anticipation of future variety reduces satiation from current experiences. Journal of Marketing Research, 53(6), 954–968.CrossRef

Sheehan, D., & Dommer, S. L. (2020). Saving your self: how identity relevance influences product usage. Journal of Consumer Research, 46(6), 1076–1092.CrossRef

Simmons, C. J., & Lynch Jr., J. G. (1991). Inference effects without inference making? Effects of missing information on discounting and use of presented information. Journal of Consumer Research, 17(4), 477–491.CrossRef

Sorrel, C. (2018). Apple finally brings free trials to App Store. https://www.cultofmac.com/553297/apple-finally-brings-free-trials-to-app-store/. Accessed 7 Feb 2019.

Strunk, D. (2018). Amazon Prime offers free samples, and here’s how to get them. https://www.buzzfeed.com/delaneystrunk/amazon-prime-free-samples-how-to?utm_term=.eud3G5nwR#.oiLgRKJEm. Accessed 23 Mar 2019.

Thompson, M. M., Zanna, M. P., & Griffin, D. W. (1995). Let’s not be indifferent about (attitudinal) ambivalence. Attitude Strength: Antecedents and Consequences, 4, 361–386.

Tormala, Z. L., & Rucker, D. D. (2007). Attitude certainty: A review of past findings and emerging perspectives. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 1(1), 469–492.CrossRef

Vega, N. (2017). 13 subscription services you can try right now for free. https://www.businessinsider.com/subscription-services-you-can-try-for-free-2017-3#kindle-unlimited-30-day-free-trial-11. Accessed 14 June 2019.

Wan, E. W., Rucker, D. D., Tormala, Z. L., & Clarkson, J. J. (2010). The effect of regulatory depletion on attitude certainty. Journal of Marketing Research, 47(3), 531–541.CrossRef

White, K. M., Hogg, M. A., & Terry, D. J. (2002). Improving attitude-behavior correspondence through exposure to normative support from a salient ingroup. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 24(2), 91–103.CrossRef

Yan, D., & Pena-Marin, J. (2017). Round off the bargaining: the effects of offer roundness on willingness to accept. Journal of Consumer Research, 44(2), 381–395.CrossRef

Zaichkowsky, J. L. (1985). Measuring the involvement construct. Journal of Consumer Research, 12(3), 341–352.CrossRef

Title: How limited consumption experiences affect word of mouth
Authors: Christina Saenger
Veronica L. Thomas
Publication date: 21-02-2021
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Marketing Letters / Issue 2/2021
Print ISSN: 0923-0645
Electronic ISSN: 1573-059X
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11002-021-09561-z

Springer Professional

Abstract

Please log in to get access to your license.

Dont have a licence yet? Then find out more about our products and how to get one now:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

Other articles of this Issue 2/2021

Does it pay off to smile even it is not authentic? Customers’ involvement and the effectiveness of authentic emotional displays

Consumer responses toward symmetric versus asymmetric facial expression emojis

Text is gendered: the role of letter case

Religiosity’s influence on stability-seeking consumption during times of great uncertainty: the case of the coronavirus pandemic

All that glitters is not gold: when glossy packaging hurts brand trust

A construal-level approach to hedonic and utilitarian shopping orientation