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Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science

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Published in: Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 3/2023

20-09-2021 | Original Empirical Research

The effect of positive anticipatory utility on product pre‑order evaluations and choices

Authors: Amaradri Mukherjee, Ronn J. Smith, Scot Burton

Published in: Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science | Issue 3/2023

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Abstract

Given the increase in marketers’ use of pre-ordering strategies in which product sales precede the product’s delivery, this research presents a systematic set of four studies exploring how increasing positive anticipatory utility impacts consumers’ pre-order evaluations. The authors propose that compared to price discounts, non-monetary promotions that enhance positive anticipation will be more effective in reducing consumers’ negative responses to longer temporal delays for pre-orders. Findings show that affect-laden marketing tools (e.g., free products, products positioned as hedonically superior, creating anticipatory buzz) attenuate the negative effects due to pre-order temporal delays. Findings also indicate positive anticipatory utility is the underlying mechanism for the observed effects. The research provides guidance regarding the strategic presentation of pre-order promotions; when the time for product delivery is longer, marketers should use various tools that increase positive anticipation to reduce the negative effects of temporal delays.
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Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Footnotes
1
Following prior literature (Watson et al., 1988), we measured affective value with three items (e.g., “I feel very enthusiastic about the offer”; α in Studies 1 and 2 both > .90).
 
2
Anticipatory utility for the price discount is greater than the control condition for the one-week time frame (p < 0.01), but does not reach significance for the nine-week delay (p = .61).
 
3
We show complete regression results for the mediator and the outcome variable of purchase intention in the Web Appendix Table W1.
 
4
Drawing from Amos and Spears (2010), perceived product attractiveness was measured using two items seven-point scale (r = .88; “The headphone is appealing”, “The headphone is attractive”).
 
5
We would like to thank an anonymous reviewer for suggesting this empirical testing.
 
6
The researchers did not have the ability to measure the direct awareness of the promotion or number of customers who passed by the promotion signage.
 
7
In a study not reported here due to length concerns, we show that the moderating role of non-monetary promotion also extends to sweepstakes offers.
 
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Metadata
Title
The effect of positive anticipatory utility on product pre‑order evaluations and choices
Authors
Amaradri Mukherjee
Ronn J. Smith
Scot Burton
Publication date
20-09-2021
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science / Issue 3/2023
Print ISSN: 0092-0703
Electronic ISSN: 1552-7824
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-021-00810-1

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