The Effect of Touch on Perceived Product Freshness

Past studies indicate that even though consumers develop ownership feelings towards the product they touch, they often decide to select a “fresh” untouched piece while making the final purchase selection. This study offers insight on the above unexplored issue and suggests that the reason behind such switching behavior is consumers’ low perception of freshness towards the self-touched product. The study introduces a new variable known as “perceived product freshness” and suggests that low product freshness perception attenuates consumers’ ownership feelings towards the self-touched product. Furthermore, the study also suggests that such ownership feelings vary from one consumer to another based on their chronic regulatory focus. Implications and future research are discussed.