Comparison Standards in Consumer Satisfaction Formation: Involvement and Product Experience as Potential Moderators

Abstract

The extant literature suggests that consumers may use one or some of different comparison standards to evaluate actual product performance during consumer satisfaction formation. This research intended to identify boundary conditions under which a particular standard operates. Four alternative standards were considered: expectation, norm, ideal, and equity. These were comparatively tested by analyzing the data collected over various consumption situations. Two major findings emerged. First, consumer involvement and product experience appeared to interactively influence the type of comparison standard used for evaluating product performance. Second, consumers did not use multiple standards simultaneously in any situations. Theoretical and managerial implications of these findings are discussed.