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CHOOSING BY SELECTING OR REJECTING: HOW DECISION STRATEGY INFLUENCES CONSUMER SATISFACTION
Abstract
Three experimental studies demonstrate that differences in how consumers reach a decision can influence satisfaction with the subsequent consumption experience. Relative to consumers who select liked options, consumers who decide by rejecting disliked options attend more to undesirable features of the options they discard. Rejecters can use this negative information to imagine worse possible alternative outcomes, mitigating potential dissatisfaction in the event of service or product failure. The moderating roles of experience valence (favorable or unfavorable) and salience of the foregone alternatives (present or absent) are examined, and two mediating processes are identified. The findings deepen our understanding of the antecedents to satisfaction and offer novel opportunities for marketing practitioners to influence and manage consumer satisfaction.
References
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Shafir, Eldar (1993), “Choosing Versus Rejecting - Why Some Options Are Both Better And Worse Than Others,” Memory and Cognition, 21(4), pp. 546-56.
Taylor, Kimberly A. (1997), “A Regret Theory Approach To Assessing Consumer Satisfaction,” Marketing Letters, 8 (2), pp. 229-38.
Taylor, Kimberly. A., and Burns, Mary Jane. (1999), “Changes In Pre-And Post-Purchase Evaluative Criteria: Exploring The Impact On Consumer (Dis) Satisfaction,” Journal of Consumer Satisfaction Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, 12, pp. 90-99.
Taylor, Steven. A. (2012), “Satisfaction, Regret, And Status Quo Effects On The Formation Of Consumer Loyalty,” Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, 25, pp. 24-45.
Trueblood, Jennifer S., Scott D. Brown, Andrew Heathcote, and Jerome R. Busemeyer (2013), “Not Just For Consumers Context Effects Are Fundamental To Decision Making,” Psychological Science 24(6), pp. 901-908.
van Dijk, Eric and Marcel Zeelenberg (2005), “On The Psychology Of 'If Only': Regret And The Comparison Between Factual And Counterfactual Outcomes,” Organizational Behavior And Human Decision Processes, 97 (2), pp.152-60.
Walchli, Suzanne B., and Janet Landman (2003), “Effects Of Counterfactual Thought On Postpurchase Consumer Affect,” Psychology & Marketing 20(1), pp. 23-46.
Wilk, Richard. (1997), “A Critique Of Desire: Distaste And Dislike In Consumer Behavior,” Consumption, Markets and Culture, 1(2),pp. 97-196.
Wong, Donna L. and Connie M. Baker (1988), “Pain In Children: Comparison Of Assessment Scales,” Pediatric Nursing, 14 (1), pp. 9-17.
Yaniv, Ilan and Yaacov Schul (2000), "Acceptance And Elimination Procedures In Choice: Noncomplementarity And The Role Of Implied Status Quo," Organizational Behavior And Human Decision Processes, 82 (2), pp. 293-313.
Baddeley, Alan. D. (1990), Human Memory: Theory and Practice. Hillsdale, NJ: Psychology Press.
Baron, Reuben M. and David A. Kenny (1986), "The Moderator Mediator Variable Distinction In Social Psychological-Research - Conceptual, Strategic, And Statistical Considerations," Journal Of Personality And Social Psychology, 51 (6), pp. 1173-82.
Burke, Paul F., Christine Eckert, and Stacey Davis (2014), “Segmenting Consumers’ Reasons For And Against Ethical Consumption,” European Journal of Marketing 48.11/12 2237-2261.
Butsunturn, Chaat and Amanda Roberts (2015), “2015 Year In Review: Slumping Customer Satisfaction Across Much Of The U.S. Economy,” American Customer Satisfaction Index, retrieved 4/7/2015 at https://www.theacsi.org/images/stories/images/news/15dec_year-review_press.pdf
Byrne, Ruth MJ (2016), “Counterfactual Thought,” Annual review of psychology 67 135-157.
Chatzidakis, Andreas and Michael S.W. Lee (2012), “Anti-Consumption as the Study of Reasons Against,” Journal of Macromarketing, 33 (3) pp. 190–203.
Curtis, Tamilla, Russell Abratt, Dawna Rhoades and Paul Dion (2011), “Customer Loyalty, Repurchase And Satisfaction: A Meta-Analytical Review,” Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior 24 pp.1-26.
Dahl, Andrew and Jimmy Peltier (2015), “A Historical Review And Future Research Agenda For The Field Of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction, & Complaining Behavior,” Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, 28, pp. 1?21.
Diehl, Kristin, and Cait Poynor, (2010), “Great Expectations?! Assortment Size, Expectations, And Satisfaction,” Journal of Marketing Research 47(2) pp. 312-322.
Dhar, Ravi, and Margarita Gorlin (2013), “A Dual-System Framework To Understand Preference Construction Processes In Choice,” Journal of Consumer Psychology 23(4), pp. 528-542.
Droge, Cornelia, Diane Halstead, and Robert D. Mackoy (1997), "The Role Of Competitive Alternatives In The Post Choice Satisfaction Formation Process," Journal Of The Academy Of Marketing Science, 25 (1), pp. 18-30.
Epstude, Kai, and Neal J. Roese (2008), "The Functional Theory Of Counterfactual Thinking," Personality and Social Psychology Review 12(2), pp. 168-192.
Glaholt, Mackenzie G., and Eyal M. Reingold (2009), "The Time Course Of Gaze Bias In Visual Decision Tasks,” Visual Cognition 17(8), pp. 1228-1243.
Gu, Yangjie, Simona Botti, and David Faro (2013), “Turning The Page: The Impact Of Choice Closure On Satisfaction,” Journal of Consumer Research, 40(2), pp. 268-283.
Hafner, Rebecca J., Mathew P. White, and Simon J. Handley, (2016), “The Excess Choice Effect: The Role Of Outcome Valence And Counterfactual Thinking,” British Journal of Psychology 107(1), pp. 6-51.
Halstead, Diane 1999, “The Use Of Comparison Standards In Customer Satisfaction Research And Management: A Review And Proposed Typology,” Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice 7(3), pp. 13-26.
Jang, Yoon Jung, Sun-Bai Cho, and Woo Gon Kim, (2013), “Effect of Restaurant Patrons' Regret and Disappointment on Dissatisfaction and Behavioral Intention,” Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing 30(5), pp. 431-444.
Keaveney, Susan M., Frank Huber, and Andreas Herrmann (2007), “A Model Of Buyer Regret: Selected Prepurchase And Postpurchase Antecedents With Consequences For The Brand And The Channel,” Journal of Business Research 60(12), pp. 1207-1215.
Laham, Simon M., Yoshihisa Kashima, Jennifer Dix, and Melissa Wheeler (2015), "A Meta-Analysis Of The Facilitation Of Arm Flexion And Extension Movements As A Function Of Stimulus Valence." Cognition and Emotion, 29(6), pp. 1069-1090.
Laran, Juliano, and Keith Wilcox., (2011), “Choice, Rejection, And Elaboration On Preference-Inconsistent Alternatives,” Journal of Consumer Research 38(2), pp.29-241.
Levin, Irwin P., J. D. Jasper, and Wendy S. Forbes (1998), "Choosing Versus Rejecting Options At Different Stages Of Decision Making," Journal Of Behavioral Decision Making, 11(3), 193-210.
Mattson, Richard E., Ana M. Franco-Watkins, and Karlene Cunningham (2012), “How Do I Regret Thee? Let Me Count My Alternatives: Regret And Decision Making In Intimate Relationships,” Psychology 3(9), pp 657.
Meloy, Margaret G. and J. Edward Russo (2004), “Binary Choice Under Instructions To Select Versus Reject," Organizational Behavior And Human Decision Processes, 93 (2), 114-28.
Mitsuda, Takashi, and Mackenzie G. Glaholt (2014), “Gaze Bias During Visual Preference Judgements: Effects Of Stimulus Category And Decision Instructions,” Visual Cognition 22(1), pp. 11-29.
Mourali, Mehdi, and Anish Nagpal (2013), “The Powerful Select, The Powerless Reject: Power's Influence In Decision Strategies," Journal of Business Research 66(7), pp. 874-880.
Muller, Dominique, Charles M. Judd, and Vincent Y. Yzerbyt (2005), “When Moderation Is Mediated And Mediation Is Moderated,” Journal Of Personality And Social Psychology, 89 (6), pp. 852-63.
Niedrich, Ronald W., Elena Kiryanova, and William C. Black (2005), “The Dimensional Stability Of The Standards Used In The Disconfirmation Paradigm,” Journal of Retailing 81(1), pp. 9-57.
Oliver, R.L. (1989), “Processing Of The Satisfaction Response In Consumption: A Suggested Framework And Research Proposition,” Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 2, pp. 1?16.
Perkins, Debra S. (2012), “Future Directions in Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction, and Complaining Behavior: So Much More to Come,” Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior 25, pp. 7-23.
Powers, Thomas. L., and Dawn B. Valentine (2008), “A Review Of The Role Of Satisfaction, Quality, And Value On Firm Performance,” Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, 21, pp. 80-101.
Ritov, Ilana, and Jonathan Baron (1995), “Outcome Knowledge, Regret, And Omission Bias,” Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 64(2), pp. 119-127.
Shafir, Eldar (1993), “Choosing Versus Rejecting - Why Some Options Are Both Better And Worse Than Others,” Memory and Cognition, 21(4), pp. 546-56.
Taylor, Kimberly A. (1997), “A Regret Theory Approach To Assessing Consumer Satisfaction,” Marketing Letters, 8 (2), pp. 229-38.
Taylor, Kimberly. A., and Burns, Mary Jane. (1999), “Changes In Pre-And Post-Purchase Evaluative Criteria: Exploring The Impact On Consumer (Dis) Satisfaction,” Journal of Consumer Satisfaction Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, 12, pp. 90-99.
Taylor, Steven. A. (2012), “Satisfaction, Regret, And Status Quo Effects On The Formation Of Consumer Loyalty,” Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, 25, pp. 24-45.
Trueblood, Jennifer S., Scott D. Brown, Andrew Heathcote, and Jerome R. Busemeyer (2013), “Not Just For Consumers Context Effects Are Fundamental To Decision Making,” Psychological Science 24(6), pp. 901-908.
van Dijk, Eric and Marcel Zeelenberg (2005), “On The Psychology Of 'If Only': Regret And The Comparison Between Factual And Counterfactual Outcomes,” Organizational Behavior And Human Decision Processes, 97 (2), pp.152-60.
Walchli, Suzanne B., and Janet Landman (2003), “Effects Of Counterfactual Thought On Postpurchase Consumer Affect,” Psychology & Marketing 20(1), pp. 23-46.
Wilk, Richard. (1997), “A Critique Of Desire: Distaste And Dislike In Consumer Behavior,” Consumption, Markets and Culture, 1(2),pp. 97-196.
Wong, Donna L. and Connie M. Baker (1988), “Pain In Children: Comparison Of Assessment Scales,” Pediatric Nursing, 14 (1), pp. 9-17.
Yaniv, Ilan and Yaacov Schul (2000), "Acceptance And Elimination Procedures In Choice: Noncomplementarity And The Role Of Implied Status Quo," Organizational Behavior And Human Decision Processes, 82 (2), pp. 293-313.
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