| Zusammenfassung: | The decision‐making literature has consistently reported that decisions to maintain the status quo tend to be regretted less than decisions to change it. We examine the consequences of repeat purchasing (maintaining the status quo) versus switching in the context of information regarding the reason for the decision (e.g., prior consumption episode, brand history), and we argue that there are situations in which repeat purchasing may cause as much or even more regret than switching. We contend that this effect depends on whether or not there is a justifiable basis for the decision. In a series of four studies, we show that if there is sufficient motivation to warrant a switch, consumers will feel less regret in the face of a subsequent negative outcome realized via a switch than in one realized via a repeat purchase. Our results imply that feelings of regret are mitigated when the consumer reflects and concludes that the decision was appropriate under the circumstances.
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| Beschreibung: | * J. Jeffrey Inman is the Thomas Marshall Professor of Marketing at the Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260 ( jinmankatz.pitt.edu ), and Marcel Zeelenberg is professor of psychology at the Department of Economic and Social Psychology of Tilburg University, PO Box 90153, 5000‐LE Tilburg, The Netherlands, ( M.Zeelenberg@kub.nl ). The authors thank Tracy Bell, Hank Boyd, Adwait Khare, Warren Malueg, Ned Winsborough, and Amy Zastoupil for their assistance with data collection and analysis. Constructive advice from two JCR editors (Robert E. Burnkrant and David G. Mick), the associate editor, and the reviewers is also greatly appreciated. |
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