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

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 com...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 2023-05, Vol.51 (3), p.551-569
Main Authors: Mukherjee, Amaradri, Smith, Ronn J., Burton, Scot
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Business and Management
Consumers
Marketing
Original Empirical Research
Purchase intention
Sales promotions
Social Sciences
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary: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.
ISSN:0092-0703
1552-7824
DOI:10.1007/s11747-021-00810-1