Start Date
12-13-2015
Description
Although purchase pressure cues (PPC) that signal limited time (LT) or limited product availability (LPA) are widely used features on e-commerce websites to boost sales, research on whether and why PPCs affect consumers’ purchase choice in online settings has remained largely unexplored. Drawing on the Stimulus-Organism- Response (S-O-R) model, consumer decision-making literature, and prospect theory, we conducted a controlled lab experiment with 121 subjects in the context of Deal-ofthe- Day (DoD) platforms. We demonstrate that while LT pressure cues significantly increase deal choice, LPA pressure cues have no distinct influence on it. Furthermore, our results show that perceived stress and perceived product value serve as two serial mediators explaining the theoretical mechanism of why LT pressure cues affect deal choice. Complementary to these results, we provide evidence that higher perceived stress is accompanied by significant changes in consumers’ physiological arousal. Further theoretical and practical implications of our findings are discussed.
Recommended Citation
Amirpur, Miglena and Benlian, Alexander, "Buying under Pressure: Purchase Pressure Cues and their Effects on Online Buying Decisions" (2015). ICIS 2015 Proceedings. 29.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2015/proceedings/HumanBehaviorIS/29
Buying under Pressure: Purchase Pressure Cues and their Effects on Online Buying Decisions
Although purchase pressure cues (PPC) that signal limited time (LT) or limited product availability (LPA) are widely used features on e-commerce websites to boost sales, research on whether and why PPCs affect consumers’ purchase choice in online settings has remained largely unexplored. Drawing on the Stimulus-Organism- Response (S-O-R) model, consumer decision-making literature, and prospect theory, we conducted a controlled lab experiment with 121 subjects in the context of Deal-ofthe- Day (DoD) platforms. We demonstrate that while LT pressure cues significantly increase deal choice, LPA pressure cues have no distinct influence on it. Furthermore, our results show that perceived stress and perceived product value serve as two serial mediators explaining the theoretical mechanism of why LT pressure cues affect deal choice. Complementary to these results, we provide evidence that higher perceived stress is accompanied by significant changes in consumers’ physiological arousal. Further theoretical and practical implications of our findings are discussed.