“触摸限制”策略会适得其反——触摸限制—多样化寻求效应

Haptic-restriction Strategies Will Backfire:The Haptic-restriction——Variety-seeking Effect

有研究表明,商家鼓励消费者触摸产品能够促进消费者对所触摸产品的积极态度和购买行为。然而,在许多线下零售环境中,消费者对产品的触觉输入经常受到零售商、销售人员和其他一线员工的限制。这种“触摸限制”策略究竟是否会导致负面结果?目前未有学者探讨。本文通过一项田野实验和3项实验室实验发现,商家运用的“触摸限制”策略会适得其反。先前限制消费者触摸产品(vs.不限制触摸)会导致消费者在随后选择其他产品和品牌时进行多样化寻求和选项转换(实验1—实验4)。这一效应由消费者感知到的个人自由受威胁所驱动(实验3),并且在消费者提升个人自由的需求较高时更明显(实验4)。本文对产品触觉、多样化寻求和补偿性消费这三个研究领域有理论推进,并对零售商如何运用“触摸限制”策略有明确启示。

Researches have shown that encouraging consumers to touch a product can prompt consumers to generate a positive attitude towards the product. However, consumers’ haptic input when examining a product during product demonstration is often restricted by retailers, salespersons and front-line employees in many offline retail settings. To date, we know little about whether the usage of haptic-restriction strategies can induce negative marketing consequences. This research conducts four studies, including a field experiment and three lab experiments, to document a novel variety-seeking effect of haptic restrictions.Previously restricting(versus not restricting) consumers from touching a product induces consumers to conduct variety seeking and options shifting in a subsequent and different situation(Experiments 1-2). Moreover, this effect is driven by perceived threats to personal freedom in general(Experiment 3) and is mitigated when consumers’ need to elevate the extent of personal freedom is low(Experiment 4). This research contributes to the literature of product touch and variety seeking, offering specific implications for offline retailing.