Feeling lucky: How framing the target product as a free gift enhances purchase intention

The present research investigates how consumers respond to alternate premium promotion framings that have equal value (e.g., “buy a flash drive and get a free earphone” vs. “buy an earphone and get a free flash drive”). We show that the counterintuitive framing of the target (vs. non-target) product as a free gift makes consumers feel lucky, which in turn increases their purchase intention for the product bundle. We further show the effects of two moderators—salience of targeting and promotion magnitude, such that the main effect is mitigated when the marketer’s targeting efforts are salient for consumers and when the target product is price discounted but not free. Four studies (i.e., a lab study, two online experiments, and a field experiment involving actual purchases of the promoted products) for a range of products and services across two countries provide converging evidence supporting the hypotheses. The findings contribute to the literatures on bundle framing effects, pricing, and luck research in marketing, and have practical implications on designing more effective promotions for both online and brick-and-mortar retailers.