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It's not there, I love it! How relevance to objective needs of an unavailable item impacts emotions, store image, and behavior

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  • Kowalczyk, Liliana
  • Breugelmans, Els
  • Campo, Katia

Abstract

We use a simulated online fashion store to investigate how stock-outs with different levels of relevance to objective needs and product preference impact emotions, store image, and number of items bought. We find that stock-outs of most preferred products, that are relevant to consumers’ needs, lead to negative emotions, a lower store image and a discouragement to buy. We also find that stock-outs of most preferred products, that are not relevant to objective needs, lead to positive emotions and a higher store image. Surprisingly, stock-outs of less preferred products, that are relevant to objective needs, encourage consumers to buy more.

Suggested Citation

  • Kowalczyk, Liliana & Breugelmans, Els & Campo, Katia, 2021. "It's not there, I love it! How relevance to objective needs of an unavailable item impacts emotions, store image, and behavior," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:63:y:2021:i:c:s0969698921003155
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2021.102749
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