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Appreciation vs. apology: When and why does face covering requirement increase revisit intention?

Author

Listed:
  • Luo, Anqi
  • Ye, Tian
  • Xue, Xunyue
  • Mattila, Anna S.

Abstract

While many retailing businesses have responded to the Covid-19 crisis by instituting various new rules, there is scant research examining how to effectively communicate such preventive measures to customers. This study investigates the joint effect of policy type (mandatory versus voluntary) and message framing (appreciation versus apology) on customers’ compliance and revisit intention. An online experiment was conducted with 201 US participants. Results suggest that when the message is framed with appreciation, a mandatory (vs. voluntary) mask-wearing policy causes less reactance, leading to higher compliance and revisit intention. However, such differences are attenuated with apologetic messaging. Practical implications for retailer-customer communications on crisis policies are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Luo, Anqi & Ye, Tian & Xue, Xunyue & Mattila, Anna S., 2021. "Appreciation vs. apology: When and why does face covering requirement increase revisit intention?," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:63:y:2021:i:c:s096969892100271x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2021.102705
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    1. Ziad H. Abdelmoety & Hawazen Alamoudi & Majed Alharthi & Nora Sharkasi & Gomaa Agag, 2022. "Ensuring a Sustainable Hospitality and Tourism Industry in the COVID-19 Era: Using an Open Market Valuation Technique," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-11, October.
    2. Kim, Hayeon & Lee, Sang Woo & Seo, Sungwoo, 2024. "Strategies for Addressing Hallucinations in Generative AI: Exploring the Roles of Politeness, Attribution, and Anthropomorphism," 24th ITS Biennial Conference, Seoul 2024. New bottles for new wine: digital transformation demands new policies and strategies 302511, International Telecommunications Society (ITS).
    3. Song, Mengmeng & Zhang, Huixian & Xing, Xinyu & Duan, Yucong, 2023. "Appreciation vs. apology: Research on the influence mechanism of chatbot service recovery based on politeness theory," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    4. Yuan Wen & Shipra Gupta & Merve Coskun, 2023. "To wear or not to wear? The influence of regulatory focus and individual cultural orientation on face mask wearing," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(3), pages 1324-1351, July.
    5. De Hooge, Ilona E. & Straeter, Laura M., 2023. "Don't tell me you are sorry with a gift: The negative consequences of apology gifts," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    6. Huang, Yu-Shan (Sandy) & Dootson, Paula, 2022. "Chatbots and service failure: When does it lead to customer aggression," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).

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