Product returns on the Internet: A case of mixed signals?

In two studies, we investigate the interrelationship between return policy leniency and retailer quality. In the first study, we content analyze the return policies of e-tailers randomly selected from those listed at BizRate.com. Then we relate the return policy characteristics to these quality ratings. Consistent with signaling theory, we find that as the ratings of e-tailer quality increase, return policy leniency increases in non-consumable product categories. However, the positive quality/return policy leniency relationship does not hold in consumable product categories. In a follow-up experiment, we investigate how consumers interpret the return policy signal. Specifically, we find that consumers' ability to control their shopping experience and their general trust of e-tailers moderate their reactions to return policies that differ in leniency. Finally, we discuss the theoretical and managerial implications of this research.Internet E-commerce Signaling theory Return policies Perceived control Trust

Social media use by young Latin American consumers: An exploration

This paper reports on a study that was undertaken to explore the factors that drive social media use among young consumers in Latin America, a region of the world in which such studies have been sparse. The research involves the application of an extended TAM, with the addition of three new model variables whose impact on social media use have not been explored previously: social facilitation experience, fear of missing out (FoMO), and general online social interaction propensity (GOSIP). In addition, the outcome variable relates to active social media behaviors, a novel dependent variable in this stream of research. The model is tested using SEM. The results show that social influence, social facilitation experience, perceived ease of use (PEOU), and perceived enjoyment (PE) are all significantly linked to perceived usefulness (PU) of social media; however, FoMO is not. GOSIP, PU, and PE are positively related to attitude toward social media use, which is positively related to active social media behaviors. We discuss the results and provide limitations and avenues for future research. © 2018 Elsevier Lt

Affective responses to service failure: Anger, regret, and retaliatory versus conciliatory responses

After a service failure, consumers make appraisals or assessments about the characteristics of this failure. These appraisals, in turn, affect how a consumer responds emotionally and behaviorally. Using an appraisal-tendency framework, we predict that two negatively valenced emotions (anger and regret) underlie or mediate the effects of consumers’ appraisals about service failure on post-purchase behaviors. Consistent with the predictions, in a laboratory study, we find that anger plays a powerful role in explaining retaliatory behaviors, and that both anger and regret account for the effect of appraisals on conciliatory behaviors. We extend the same appraisal-tendency framework to predict how changes in emotions underlie the effects of recovery efforts on post-purchase behaviors. Again consistent with predictions, in the laboratory study and in a web-based study, we find that recovery efforts that reduce anger decrease retaliatory behaviors. However, both studies provide less clear-cut evidence about the emotional mediators between recovery efforts and conciliatory behaviors. Because conciliatory behaviors are important behaviors for businesses to promote, future research should explore what other emotions explain recovery effort effects on conciliatory behaviors. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2007Post-purchase, Anger, Regret, Recovery,

The impact of the package opening process on product returns

Abstract High product return rates are an increasingly pressing challenge for many e-retailers around the world. To address this problem, this paper offers a new perspective by focusing on the critical moment of the package-opening process. Going beyond previous research, which has primarily focused on website information and the product itself, we examine the effects of the outside appearance (i.e., the color of the delivery package) and contents of the delivery package (i.e., extra gifts, coupons, and preprinted return labels) on consumer return behavior. Our findings across two experimental studies and an observational field study show that a well-considered package design, including colorful packaging and extra gifts, significantly lowers consumers’ return intentions and actual returns. We also explore the process of consumers’ cognitive–affective reactions after opening a delivery package. During this two-stage reaction process, pleasure plays a crucial role in the consumer’s return choice