可比較性對知覺漲價與再購意願的影響

Effects of Comparability on Perceived Price Increases and Repurchase Intentions

近年來，許多廠商因應原物料的成本上漲，進行產品價格的調漲或降低原先的促銷幅度。然而過去有關「價格」的相關研究中，大多著重在「價格下降」對於消費者購買意願的影響，而在有關促銷型式或框架的相關研究中，幾乎多侷限於「單一次」促銷的情境，「價格上漲」或是多次促銷時的「促銷減少」則較少被關注。本研究基於心理會計理論以及帳戶歸類之相似性法則，探討可比較性（即前後期促銷型式或價格呈現型式的一致性）如何影響消費者對於價格上漲的知覺以及進一步的再購意願。作者主張不可比較的促銷減少（價格上漲），相對於可比較的促銷減少（價格上漲），能夠降低消費者的負面反應，並執行三個實驗測試本主張。實驗結果顯示，可比較性的效果同時出現於促銷減少和價格上漲的情境。在促銷減少的情境，可比較性的效果不僅出現在不同的促銷型式（金錢性的價格折扣 vs. 非金錢性的免費贈品），也出現在相同型式的不同框架中（一般折扣 vs. 聚焦折扣）；更重要的是，可比較性的效果不僅在操弄的情境實驗中被證實，也從受測者自行的購買決策中獲得一致的結果。上述結果不僅在心理會計與可比較性研究領域有著重要的學術意涵，也對於真實世界的行銷實務有著重要的貢獻。

Due to the increasing costs of raw materials, many firms have no choice but to increase the prices of products or reduce promotions. However, most previous studies on price have focused on how price decreases affect consumer purchase intention while most studies related to promotion formats and frames are limited to the context of a single promotion activity. Price increases and promotion reductions in sequential promotion activities receive less scholarly attention. Based on mental accounting theory and similarity-judgment principle when assigning expenses to proper accounts, this paper explores how comparability (i.e., the consistency between the previous- and later-period promotion formats or price formats) influences consumers’ perceptions of price increases and repurchase intentions. The authors posit that incomparable promotion reductions and price increases, rather than comparable ones, might mitigate consumers’ negative responses. Three experiments examine this proposition. Experimental results reveal that the effects of comparability emerge in both promotion reductions and price increases. The effects of comparability in promotion reductions persist across different promotional formats (momentary price discounts vs. non-momentary free gifts) and different frames with the same format (general discounts vs. focused discounts). More important, the effects of comparability emerge not only through experimental manipulation but also in consumers’ individual purchase decisions. These results are meaningful for research on mental accounting and comparability, as well as for real-world practices featuring promotions and price decisions.