產品過時恐懼與消費者產品升級意願

Fear of Product Obsolescence and Intention to Upgrade

本研究探討消費者對產品過時恐懼如何因前次購買時間之遠近而改變，同時檢視在前次購買時間與升級產品購買意願之關係中，不同類型的產品過時恐懼所扮演的中介角色，以及消費者年齡的調節作用。對341位臺灣智慧型手機使用者所做的線上問卷調查分析結果顯示，消費者前次購買時間距離現在越久，購買升級產品之意願越強。心理過時恐懼與科技過時恐懼部分中介前次購買時間對升級意願之效果。消費者年齡對心理過時恐懼影響升級意願之效果有負向調節作用。相較於憂慮經濟過時的年輕人，年長者的經濟過時恐懼越高，升級意願越強。科技過時恐懼對經濟過時恐懼有直接正向效果，而且透過心理過時恐懼對經濟過時恐懼有間接效果。

This research empirically explores how consumers' fear of product obsolescence changes with the time elapsed since last purchase. The mediating roles of product obsolescence fears in the relationship between recency and consumers' intention to purchase high-tech upgrades, along with the moderating role of consumer's age on the mechanism underlying the fear-intention to upgrade causality, are also examined. Results of an online survey of 341 smartphone users in Taiwan show that recency, i.e., the time elapsed since last purchase, has both direct and indirect effects on consumers' intention to upgrade. Fears of both psychological and technological obsolescence partially mediate the relationship between recency and intention to upgrade. The positive impact of fear of psychological obsolescence on upgrading intention is weakened by consumer's age. Older consumers who fear economic obsolescence have stronger intention to upgrade their smartphones than younger consumers who are concerned about economic obsolescence. The three types of obsolescence fears are inter-correlated, with psychological obsolescence partially mediating the relationship between fear of technological obsolescence and economic obsolescence.