| Summary: | The objective of this research was to empirically examine the effects of
recommendation and credibility of information on consumer�s regret over
decision regarding purchase opportunity. Post-decisional emotion was measured
in terms of five aspects of consumer regret that consist of feeling, thought, action
tendencies, actions, and emotional goal. Purchase recommendation was specified
into two experimental conditions, namely order recommendation and no
recommendation, which signify action and inaction tendencies in consumer
decision making. Credibility of information was operationalized as
recommendation by expert and non-expert. Thus a 2 X 2 factorial design was
employed to test the hypothesis. The results demonstrate that consumer�s regret is
affected by type of recommendation and credibility of information. The highest
level of regret was observed among the subjects who received no recommendation
and expert condition, followed by no recommendation and non-expert,
recommendation and expert, and recommendation and non-expert. Result of
analysis also demonstrate that credibility of information significantly influences
the types of consumer response. Consumers are more likely to comply with
recommendation of an expert, as compared to non-expert, regardless of whether it
implies action of inaction. In contrast, type recommendation was found not to
significantly affect consumer response. Finally, the data was analyzed to
determine the effect of decision on consumer regret. The results demonstrate that
type of recommendation and credibility of information affects regret in so far as
the consumer choose not to act over the opportunity. In other words, consumers
who had decided to act upon a purchase opportunity, as likely to experience
higher level of regret when the eventual result is inferior, than consumer who had
decide not to act when the results is superior. This pattern of result is consistent
with existing consumer behaviour literature, and send a warning message to
marketing: price reduction promotion can backfire when consumer is
disappointed.
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