The More Interest in the Product, the Merrier?

Studies have documented consumers’ everyday purchase-behavior as being influenced by the interest of others. Directionally mixed findings exist on the effect of others on one’s purchase behavior. On the one hand, ample evidence suggests the interest of others has a positive influence on product evaluations. Conversely, under certain conditions, research has shown the interest of others diminishes product sales, consistent with what Hellofs and Jacobson (1999) have termed a “loss of exclusivity.” Here consumers reportedly feel worse about the product and possibly about themselves through loss of image when the brand they are using expands to the interest of the general populace. The current research aims to shed light on these seemingly conflicting effects of others on product interest, by considering whether the product is categorized as functional (i.e., when its evaluation is based on performance) or self-expressive (i.e., when its evaluation is based on the extent to which it reflects one’s personal tastes). Specifically, we suggest the interest of others increases attitudinal positive responses for functional products but negatively affects these same variables for self-expressive products, while decision regret is reduced for the former products and increased for the latter. Regret represents the unfavorable but important consequences of decisions, and studies have found it has a significant impact on consumer behavior.