Investigating the Pleasures of Sin: The Contingent Role of Arousal ‐Seeking Disposition in Consumers' Evaluations of Vice and Virtue Product Offerings

ABSTRACT
Mixed bundles of vice and virtue are an increasingly important product category. However, many mixed bundles fail in the marketplace, and so it is important to examine how consumers evaluate such mixed bundles. This paper examines consumers' affective responses and consequent purchase evaluations for a mixed vice‐virtue bundle versus a pure vice product. Results of Study 1 show that purchase intentions are higher for a pure vice product versus a mixed product; also, increased purchase intentions are mediated by differences in arousal. Given that consumers differ in their arousal‐seeking dispositions, results of Studies 2 and 3 show that individual differences in arousal‐seeking moderate the relationship between product type (pure vice product vs. mixed product) and purchase intentions, with arousal‐seeking consumers preferring pure vice bundles, and arousal‐avoidant consumers preferring mixed bundles. This paper contributes to theory on mixed vice‐virtue bundles, and also provides pointers on how to better market mixed bundles.

Source: Psychology and Marketing - July 7, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Swati Verma, Abhijit Guha, Abhijit Biswas Tags: Research Article Source Type: research