Abstract
In two experiments we examine how consumers are affected by a sequence composed of an initial product-failure experience followed by a success experience. Our interest is to assess how consumers' evaluation of the product and of their own performance change after the second experience. A preliminary experiment used hypothetical scenarios describing consumers' experiences with different products. In the main experiment, participants received actual hands-on experience with a Smith-Corona Personal Typewriter/Word Processor. A major result was that product evaluations could be as high following a failure-success sequence of experiences as following success alone. This was especially true with hands-on experiences. However, the main experiment showed that negative affect (frustration) expressed following an actual product failure experience remained even after a subsequent success. Marketing implications of these dual results are discussed.
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GAETH, G., LEVIN, I., SOOD, S. et al. Consumers' Attitude Change Across Sequences of Successful and Unsuccessful Product Usage. Marketing Letters 8, 41–53 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007933226810
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007933226810