Proceedings of the 43rd International Academic Conference, Lisbon

WHAT INFLUENCES MOST ON ANCHORING WILLINGNESS TO PAY? CONSUMER SELF-CONFIDENCE AND HEDONIC-UTILITARIAN CONSUMPTION AS UNDERLYING FACTORS FOR PRICE-ANCHORING SUSCEPTIBILITY

JOANNA DOUAT, MATEUS PONCHIO

Abstract:

Prior research on anchoring indicates that arbitrary values can influence human judgment and decision-making. However, the findings differ regarding the magnitude of this effect, implying that in some circumstances the anchoring phenomena may not occur at all. The present research suggests that this behavior is not universal and attempts to identify how consumer self-confidence (CSC), a personal trait, and product category (hedonic vs. utilitarian) may affect consumers’ susceptibility to anchoring effect on participants’ willingness to pay. Although the moderation relationship could not be proved, it was statistically demonstrated that the kind of consumption (utilitarian/hedonic) accounts for 25% of the variability of consumer’s willingness-to-pay. Overall, this research contributes to the literature on Consumer Behavior, by shedding light on personal traits and product features that can shape anchoring response.

Keywords: Anchoring Effects, Consumer Self-Confidence, Hedonic-utilitarian consumption, Consumer Behavior; Marketing.

DOI: 10.20472/IAC.2018.043.008

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