Too constrained to converse: the effect of financial constraints on word-of-mouth

Existing research demonstrates that financial constraints are widespread and influence consumer attention, preference, choice, and consumption in a variety of ways. Despite the growing knowledge of how financial constraints affect the consumer decision making process, less is known about its impact on post-purchase behavior. This work examines whether financial constraints impact an important post-purchase behavior—word-of-mouth—and in what direction. Seven studies show that financial constraints reduce purchase-related word-of-mouth. This effect emerges across consumers’ reported frequencies of discussing their purchases with friends and family, as well as their intentions, desires, and real decisions to engage in online word-of-mouth. This effect is explained by reduced anticipated pleasure of engaging in purchase-related word-of-mouth, which results from financially constrained consumers’ belief that rehearsing their monetary expenditures will reinforce negative feelings about their ...现有研究证实，财务约束（financial constraints）普遍存在，并以多种路径影响消费者的注意力、偏好、决策选择与消费行为。尽管学界对财务约束如何作用于消费者决策过程的认知不断深化，但针对其对购后行为的影响，现有研究仍较为匮乏。本研究旨在探讨财务约束是否会对一类重要的购后行为——口碑（word-of-mouth）——产生影响，以及具体的影响方向。七项实验研究表明，财务约束会抑制与购买行为相关的口碑传播。该效应在多个维度均有体现：包括消费者报告的与亲友讨论购买经历的频率，以及其参与线上口碑传播的意图、意愿与实际决策行为。该效应可通过参与购买相关口碑传播的预期愉悦感降低得到解释：受财务约束的消费者认为，复盘自身的货币支出会强化其负面情绪……