O efeito moderador do consumo de exclusividade na relação entre sobrecarga de escolha e intenção de compra: um estudo aplicado no varejo

Abstract

There are several aspects that influence the purchase intention of consumers in retail. Part of these aspects concern the external environment and include the decisions of marketers about the quantity and exposure of products. While some believe that consumers are attracted to retailers that offer large assortments, others believe that when faced with a large volume of options, consumers reduce their ability to make a decision, or make any decision at all. Such negative consequences are referred to in the literature as choice overload. In addition to external aspects, the purchase intention of consumers is also affected by individual aspects associated with their needs, self-image and social image. Consumers with a need for exclusivity behavior seek social distinction and display products considered uncommon and scarce, as symbols of public recognition of exclusivity. Luxury products are included in the perception of rare and rare products, which not everyone can own. This dissertation was based on the theoretical framework of purchase intention, information overload and behavior of need for exclusivity to contemplate the objective of identifying the moderating effect of the need for exclusivity on the relationship between choice overload and consumer purchase intention. To achieve this goal, two experiments were carried out applied to two distinct contexts of luxury consumption. While experiment 1 investigated the consumption of women's luxury fashion, experiment 2 investigated the consumption of wines. The two studies investigated two hypotheses, the first of which tested and proved that choice overload negatively influences the consumer's purchase intention, while the absence of overload positively affects the relationship. The second hypothesis tested the moderating effect of the need for exclusivity on the previous relationship and proved that the greater the need for exclusivity, the more negative the relationship between choice overload and purchase intention is. Thus, this dissertation contributes to the theoretical deepening of the investigation of the need for exclusivity, purchase intention and choice overload, and offers important support for luxury product retail marketers.