A Study Of The Influencing Factors Of Longitudinal Satisfaction And Its Underlying Mechanism:from The Perspective Of Hedonic Adaptation

The positive emotions aroused by new product will gradually wane under the effect of hedonic adaptation. Hedonic adaptation is defined as "the psychological process by which people become accustomed to a positive or negative stimulus, such that the emotional effects of that stimulus are attenuated over time". Scholars demonstrate that emotions aroused by a new change eventually return to a settled level, especially positive emotions. So thwarting the effect of hedonic adaptation is one of important issues human beings face. Purchase or consuming is one of valid way of attaining happiness, and it is also under the effect of hedonic adaptation. Hedonic adaptation will stimulate variety-seeking behavior with the help of development of e-commerce. When facing a variety of substitute goods, the process of hedonic adaptation will be accelerated. As a result, consumers will be more apt to seek substitute goods to keep fresh and funny. So it is especially important to sustain customer satisfaction to make them re-purchase. In the present study, we reason that if the HA theory could be applied to a customer satisfaction (CS) context, the drivers of CS could be interpreted as adapting to a settled level, reducing positive emotions, as time goes by.Researchers posit that the drivers of CS shift over time. For those attributes, which become increasingly salient in assessing satisfaction, there are continuing changes in either the visible characteristics or the experiences when using the product. In the era of information abundance, consumers can only pay attention to information selectively. Therefore, only varied, dynamic, and novel information or experience can act as cues and enter their evaluation system and thus maintain an individual’s attention over time. Existing literatures, however, lack an understanding of the intervening mechanism that explains the shift on longitudinal CS.In addition, according to the theory of hedonic adaptation, the most important factor of thwarting (or obstructing) hedonic adaptation depends on people’s intentional activities. Our research thus examines consumers’consumption behavior, which might sustain positive emotions in an effort to extend the antecedents of longitudinal CS. We explore factors that drive satisfaction at different stages of the consumption process, focusing on different CS states between new customers and long-term customers.On account of the practical and theoretical background, the present research takes novice and long-term customer of smartphone as research objects, from the perspective of hedonic adaptation, and start from two aspects of product attribute and consumption behavior. We discuss more of how to sustain customer satisfaction with the method of survey. We hope to make construction in the relative area.We first argue that the shifts depend on the attributes’variability. Variable attributes are features that provide dynamically varying experiences or the visible and observable changes. Invariable attributes are features that cannot be changed or updated once the product is purchased. Using hedonic theory, we posit that the effects on satisfaction strengthen over time for the variable attributes and weaken over time for the invariable attributes.Second, we reason that variable attributes are more likely to obstruct hedonic by supplying freshness and enjoyment, contrary to invariable attributes, which are more likely to attract owners’fleeting attention. In exploring the mediating effect of the positive emotions on the’attribute-CS’-relationship, this research finds that, attributes are more likely to obstruct hedonic adaptation when positive emotions are present. Specifically, we find that the effect of the product attribute on CS is stronger when position emotions are present due to the added freshness and enjoyment leading to positive emotions.Third, Dynamic and changeable intentional activities keep a positive experience fresh, stimulating, novel, and pleasant, making it best positioned to resist erosion by hedonic adaptation. In the present study, we therefore incorporate intentional activities into the antecedences of CS (after purchase). Throughout the whole after-purchase process, we predict two activities as important factors to sustain positive emotions, namely, social interaction and enduring involvement. The two activities are not only intentional activities to thwart hedonic adaptation, but also drivers that have yet to be considered into the antecedences of post-purchase satisfaction.Last, previous researches on the relationship between emotions and satisfaction almost base on the static perspective. The present research is inspired by the theory of hedonic adaptation, then starts from the definition of cumulative satisfaction. We find that both emotions and satisfaction abate over the usage process. However, the effect of emotions on customer satisfaction descends as time goes by. Satisfaction on the later stage is affected not only by emotions on the same stage, but also by emotions and satisfaction on earlier stage. In addition, emotions on the earlier stage affect satisfaction on the later stage through the mediation of satisfaction on the earlier stage and emotions on the later stage.The present research develops and tests a model of sustaining customer satisfaction from perspective of hedonic adaptation. The results are significant for the areas of relevant theory and practice. There is still limitation in the present research because of manpower shortage and equipment restriction. It is suggested that further studies should improve and perfect this subject.