An Empirical Study On "Inaction Inertia"after Missing Purchase

ObjectivePeople often miss out on a purchase. How to promote these consumers to buy at next time, instead of doing nothing, is of great significance. Based on Theory of Reasoned Action, the Planned Behavior Theory caused huge repercussions in social psychology once it was proposed. The theory has good explanatory power and predictive power on behavior, so it is necessary to bring it into consumer psychology research, which would put forward a brand new perspective for the behavior of the consumer and that’s the innovative pointp of this paper.MethodThis study aims to consider consumer’s inaction inertia after missing the first purchase opportunity, from the perspective of the planned behavior theory. Using the method of circumstances simulation,2(large discount vs small discount)*2(positive evaluation vs negative evaluation)*2(high acessibility vs low acessibility), this study creates eight different experimental condition. There are120subjects, selected from the junior students of Hunan Normal University randomly, in which there are63female and57male. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of eight conditions, each group includes15person.Result1.The main effect of discount is significant (F=5.650, p<0.05).2.The main effect of evaluation is significant (F=46.123, p<0.01).3. The main effect of accessibility is significant (F=17.071, p<0.01).4. There shows a significant interaction between accessibility and discount (F=3.892, p=0.037), there also shows a significant interaction between accessibility and evaluation (F=2.802, p=0.040), and the interaction of accessibility and evaluation and discount are significant (F=4.327, p=0.040)ConclusionsFirst, smaller value variance between two purchasing opportunity can reduce the tendency of inaction inertia. Second, positive evaluation on the second opportunity may reduce the tendency of inaction inertia. Third, the higher accessibility of the target can tendency the possbility of inaction inertia.Fourth, the interaction of accessibility and evaluation and discount are significant. The three independent variables exert their influences on inaction inertia together.Fifth, the best combinations to reduce the likelihood of inaction inertia is:small value variance+positive evaluation+high accessibility.