Explain The Impact Of Horizontal And Time Frames On Intertemporal Choices In Online Shopping

Usually consumers make purchase decisions and get goods on different occasions when shopping online, which brings about increasing intertemporal choices to consumers. With the analysis of two experiments in a total of 186 subjects, this study aims to explore how the construal level and time frame influence people's preferences for online shopping intertemporal choices. Both the two experiments would divide the subjects into three groups at random and take priming materials of 'why' and'how-to'for construal level mind set to group them into high construal level, low construal level and control group. Then the experiment I and experiment II respectively let the subjects make online shopping intertemporal choices in two time frames:recent delay and forward delay and delay and presale.The experimental results are as follows:(1) The main effect of the construal level is significant. The time discount rate of high construal level is below low one.(2) The main effect of time frame is significant. The time discount rate in the forward delay is less than that in the recent delay and meanwhile, the time discount rate in the delay is less than that in the presale.(3) In the frame of recent delay and forward delay, the interaction of construal level and time frame is marginally significant. In the frame of forward delay, the subjects in low construal level have considerably more preferences for no-delay than those in high construal level, while in the frame of recent delay, the preferences for intertemporal choices of the subjects are barely different no matter in low construal level or in high level.(4) In the frame of delay and presale, the interaction of construal level and frame effect is not so obvious.Conclusions are as follows:(1) Construal level could have influence on people's preferences for intertemporal choices. Compared with low construal level, people in high one have more preferences for delay and they are more intended to endure wait.(2) There exists time frame effect in online shopping construal choices and people are more willing to choose delay in the frame of forward delay and presale while they prefer no-delay in the frame of recent delay.(3) In the frame of forward delay, the construal level can influence people's choice preferences while in recent delay, because of the period is short, it has no impact on their preferences.(4) In the frame of delay and presale, the frame effect has much more influence on preference choices than construal level.