Mood and the Decision to Purchase High-Tech Products

Abstract

The paper describes the results of a study of the effect of mood on the way people assessed different attributes of tablets; their assumption was that depending on their current mood, people look for certain product characteristics in making purchasing decisions. The respondents (40 males, 24 females, mean age = 26,2, S = 4,5) were randomly put into two study groups. The first group was put in a positive mood and the second group in a negative mood using two different clips from The Lion King – a comic scene with Timon and Pumbaa and a sad scene featuring a lion's death – and then measured the subjects' emotional state. The subjects were then asked to estimate the given list of tablet characteristics and asked to rate each of them. The results showed that subjects in a negative mood were more likely to make a cautious and rational choice and to opt for good quality, simple models at a lower price. In contrast, respondents in a positive mood were more likely to value appearance, such as an interesting design; extras, such as a gift with purchase or a wide selection of accessories, and others people's recommendations. People in a good mood favoured new models – a finding consistent with other studies showing that people who are feeling good are more likely to take risks than those who are feeling low.



Author Information
Olga Patosha, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Russia

Paper Information
Conference: ACP2015
Stream: Industrial Organization and Organization Theory

This paper is part of the ACP2015 Conference Proceedings (View)
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Posted by James Alexander Gordon