Physical or Experience?The Influence of Product Out of Stock on Consumers'Preference for Physical Products
Stock-outs refer to the temporary unavailability of prod-ucts,a phenomenon frequently encountered in everyday shopping environments.These occurrences can negatively impact both busi-nesses and consumers.For businesses,stock-outs may lead to cus-tomers canceling purchases or switching stores,which can reduce customer loyalty,result in customer loss,and decrease market share.For consumers,stock-outs leave essential consumption needs un-met,forcing them to alter their purchasing plans,increase shopping costs,and experience frustration and annoyance,ultimately harm-ing their physical and mental well-being.Consequently,consumers may cancel or delay purchases,opt for similar substitutes,or switch to alternative products.Thus,the negative effects of stockouts on consumers ultimately translate into profit losses for the affected businesses.While most previous research has focused on consumer responses to stock-out situations,illustrating that these responses vary based on factors such as brand and store loyalty,product price,product category,shopping frequency,transaction costs,purchase urgen-cy,temporary stock-outs,and changes in product assortment,few studies have examined which specific product categories consumers switch to after encountering stock-outs.For businesses,effectively understanding consumer behavior following stock-outs can help mitigate the negative consequences associated with such situations.However,existing research fails to provide a theoretical explanation for the underlying reasons behind consumers'product-switching behavior following a stock-out,thereby offering limited support for businesses in developing more effective marketing strategies.Based on the theory of consumers'sense of control,this study examines the influence of out-of-stock experience on consumers'physical and experiential consumption decisions.Study 1 prelimi-narily explored the effect of out of stock on preference of individ-ual physical products(VS.experiential products).Study 1a and 1b respectively explored the application of the research conclusions in different marketing scenarios.Study 2a reconfirmed that indi-viduals experiencing out of stock,compared with individuals not experiencing out of stock,will increase their preference for materi-alistic products in experience-based and materialistic consumption decisions,and confirmed the mediating role of sense of control.Study 2b changed the experimental situation and the measurement method of dependent variable,and not only confirmed the positive effect of out-of-stock experience on consumers'preference for physical products,but also tested the internal mechanism of product out-of-stock experience on consumers'preference for physical prod-ucts by adjusting the test medium.Study 3 verified the mediating role of consumers'internal and external control personality in the relationship between the influence of out of stock on physical prod-ucts.When consumers have external locus of control,the out-of-stock experience decreases the sense of control,making individuals prefer physical products that can make up for the sense of control.When consumers have internal locus of control,they will elimi-nate the negative effects brought by the out-of-stock personality through their own efforts,so as to keep their sense of control in a stable state.In the subsequent consumption selection process,there is no need to choose physical products to gain the sense of control.Whether the product is out of stock at this time has no difference on the subsequent experience type and physical type choice of the sub-jects.The theoretical contributions of this study are reflected in three key areas:First,the findings enrich the research on compensation strat-egies following product stock-outs,providing a theoretical founda-tion for subsequent research in this domain.Second,the results con-tribute to the understanding of factors influencing consumers'sense of control,thereby enhancing the application of consumer behavior within the theory of compensatory control.Third,the conclusions refine the theoretical framework guiding purchasing decisions be-tween material and experiential products.This study adopts a novel perspective to explore the impact of stock-outs on decision-making processes concerning material and experiential product choices,simultaneously verifying the boundary effect of consumers'inter-nal-external locus of control,thus enriching the relevant theories on material/experiential products and locus of control.This study also carries significant practical implications.First,businesses can recommend similar material products from the same store or functional substitutes when a consumer's desired product is out of stock,particularly if the product is experiential.Shopping platforms should consider promoting material substitutes(e.g.,a mathematics textbook)rather than limiting recommendations to products with similar attributes,thereby effectively reducing cus-tomer relationship damage caused by switching behavior.Second,businesses might engage consumers in compensatory prize draws during stock-out events.These prize draws can enhance the sense of control through mechanisms such as increasing the probability of winning or offering greater autonomy in selecting prizes,assisting consumers in regaining control through additional marketing activi-ties.Third,when businesses detect that a consumer's target product is out of stock,sales or customer service personnel should commu-nicate with consumers using marketing language that conveys the idea that the stockout is purely accidental,thus helping consumers feel equipped to cope with the stockout's impact and maintain their sense of control.
Out of StockExperiential ProductPhysical ProductSense of ControlLocus of Control
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