Proceedings of 5th Annual American Business Research Conference
6 - 7 June, 2013, Sheraton LaGuardia East Hotel, NY, USA, ISBN: 978-1-922069-24-5
The Double-Edged Sword of Anticipated Regret: Comparative
Study in Iran and Germany
Atieh Bathaee
This research explores the dual effects of anticipated regret as a negative
cognition-based emotion on both utilitarian and hedonic behaviors of
consumers. The concept motivates consumers to pre-evaluate their purchase
decisions and disregard their experiential fun-oriented purchases at the same
time. Comparative analysis of variety-seeking and quality-consciousness in
service purchase context exemplifies the two-fold effect of anticipated regret.
The role of involvement as a mediator and moderator has been interested.
Applying structural equation method, the proposed framework was separately
evaluated in divergent markets of Iran and Germany. Results suggested
nonconformities in consumers’ tendencies toward utilitarian and hedonic
behaviors when anticipating purchase regret. Although similarities in the
mediating and moderating effects of involvement between the two samples are
confirmed, differences are not ignorable. The author discusses the managerial
implications and directions for future studies.
Keywords: Anticipated Regret, Utilitarian Effects, Hedonic Effects,
Variety-Seeking, Quality-Consciousness, and Involvement.
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Atieh Bathaee, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt Universität Greifswald, Germany.