Compromise and attraction effects under promotion and prevention motivations

Journal of Consumer Research

Abstract

This article examines the influence of consumers’ motivational orientations on their susceptibilities to context effects. Prevention-focused consumers were found to be more sensitive to the compromise effect and less sensitive to the attraction effect than promotion-focused consumers. In addition, the effects of promotion and prevention motivations were amplified when consumers were asked to justify their choices. Finally, we found that products associated with a prevention concern are more attractive when presented as compromise than asymmetrically dominant options, whereas products associated with a promotion concern are more attractive when presented as asymmetrically dominant options than compromise options.