关键词: 环境无序性, 多样化寻求, 自我效能威胁, 未来偏好不确定感

Abstract:

Given the development of the economy and technology, environmental disorderliness resulting from product abundance and excessiveness has become ubiquitous and cannot be avoided. Thus, examining the effect of environmental disorderliness on consumers’ choices is of great theoretical and practical significance. A growing body of research has focused on the negative consequences of environmental disorderliness on individual choices and decision making. However, few studies have explored its potential positive outcomes. This research attempts to fill in this gap by proposing that environmental disorderliness has a positive effect on consumers’ variety-seeking behavior, which is sequentially mediated by self-efficacy threat and perceived preference uncertainty.
We conducted one pilot study and four experiments to test these hypotheses. The pilot study combining a qualitative method and a quantitative method suggested a causal relationship between environmental disorderliness and self-efficacy threat. Study 1 was designed to test the main effect of environmental disorderliness on variety-seeking behavior by using a real laboratory environment and assessing real behavior. Studies 2 and 3 adopted two different approaches to test the sequential mediation effect. Specifically, Study 2 tested the mediation effect by measuring subjects’ self-efficacy threat and perceived future preference uncertainty, whereas Study 3 adopted a moderation approach to test the mediation effect by manipulating self-efficacy. Study 4 validated the results of Study 2 and ruled out the potential explanation of individual change-seeking tendency.
In line with our predictions, environmental disorderliness (vs. orderliness) led to higher variety-seeking tendencies, which was sequentially driven by self-efficacy threat and perceived preference uncertainty. It occurs when a disorganized environment threatens consumers’ self-efficacy, which further increases their perceived uncertainty about future preference, and consequently bolsters their variety-seeking tendencies in the subsequent consumption choices. These effects were made robust by varying the experimental stimuli, product categories, and consumption decision scenarios. Additionally, we ruled out a possible explanation that involves sense of control, mood, and individual change-seeking tendency.
Our findings contribute to the literature in several areas. First, by establishing the causal relationship between environmental disorderliness and variety-seeking behavior, this research provides a new angle to study environmental disorderliness. That is, environmental disorderliness can elicit positive effects on consumer choices. Second, this research documents self-efficacy as a possible mechanism underlying the disorderliness effect on variety seeking. Third, this research contributes to the literature of future preference uncertainty by demonstrating that it can be heightened by self-efficacy threat and subsequently affect variety-seeking behavior. Finally, the current research provides managerial implications for managers on how to match their product promotion strategies efficiently with the consumption environment both online and offline.

Key words: environmental disorderliness, variety-seeking, self-efficacy threat, future preference uncertainty