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EMAC 2024 Annual


‘OOPS, MERCURY DID IT AGAIN’! EXAMINING CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR DURING MERCURY RETROGRADE PHASES
(A2024-119411)

Published: May 28, 2024

AUTHORS

Saravana Jaikumar, Indian Institute of Management Calcutta; Bibek Guha Sarkar, Indian Institute of Management Calcutta

ABSTRACT

In recent decades, beliefs related to astrological events such as Mercury retrograde have become mainstream and dictate how consumers go about their lives. Astrologers claim that Mercury retrograde is a time when things go wrong, and advise people against making major purchases during this phase. We conduct two studies to examine the impact of beliefs linked to Mercury retrograde on consumer purchase behaviours, a domain that has received scarce scholarly attention in the marketing domain. In study 1, we investigate consumer discourse regarding Mercury retrograde on Reddit to examine whether consumers are indeed wary of this astrological phenomenon. In study 2, we perform quantitative analyses using purchase-specific secondary datasets from DMEF to show how consumer purchases decrease during Mercury retrograde phases. By enhancing existing knowledge on the interplay between astrology and consumer behaviour, our findings have significant implications for both theory and practice.