The Role of Regulatory Focus on Consumer Response to Minimum Purchase Requirement Sales Promotion
(A2022-106220)

AUTHORS

SITONG JIANG, DURHAM UNIVERSITY; Arezou Ghiassaleh, Durham University ; Ji (Karena) Yan, Durham University

ABSTRACT

A minimum purchase requirement (MinPR) deal is a form of sales promotion that asks consumers to meet a requirement to redeem a benefit, for example, £10 off for every £50 spent. This research examines how the consumer’s regulatory focus influences their shopping behavior when they choose to use such deals. Four studies were conducted for this research and the findings show that prevention-focused consumers spend significantly less than promotion-focused consumers when they choose to use a MinPR deal, and the underlying reason is the higher level of knowledge regarding persuasion that prevention-focused consumers hold. Moreover, the results show that a MinPR sales message with a social identity norm can mitigate such negative effect for prevention-focused consumers. Our findings have important implications for marketing practitioners and retailers.