How Retailers’ Recommendation and Return Policies Alter Product Evaluations

Junyong Kim and Brian Wansink

Journal of Retailing, 2012, vol. 88, issue 4, 528-541

Abstract: This research investigates the interactive effects of retailers’ recommendations and return policies on consumers’ post-purchase evaluations of products which yield a mixed attribute performance. This article presents an account of the consumers’ post-purchase product evaluation process, in which counterfactual thinking plays a central role. Two studies show that consumers’ post-purchase evaluations of products, which yield a mixed attribute performance, tend to be more favorable under lenient return policies than under restricted return policies when retailers offer recommendations during the pre-purchase decision-making process, but more favorable under restricted return policies than under lenient return policies when retailers offer no recommendations.

Keywords: Return policy; Recommendation; Post-purchase product evaluation; Counterfactual thinking (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jouret:v:88:y:2012:i:4:p:528-541

DOI: 10.1016/j.jretai.2012.04.004

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