Drivers of purchase behavior and post-purchase evaluation in the Singles’ Day promotion

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the strategies used by consumers to control themselves in the Singles’ Day promotion. It also examines how promotion and social influence affect consumers’ purchase behavior and post-purchase evaluation. Design/methodology/approach: A mixed methods approach including a quantitative study (N = 480) and a follow-up qualitative study (N = 35) was conducted to verify the hypotheses and provide deeper insights. Findings: This study demonstrates that consumers allocate in-store slack in shopping budgets to restrict unplanned purchases and in-store slack is positively related to post-purchase evaluation. Social influence, which helps consumers rationalize purchase decisions, has positive effects on planned purchases and post-purchase evaluation. Both promotion strength and promotion range moderate the relationship between in-store slack and unplanned purchases. Originality/value: Most studies investigate how promotion designs affect consumers’ in-store decision-making. This study focuses on the Singles’ Day promotion in China and examines the tactics consumers use to control purchase behavior in the promotion.