We show that the magnitude and direction of the attraction effect is sensitive to the valence of the options considered. We suggest that representation and evaluation of attributes are predictably different in negative domains, where the same attribute that was perceived as a promotion attribute...

Many important decisions that consumers face involve choosing between options that are unattractive or undesirable—the proverbial “lesser of two evils.” Consumers, who face budget or geographical constraints, for example, end up with mostly undesirable consideration sets; yet a choice is...

Previous theories have suggested that consumers will be happier if they spend their money on experiences such as travel as opposed to material possessions such as automobiles. We test this experience recommendation and show that it may be misleading in its general form. Valence of the outcome...

We examine how, why and which consumers infer company mask policies to be politically motivated, impacting their purchase interest. Five studies (N = 3,438) demonstrate that consumers use a company’s mask policy as a proxy for its underlying political ideology but interpret the political...

Managers often set prices just-below a round number (e.g., $39)—a strategy that lowers price perceptions and increases sales. The authors question this conventional wisdom in a common consumer context: upgrade decisions (e.g., whether to upgrade a rental car or hotel room). Seven...