Purpose This paper aims to investigate the effect of retailers’ consumer communications in prompting the choice of an in-stock alternative to an out-of-stock first-choice product. Design/methodology/approach Four between-subjects experiments assessed the extent to which the likelihood of a...

This study tested the hypothesis that retail customers’ drive to assimilation or differentiation moderates the effect on their initial preference for a particular product of their discovery in the store of a previously unconsidered comparable alternative, which happens to be presently out of...

Retail stores' own brands offer an alternative to national brands, but a perception of inferior quality deters potential purchasers. This study investigates the role of third-party quality certification labels in overcoming that weakness. Data collected from 268 mall shoppers in Taiwan revealed...