Can effort/satisfaction theory explain price/quality relationships?
Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science · 1978 · Volume 6 · Issue 1
Abstract
A number of studies affirm that the level of consumer satisfaction with a product is positively correlated with the amount of effort expended in obtaining that product. This proposition, however, fails to explain situations where the customer may be more satisfied with a product when expending low effort than when expending high effort. The article attempts to reconcile conflicting evidence concerning the effects on product evaluation as a result of the magnitude of consumer effort. The two experiments conducted in this study suggest that the, issue of effort is a relative matter, measured and viewed by the individual in relation to the extent of his effort resource or reservoir. The experiments also indicate that this effort resource is capricious over time and place. The conclusion suggests to marketers with pricing responsibilities other alternatives to high-price policies as a means of attaining the desired customer evaluation of a product.
Keywords
Customer Satisfaction, Cognitive Dissonance, Effort Reservoir, Assimilation Effect, Assimilation Theory
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