Muṭāli̒āt-i Mudīriyyat-i Gardishgarī (Mar 2022)
The Effect of Scarcity Messages on Tourists’ Impulsive Buying Motivation and Impulsive Buying Behavior in Online Booking: The Moderating Role of Travel Experience
Abstract
Introduction Travel marketers use the appeal of scarcity messages as a promotional tool and technique to make the product or service more attractive with the ultimate aim of selling faster and more. Scarcity messages have proved to be extremely practical and effective, especially in the online environment. As a basic concept of economics, scarcity has found its way into various fields, such as psychology and marketing. Considered a promotional technique, the concept of scarcity practically works based on the idea that customers tend to value and buy rare products more than the products that are plentiful. In this respect, certain stimuli can cause scarcity by denoting the rarity of a product or service. There are two types of scarcity: limited-time and limited-quantity. Concerning the former, a product or service becomes available for a pre-defined limited period. In contrast, limited-quantity scarcity refers to the availability of a product or service as a function of supply or demand. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of scarcity messages on tourists’ impulsive buying motivation and impulsive buying behavior while booking online with an eye to the moderating role of the travel experience. Materials and Methods As an applied research, the present study used the method of quantitative, descriptive survey. The questionnaire was used for data collection, and the statistical population included all Iranian tourists who had experience in booking and purchasing tourism products online. In accordance with Morgan’s table, 384 samples were selected through convenience sampling. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the hypotheses, and the analysis was performed by WARP PLS5 software. Results and Discussion The results showed the positive effect of limited-time scarcity messages on impulsive buying motivation, of impulsive buying motivation on impulsive buying behavior, of limited-quantity scarcity messages based on high demand on impulsive buying motivation, and of limited-quantity scarcity messages based on low supply on impulsive buying motivation. However, the travel experience had no moderating role in the relationship between limited-time scarcity messages and impulsive buying motivation, which rejects the research hypothesis. The results can have implications for both research and administrative sections. Conclusion The present study investigated the effect of scarcity messages on tourists’ impulsive buying motivation and impulsive buying behavior while booking online with an eye to the moderating role of the travel experience. The results of path analysis confirmed four hypotheses but rejected one. Both limited-quantity scarcity (due to high demand or low supply) and limited-time scarcity can increase the motivation of tourists while booking online, which in turn leads to impulsive buying. This finding supports the influence of motivation on impulsive buying, indicating a direct relationship between the two. However, the travel experience has no moderating role in the relationship between limited-time scarcity messages and impulsive buying motivation. Therefore, businesses can post messages on their online platforms with the theme of a 20% discount (with only one day left to use the discount for booking and buying) so that tourists can book and buy right away. The messages containing exciting sentences should be published, and motivated people should be shown different stimuli, such as easy access and tips and advice in booking. In addition, publicizing the services and reservations bought by a group of customers (e.g., a team of coworkers, a group of friends, a family, etc.) at the same time can led to an increase in the motivation of tourists. Furthermore, the messages featuring the theme of limited capacity for product or service should be provided for tourists on websites, platforms, and social networks in order to make the product or service more valuable, hence more motivation and willingness to buy and book. It is recommended that future researchers conduct more in-depth quantitative and qualitative analyses about causes and conditions of scarcity in the tourism industry. The present study did not make a distinction between different platforms and their respective customers. Therefore, it is suggested that future research be conducted on a single platform of online booking and shopping in the tourism industry. In addition to the status of a given platform, the quality of the platform should be considered in studying the effect of scarcity messages. Finally, the B2B and C2C markets can be viable candidates for future studies.
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