The mediating effect of consumers’ price level perception and emotions towards supermarkets

Abstract

Purpose – This study aims to reveal the impact of consumers’ price sensitivity on their purchase intention within the scope of supermarkets. Besides, the study aims to examine the impact of consumers’ price sensitivity on their price perception level and emotions and the impact of consumers’ price level perception and emotions toward supermarkets on their purchase intention. It also aims to detect the mediating effects of consumers’ price level perception and emotions toward supermarkets between their price sensitivity and purchase intention. Design/methodology/approach – The quota sampling method was used to form the study sample. The population was 20–69-year-old consumers. The study sample included 513 consumers, 276 of whom were men, and 237 of whom were women. Data were collected via a questionnaire by the researchers in Mersin’s (Turkey) five central counties. Explanatory and confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation models were used to analyze data. Findings – Consumers’ price sensitivity, perception of cheapness, perception of expensiveness and positive emotions toward supermarkets affect their purchase intention. Besides, price sensitivity affects their perception of cheapness while it does not affect their perception of expensiveness. It influences negative emotions, but not on positive emotions. Consumers’ perception of cheapness and perception of expensiveness have impacts on positive emotions toward supermarkets. It was additionally discovered that perception of cheapness and perception of expensiveness affected negative emotions toward supermarkets. A contributed finding was that perception of cheapness had a partial mediating role between price sensitivity and purchase intention. Practical implications – The study provides managerial implications in terms of understanding consumers’ behavioral changes, developing effective pricing strategies and achieving competitive advantages over the other retailing companies. Originality/value – The study illustrates that consumer behavior can be explained by a theoretical construct considering the price perception levels and emotions toward supermarkets in examining the effect of consumers’ price sensitivity on their purchase intention. Therefore, it contributes to explain consumers’ behavior by bringing the stimulus–organism–response (SOR) model into a theoretical construct. 研究目的 – 本研究旨在揭示在超級市場的研究範疇內，消費者的價格敏感度對其購買意圖的影響。此外，本研究亦擬探討消費者的價格敏感度對其價格水平感知及情緒的影響，以及消費者的價格水平感知及對超級市場的情感對其購買意圖的影響。本研究亦旨在檢測在消費者的價格敏感度與購買意圖之間，其價格水平感知及對超級市場的情感兩者的仲介效果。 研究的設計/方法/理念 – 本研究用了配額抽樣法來建立研究樣本。研究的對象為20嵗至69嵗的消費者。研究樣本包括513名消費者，其中276人為男性，237人為女性。數據由研究人員透過一項問卷調查在梅爾辛省 (土耳其) 的五個中心縣取得。使用探索性因素分析，驗證性因素分析及結構方程模型來分析數據。 研究結果 – 研究結果顯示，消費者的價格敏感度，廉價感，對昂貴的看法及對超級市場的正面情緒，均影響其購買意圖。此外，消費者的價格敏感度會影響其廉價感，唯其對昂貴的看法則不受影響。價格敏感度對負面情緒帶來影響，但正面情緒則不受影響。消費者對廉價的看法及對昂貴的看法均影響他們對超級市場的正面情緒。研究亦發現，廉價感及對昂貴的看法均影響消費者對超級市場的負面情緒。貢獻的發現是：廉價感於價格敏感度與購買意圖之間扮演部分仲介角色。 實際的意義 – 本研究對管理有其作用。研究結果幫助管理人員更了解消費者行為的改變，發展有效的定價策略，以及比其它零售公司更能發展競爭優勢。 研究的原創性/價值 – 本研究闡明消費者行為是可以利用一個理論構建來說明的，而這個理論構建是透過考慮價格水平感知及對超級市場的情感來探討消費者的價格敏感度對其購買意圖的影響。因此，本研究透過把「刺激 – 機制 – 反應」模型變成為一個理論構建來說明消費者的行為， 在這方面，本研究是有其貢獻的.

Keywords

• Price sensitivity
• Price level perception
• Emotion toward supermarkets
• Purchase intention