The Moderating Role of Personal Need for Structure on the Evaluation of Incrementally New Products versus Really New Products

Abstract

Previous literature about the impacts of product newness on consumers' acceptance of new products pointed out that consumers are more prone to purchase incrementally new products (INPs) than really new products (RNPs). This study investigated the moderating role of individual difference in personal need for structure (PNS) on consumers' evaluation of INP versus RNP. The inverted-U evaluation pattern of the schema congruity effect was predicted to be left-skewed for high-PNS consumers and right-skewed for low-PNS consumers as regards their evaluations of INP versus RNP. The results of Study 1 showed that low-PNS consumers evaluated RNPs higher than INPs. High-PNS consumers evaluated INPs higher than RNPs consistent with the prediction; however, the result was not significant. Relative to this issue, the moderating role of PNS on consumers' evaluation of INP versus RNP may have been affected by consumers' product category knowledge. The results of Study 2 verified the left- and right-skewed inverted-U hypotheses and showed that the moderating effect of PNS was evident only for novice consumers. Theoretical contributions and managerial implications from the results of the studies are discussed.