Mood and the Decision to Purchase High-Tech Products

P. 549–556.

Patosha O. I.

The article describes the results of study of the influence of mood when people assessed different attributes of tablet computers. We assumed that the characteristics which people pay attention to when making a decision on a purchase, depend on their mood. The respondents (40 men, 24 women, the average age = 26,2 y.o., SD = 4,5) were randomly divided into two groups. The first group was put in a positive mood and the second group was put in a negative mood by means of two different videos from The Lion King cartoon. The first one was a comic scene with Timon and Pumbaa and the other one was a sad scene featuring the Lion's death. After watching the emotional state of the respondents was measured. Then they were asked to estimate the given list of characteristics for tablet computers and to rate each of them. The results showed that the respondents in a negative mood were more likely to make a cautious and rational decision and to opt for good quality and simple models at a lower price. Alternatively, the respondents in a positive mood were more likely to value a physical aspect such as an interesting design some extras, such as a free gift with purchase or a wide range of accessories, and other people's recommendations. The respondents in a good mood chose new models. This finding coincides with other studies which show that people in a good mood are risk-seeking than those who are in a bad mood.

Keywords: mood, information processing, consumer’s decision making

Publication based on the results of: Восприятие брендов людьми с различными стратегиями потребительского поведения (2015)

In book

The Asian Conference on Psychology & the Behavioral Sciences 2015, Osaka, Japan. Official Conference Proceedings

Osaka: The International Academic Forum, 2015.