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The purpose of this paper is to examine differences among fashion trendsetting groups in money attitudes and consumer tendency to regret (CTR).

Students completed questionnaires containing demographic items and scales measuring money attitudes (power/prestige, quality, anxiety and distrust), CTR (CTR^purchase, CTR^{not purchase}) and trendsetting. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s α, M/ANOVA and SNK post hoc test.

Participants lowest in trendsetting scored lower in power/prestige than earlier adopters. Trendsetters scored higher in quality and anxiety than later adopters. Trendsetters scored higher in CTR^{not purchase} but not in CTR^purchase. Participants higher (vs lower) in CTR^purchase scored higher in power/prestige, distrust and anxiety but not in quality. Participants higher (vs lower) in CTR^{not purchase} scored higher in power/prestige, quality and anxiety but not in distrust.

Generalization of results is limited because the college student sample was not representative of the general population of consumers.

Many retailer sales tactics are designed to pressure consumers to buy and buy now – thus raising consumers’ level of anxiety. Retailers might benefit from strategies to reduce consumers’ negative emotions (e.g. anxiety, distrust) and to encourage attention to positive social or personal benefits of products.

Results extend cognitive dissonance theory and the post-purchase evaluation model by finding differences among fashion trendsetter groups in post-purchase evaluation and money attitudes. No prior research has explored CTR and money attitudes among fashion trendsetter groups.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate post-purchase regret and its relationships with complaint and risk aversion in a four-dimensional framework.

Using 548 effective samples, this study employed structural equation modeling to test proposed hypotheses.

Based on levels of perceived self-responsibility, post-purchase regret due to forgone alternatives, under consideration and over consideration was positively associated with customer complaining, whereas post-purchase regret due to significance change exhibited no such correlation. Moreover, a higher level of risk aversion increased the effect of utilitarian motivation on post-purchase regret due to over consideration but decreased this effect on post-purchase regret due to under consideration.

First, regret can positively influence consumer complaints. Next, consumers are unlikely to complain to third parties unless they experience strong action regret. Finally, risk aversion can alleviate or reinforce the effect of utilitarian motivation on regret. Future research could examine the customer group who feel less or no regret of their purchases to contribute to regret theory.

To reduce regret among such consumers, marketers are advised to apply precision marketing techniques to reach their target consumers. Second, to forestall customer regret due to forgone alternatives, sellers should proactively provide target buyers with information regarding their products and those of competing brands. Third, another method of minimizing regret is to ensure that consumers’ risk-aversion activities are effective.

This study empirically demonstrated a multidimensional scale of regret to illuminate the multicausal role of regret in relation to consumers’ complaining and risk-aversion behaviors.

Grounded in the theory of mental budgeting, this paper aims to investigate how the regret and perfectionism of exposition attendees influences their purchasing strategy.

This research collected on-site data at a well-established specialty food exposition in China. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were applied to test the proposed model.

The findings confirm the effect of psychological mechanism (regret and perfectionism) on exposition attendees’ purchasing strategy as one that boosts/impairs their confidence in purchasing healthy food at the exposition. Specifically, regret and perfectionism show differential contributions to purchasing strategy dimensions. Variety seeking has a positive effect, whereas price consciousness has a negative effect, on purchase confidence.

Event organizers and exhibitors should understand attendees’ consumption-related psychological mechanism and devise effective management and marketing strategies for optimal consumption experiences at expositions. They can create an informative and worry-free experience that facilitates a pleasant thought process to reduce uncertainty in attendees’ on-site decision-making.

The current research pioneered a unique model conceptualizing the important, yet underexplored, phenomenon of purchasing mechanism in the exposition setting. Addressing the emerging interest in food expositions, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first for examining purchasing mechanism from the perspective of mental budgeting, providing insightful knowledge about how the psychological mechanism affects exposition attendees’ pre-purchase evaluation and confidence toward purchasing healthy food at expositions.

This research aims to identify whether subsequent consciousness of having been in a flow state – that is, flow consciousness – regarding an earlier impulse purchase affects consumers' post–purchase behaviours, specifically their feelings of consumer regret.

The study applied a mixed methodology. First, the authors conducted two qualitative studies (focus groups) to establish the relationships between flow, flow consciousness and regret. Second, the authors conducted a quantitative study using data collected through an online questionnaire. Participants were asked to recall a recent shopping experience. To conduct confirmatory factor analysis, the authors gathered data from 304 consumers who had searched for, and purchased, a product on Amazon (www.amazon.com). Structural equation modelling, based on covariance, was used to test the hypotheses.

Flow consciousness is found to reduce consumer regret after an impulse purchase.

Online retailers should make consumers aware of the flow state they have experienced. Flow states lead to increased impulse buying, and if consumers are made aware that they were in a flow state, it may reduce any regret they feel after the purchase.

This is the first study to examine the effects of flow consciousness on consumer behaviour after an impulse purchase. In particular, research has not analysed the effects that flow consciousness has on negative feelings experienced after the impulse purchase of a product.

Self-gifting is a performative process in which consumers purchase products for themselves. The literature to date remains silent on a determination and connection between the extents of post-purchase regret resulting from self-gifting behavior. The purpose of this paper is to examine identification and connection of self-gifting antecedents, self-gifting and the effect on post purchase regret.

This study claims the two antecedents of hedonistic shopping and indulgence drive self-gifting behaviors and the attendant regret. A total of 307 shoppers responded to a series of statements concerning the relationships between antecedents of self-gifting behavior and the effect on post-purchase regret. Self-gifting is a multi-dimensional construct, consisting of therapeutic, celebratory, reward and hedonistic imports. Confirmatory factor analysis and AMOS path modeling enabled examination of relationships between the consumer traits of hedonistic shopping and indulgence and the four self-gifting concepts.

Hedonic and indulgent shoppers engage in self-gifting for different reasons. A strong and positive relationship was identified between hedonic shoppers and reward, hedonic, therapeutic and celebratory self-gift motivations. hedonic shoppers aligned with indulgent shoppers who also engaged the four self-gifting concepts. The only regret concerning purchase of self-gifts was evident in the therapeutic and celebratory self-gift motivations.

A major limitation was the age range specification of 18 to 45 years which meant the omission of older generations of regular and experienced shoppers. This study emphasizes the importance of variations in self-gift behaviors and of post-purchase consumer regret.

This research is the first examination of an hedonic attitude to shopping and indulgent antecedents to self-gift purchasing, the concepts of self-gift motivations and their effect on post-purchase regret.

The purpose of this paper is to present the concept of consumers' erroneous affective self‐forecasts, and discuss the implications of such forecasts for consumer purchasing behaviour and marketing planning.

First, the literature on inaction inertia – the lowering of the likelihood that a bargain will be taken once a better bargain has been missed – is reviewed. Second, the literature on affective self‐forecasting is reviewed. Finally, the implications that the authors synthesis of the behavioural evidence carries for marketing are discussed.

The inaction inertia literature implicates the regret that consumers associate with purchasing a discounted item once they have missed a much larger discount on it as a major contributing factor to consumers' unwillingness to purchase the item on the second occasion. The literature on affective self‐prediction suggests that regret (and other emotions) is systematically mispredicted.

The likely effect of erroneously anticipated regret in inaction inertia situations is depressed purchasing behaviour. The paper argues that because affective anticipations are typically erroneous, their impact on consumer decision‐making processes cannot be deemed rational. It is proposed that marketing should intervene to either increase the accuracy of such anticipations, or to lead consumers to discount them.

Price promotions can have negative side effects, such as those observed in inaction inertia circumstances. To some extent, these are driven by consumers anticipated regret (and possibly other relevant emotions). Marketing techniques can counteract the disproportionate impact of such emotions.

The paper offers a synthesis of behavioural evidence on inaction inertia and affective self‐forecasting – two quite separate literatures that have yet to be brought together in the present context. In addition, the paper outlines implications for marketing and suggests possible strategies to moderate the discussed effects.

This research investigates the factors influencing consumers' intention to purchase e-deals from group buying websites, focussing on e-deal proneness, price consciousness and anticipatory regret.

Three studies (n = 539) were conducted using data collected from an online consumer panel and tested via structural equation modelling and PROCESS macro in SPSS.

The findings suggest that subjective norms, perceived behavioural control and attitudes positively influence consumers' e-deal purchase intention. Additionally, price consciousness amplifies the relationship between consumers' e-deal proneness and purchase intention, and price-conscious respondents are more likely to have the intention to buy e-deals when faced with some form of anticipatory regret.

Based on the research findings, practitioners are advised to prioritise social norms and entertainment value when promoting the attractiveness of e-deals, using strategies such as social media and influencer marketing. Brands should also emphasise the value of e-deals by showcasing comparative price savings and discounts to motivate consumers to buy.

This paper addresses an interesting and practical issue related to the effects of group buying websites, focussing on e-deal proneness, price consciousness and anticipatory regret.

Prior to e‐commerce, tourists could only purchase souvenirs at a destination. The goal of this research is to develop and test a theory to explain how adding a retail web site affects tourists' decision‐making for souvenir purchases.

The researcher conducts two experiments using scenarios to simulate a souvenir purchase. The researcher manipulates item type and web site availability, and then measures purchase intent, attitudes toward the souvenir, and regret.

Purchase limitation increases initial purchase intent by increasing the souvenir's reminder value, regardless of item type. Non‐purchase regrets are greater than purchase regrets, which in turn increases purchase intent at a later time.

The stimuli are necklaces, and although the findings do not show gender effects, the stimuli could limit the generalizability to other souvenir types. The research tests hypotheses using scenarios and less‐experienced travelers. Future research should examine different types of souvenirs in a naturalistic setting.

Retailers should not mention web sites until after a tourist decides not to buy in‐store and should do so subtly.

This research contributes to souvenir research by identifying a purchase limitation, available in‐store only, as a new determinant of a souvenir's reminder value. The research also contributes to scarcity research by identifying reminder value as a new and qualitatively different type of valuation affected by scarcity. Lastly, the research extends the regret literature by reversing inaction inertia at a later purchase opportunity while maintaining a regret minimization goal.

Impulsive buyers are a dream segment for retailers and marketers. Stimulants in the retail environment and cognitive aspects evoke a sudden urge the acquisition of products spontaneously. This paper aims to examine key cognitive aspects of impulsive buying behaviour and purchase regret in an online context.

An online survey was conducted to collect the data of 317 online consumers with the help of a convenience sampling technique. The structural equation modelling technique was carried out to establish the validity and reliability of measures and examine the proposed relational paths.

The study results suggest that cognitive aspects recede impulsive buying, resulting in purchase regret. The empirical findings on the impulsive buying behaviour and purchase regret to yield several important implications, including developing marketing strategies and policies to evoke the intentions for impulsive buying behaviour, consumer innovation and balancing the feelings of regret.

The study also provides some significant contributions to the literature on online impulse buying and its related paradigms.

This study mainly attempted to determine the precursors of online impulse buying and purchase regret from the perspective of hedonic and experiential consumption motivation and consumer innovation. Getting reflections from cognitive dissonance theory and the post purchase evaluation, a theoretical model was developed and empirically tested for impulsive online buyers.

The purpose of this paper is to assess how regret affects consumer satisfaction levels, extent of rumination, and brand‐switching intention. The paper also seeks to examine any mediating effects between regret and rumination that can be found due to consumers' negative emotions.

A purchase‐decision scenario was presented to 125 undergraduate students. A between‐subjects experimental design was conducted and structural equation modelling was utilized to evaluate the model fit.

The results indicate that regret decreases consumer satisfaction level and increases brand‐switching intention. Negative emotion was found to demonstrate an indirect effect between regret and extent of rumination. The findings also suggest that negative emotion acts as a partially mediating variable between the effect of satisfaction levels on extent of rumination and the effect of regret on satisfaction levels.

This study emphasizes the importance of post‐purchase consumer satisfaction. Marketers must pay particular attention to both regret and negative emotion toward purchase decisions. By understanding how specific recourse can be taken to mitigate regret, negative emotions, and ruminative thinking, firms can potentially enhance a brand's image and instil brand loyalty.

This research further validates existing research regarding regret and consumption, while introducing the concept of rumination into the marketing literature. Marketers will have a better understanding of how regret, negative emotions, and rumination can play a role in post‐purchase consumption behaviours.