Research reveals that anxiety plays a significant role in the decision-making process when it comes to new product adoption – but this impact isn’t necessarily a negative one, according to Yu-Ting Lin and Andreas Eisingerich
Everyone reading this article, at one point or another in their life, will have experienced stumbling across a new product in a store, which they haven’t seen before, and have then contemplated buying that item. And, inevitably, when considering purchasing that product, each of you will have experienced at least one of two emotions: hope, and/or anxiety. These feelings stem from our expectations around what the consequences of using that product may be. In other words, we’re hopeful that the product will have the desired effect, but are also anxious that it could just as easily have an adverse impact on us.
Hope is defined a positive emotion experienced in the present in regard to a goal-congruent future outcome, while anxiety is defined as a negative emotion also experienced in the present but in regard to a goal-incongruent future outcome. These two seemingly incompatible emotions, evoked by what the consumer thinks they know about the product, play a crucial role in the decision-making process when it comes to buying a new product or not. Now, knowing that one’s feelings around a new product are directly related to whether that individual chooses to purchase that item, a lot of research has already been done around this subject. Typically, existing research suggests, as many would expect, that anxiety aroused from the products dissuades consumers from purchasing because people’s inclination to prevent future threats. However, we offer an alternative hypothesis, and suggest that the anxiety can actually increase the chances of a shopper purchasing a new product, when people are hopeful.
We anticipated that this feeling of anxiety, when met with hope, would encourage shoppers to undertake ‘action planning’. For example, if a shopper was considering whether to purchase a new type of skin product, and was anxious about the item having an adverse effect on their skin – i.e. causing a breakout – but was also hopeful that the product would improve their skin, they would be more inclined to take steps to plan for their use. This could include simple measures such as asking a friend whether they had tried the item before, and if so what the experience was like; researching the ingredients and their potential side-effects; and following the usage instructions carefully. We anticipated that, in doing this, the individual would feel more in control of both the situation and the outcomes, therefore increasing the likelihood of them buying the item.
Testing the theory
To test our theory, we oversaw three studies. The first saw us explore a medication designed to protect individuals from contracting HIV. In this large-scale survey study, respondents who were deemed to be at high risk of contracting HIV/AIDS were recruited. Having been given the description of the medication, we asked those taking part in the study to indicate whether they would be willing to use the product. The item was likely to result in feelings of both hope – that the medication would reduce the risk of getting HIV – and anxiety – around possible, unappealing side effects, such as headaches and drowsiness.
Within the second study, which extended the established effects observed in the first field study, we sought to test the impact of both anxiety and hope on an individual’s decision to purchase a new product in an experimental setting to not only this time we used a different item with a different consumer base, but also to probe into the underlying mechanism. Using over 400 professionals attending an executive education course at a university, we tested the impact of hope and anxiety on their decision to use an extra-strength skin peel product. We also asked the respondents to view a number of product reviews, both positive and negative, offered via social media. In doing this, we looked to manipulate their levels of hope and anxiety.
Finally, in the third study we asked over 500 part-time postgraduate students to indicate the likelihood of them using an energy drink whose product package promised mental clarity and healthy energy. Different from the second study, we provided the respondents with ads and disclaimers to induce strong feelings of hope and anxiety. We also asked the respondents to indicate whether they had much experience with these types of energy drinks. In all three studies, despite the product varying, as well as the customer base, and in spite of different stimuli being put in place to induce stronger feelings of anxiety or hope, we found conclusive evidence that anxiety regarding possible outcomes from product use can actually increase the likelihood of an individual buying that item when that person is hopeful.
Implications for marketers
Knowing this to be the case, this research has clear implications for marketers. In the first instance, if, once having undertaken market research, it’s found that consumers already have strong feelings of anxiety around the prospect of using a new product, efforts should be focused on developing communications that actually increase hope, not simply downplay anxiety. Conversely, our research would suggest that if consumers display the opposite emotions during the R&D process – i.e. strong hope – it would be wise for marketers to develop communications that actually increase anxiety, whether that be warning labels or disclaimers. This is because, beyond encouraging new product adoption, this kind of messaging could also increase product satisfaction, as having considered the possible negative impacts of using the product, they may ultimately be more satisfied with the item after use than those who had never considered the potential anxiety-evoking outcomes.
While traditionally marketers may be loath to use such disclaimers, or any other messaging that could cause customers to feel uneasy about a product, this information could actually encourage more thoughtful decision making from consumers when hope is strong.
It’s clear that anxiety plays a significant role in the decision-making process when it comes to new product adoption. As our research has shown, this impact isn’t necessarily a negative one. Marketers and those working in R&D would be wise to embrace anxiety-inducing messaging and disclaimers, or situations where online customers reviews are embedded with anxiety, so the resources would be better allocated to efforts to raise hope around new products. We hope that this research provides food-for-thought to professionals around the relationship between anxiety and new product purchasing.
Dr Yu-Ting Lin is a Teaching and Research Associate in Marketing at Imperial College Business School.
Dr Andreas Eisingerich is a Professor of Marketing at Imperial College Business School.
Their paper, Strong Anxiety Boosts New Product Adoption When Hope Is Also Strong, was published in the Journal of Marketing
