Abstract
This article examines whether and why organizing product categories according to the consumption goal they serve (i.e., complement-based assortment organization) may increase purchases, compared with organizing product categories according to their attributes or physical characteristics (i.e., substitute-based assortment organization). Across two field experiments, a virtual reality experiment, and a lab experiment, the authors show that a complement-based assortment organization, compared with a substitute-based assortment organization, leads to increased numbers of purchases and increased expenditures. Ease of visualization of the consumption process mediates the results. The impact of the complement-based organization on purchases is more pronounced for less involved consumers and for consumers with a less specific shopping goal. These findings have both theoretical and practical implications.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 459-478 |
Number of pages | 20 |
Journal | Journal of Marketing Research |
Volume | 56 |
Issue number | 3 |
Early online date | 28 Mar 2019 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jun 2019 |