Content area
Inherent to consumers’ purchasing behavior are decisions about how (and when) to pay. Marketing scholars have sought to understand these decisions through a variety of lenses so far including financial well-being, risk perceptions, numerical ability, and promotion preferences. This dissertation presents two essays aimed at addressing questions of emotions and feelings in payment decisions, specifically in the context of recurring payments. The first essay considers the effect of math anxiety on consumers’ preferences toward periodic payment formats. It demonstrates that highly math anxious consumers prefer low-magnitude/high-frequency payments (versus high-magnitude/low-frequency payments), even when this choice requires paying more in the long run. Payment threat is shown as the underlying mechanism, while a practical boundary intervention is also tested. The second essay explores gender differences in loan repayments. It shows that women (versus men) are more likely to choose longer loan terms with lower recurrent payments. It also demonstrates the role of financial (in)security feelings as a mediator. The findings from both essays should be influential for researchers and practitioners alike. Theoretically, this research contributes to the literature in emotions and payment decisions by offering novel antecedents and mechanisms, along with new contexts for the areas of gender differences and affective information. Practically, this research demonstrates specific constructs marketers can use in their pricing, segmentation, and targeting strategies.
