The impact of Portuguese consumers´emotional state in their tendency to engage in exploratory buying behavior and to purchase innovative products

Abstract

Over time, the study of emotions has shown the great effect they have on the way individuals think, judge and consequently act, influencing their behavior. As consumers, their decision-making process also varies according to the choice to be made. And, in such a competitive world where companies differentiate themselves by innovation, what impact will their emotional state have on their final purchasing decision when faced with innovative goods? This dissertation aims to analyze the impact of the Portuguese consumers´ emotional state at the moment of the buying decision on their tendency to get involved on exploratory behaviors as well as on their final decision. The key results show that being in a positive mood increases the probability of consumers getting involved in an exploratory buying behavior and yet, the more they like to shop around and look at displays, the greater the tendency to buy innovative products. Furthermore, it has been concluded that those individuals who feel more cautious about trying new products are less likely to buy innovative products. This is due to the risk involved, namely possible losses of money and time, if expectations do not correspond to reality. In order to overcome this obstacle of the buyers, strategies that Managers can adopt to decrease these risks are also discussed, in order to potentialize their sales, and consequently, the firm's results.

Date of Award	27 Jan 2021
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Daniel Fernandes (Supervisor)