本文研究了顾客为获得忠诚计划回报需付出的努力与顾客的参与意愿之间的关系。根据社会比较理论,顾客会以自己与其他顾客的比较结果作为线索,评价在此计划上的相对付出,并根据比较结果决定参与意愿。本文通过三个实验,分别操纵被试的个人努力、其他顾客的参考努力、以隐性方式操纵其他顾客的参考努力等三种情境,来验证以上命题。研究结果发现:(1)顾客考虑是否参与忠诚计划时,会根据与其他顾客比较的相对付出努力作为参考做出决策;(2)当存在相对付出优势时(个人努力〈参考努力),高的回报标准反而能提高顾客的参与意愿;(3)当存在相对付出劣势时(个人努力〉参考努力),高的回报标准削弱了顾客的参与意愿。
This research examines the effect of the level of effort required to obtain a loyalty program (LP) reward on customers' likelihood of joining the LP. According to the social comparison theory, customers often evaluate LPs on the basis of their individual effort to obtain the reward relative to the relevant reference effort. In this research, three experimentations test the proposition using manipulations of individual effort, manipulation of reference effort, and implicit manipulation of reference effort. Findings indicate that (1) customers use the relative effort which comprises to typical other customers to determine the likelihood to join LPs; (2) when customers believe they have an effort advantage over typical others, higher program requirements magnify this perception of advantage and can therefore increase the overall perceived value of the program; (3) when customers believe they have an effort disadvantage over typical others, higher program requirements decrease the perceived value of the program.