為了探討在不同團購時間距離下,消費者如何透過圖片產生心理模擬並進一步影響團購意願,本文設定三個假設:假設1認為團購方案剩餘的交易時間越短,消費者的購買意願越高;假設2包含兩個子假設,假設2a:時間距離越長時,觀看結果模擬圖之購買意願越高。假設2b:時間距離越短時,觀看過程模擬圖之購買意願越高;假設3:時間距離與圖片之交互作用是由心理模擬所中介。本研究方法以二因子實驗設計2 (時間距離:近期未來 vs. 遠期未來) × 2 (心理模擬:過程模擬 vs. 結果模擬),共四種不同實驗情境。 研究結果指出,團購截團時間越短,也就是時間距離近時,消費者的購買意願越高。因此假設1成立。此外,時間距離與圖片對於購買意願有交互作用。然而,在時間距離短時,觀看過程圖的購買意願並未比觀看結果圖的購買意願顯著更高,因此假設2a不成立。在時間距離遠的情況下,觀看結果圖的購買意願比觀看過程圖的購買意願顯著更低,此結果與假設2b相反。最後,雖然心理模擬在本研究中並非扮演時間距離與圖片交互作用之中介變數(假設3不成立),但是,研究結果指出心理模擬確實會影響購買意願。建議未來學者可以進一步探討其他可以引發心理模擬的潛在變數,並透此變數與截團時間距離達成適配性,創造較佳的購買意願。 本研究結果提供企業在規劃團購活動時將截團時間的設定列入考量,以創造較佳的團購意願。
This research uses experimental design to explore consumer evaluation of group-buying deals change over different deal time and as the mediation of such changes on the basis of how deals are presented. With the manipulation of different temporal distances and mental simulation, we conduct an experiment which is a 2 (temporal distance: near future vs. distant future) × 2 (mental simulation: process simulation vs. outcome simulation) factorial design. With the four conditions, the participants’ purchase intention are assessed. The first hypothesis is that when the deal time is shorter, consumer purchase intention is higher (H1). The second hypothesis includes H2a and H2b. The former one claims that when deal time is shorter, participants who watch the processing-image has higher purchase intention. The latter one claims that when deal time is longer, the participants who watch the outcome-image has higher purchase intention. The third hypothesis is to test if mental simulation a mediator of the interaction effect of image and deal time. Results indicate that under shorter deal time, the purchase intention is higher than the condition of longer deal time. It supports H1. However the purchase intention of the participants who watch the processing-image under shorter deal time isn’t higher than the that of the participants who watch outcome-image. In the condition of longer deal time with outcome-image, participants’ purchase intention isn’t higher than that in the condition of longer deal time with process-image. The results don’t support H2. Last, although mental simulation is not a mediator of the interaction effect of deal time and image (H3 is not be supported), it indeed has an effect on consumer evaluation. The findings provide marketing insights regarding how to frame deal time strategy in group-buying.