Host׳s interpersonal influence on guests in a home sales party

• Interactions between a home sales party host and the guests affect the guests׳ experiences.
• Obligation is negatively related to hedonic value, repatronage intention, and purchase amount.
• Gratitude is positively related to hedonic value and repatronage intention.
• Co-orientation is positively related to hedonic value.
• Hedonic value mediates the relationships between obligation-gratitude-co-orientation and repatronage intention-purchase amount.

This research aims to gain a better understanding of how interactions between a home sales party host and the guests affect the guests׳ experiences. An Internet survey was conducted and the participants were recruited through a home sales party representative directory. Our findings suggest significant effects of obligation and gratitude (i.e., utilitarian influences) and co-orientation (i.e., value-expressive influence) on hedonic value, repatronage intention and purchase amount. Another important finding is the mediating effects of hedonic value between obligation/gratitude/co-orientation and repatronage intention. This research, one of the few empirical studies in a party selling context, demonstrates the critical importance of interpersonal influence in the non-traditional shopping area.