Consumer responses to variety in product bundles: The moderating role of evaluation mode

• Evaluation mode moderates consumer responses to variety in product bundles.
• Evaluation of the variety bundle is higher in the joint (vs. separate) mode.
• Under joint evaluation, the non-variety bundle activates concern for satiation.
• Consumers prefer the variety bundle as it can counteract potential satiation.
• Associating repetition with loyalty eliminates the effect of evaluation mode.

This article examines the moderating effect of evaluation mode on consumer responses to variety in product bundles. Study 1 finds that consumer preference for the variety bundle (relative to the non-variety bundle) is higher in the joint evaluation mode than in the separate evaluation mode. Study 2 provides evidence that the increased preference for the variety bundle in joint evaluation is driven by the activation of concerns about satiation. Specifically, we find that both the quantity of items in and the category of the non-variety bundle influence consumer concern for satiation and the evaluation of the variety bundle. Study 3 further examines the proposed mechanism by manipulating the information associated with repetition and finds that associating repetition with loyalty (vs. satiation) eliminates the moderating effect of evaluation mode on the preference for variety. We discuss the findings and their implications for marketers.