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.